The fire chief’s route was the entirety of Highway 93, beginning in Wickenburg, Ariz., at the southern end of the highway, and ending at home in Jasper. He chose the route because of Jasper’s sister city relationship with Wickenburg, and Tourism Jasper’s desire to make the highway the ultimate road trip destination.
Upon his return, Van Tighem said, although he wouldn’t recommend it as a cycling route, he would recommend making the journey from the comfort of a vehicle.
“I now know why nobody’s ever ridden a bike the full extent of Highway 93,” he said with a laugh.
“There was no consistency at all. It goes from being a terrible, old, decrepit, cracked, potholed, almost haunted abandoned highway and then 20 miles later, it’s new pavement.”
It’s just not safe on a bike, he said, noting that where shoulders existed, they were so narrow that he even had to come up with a “bail out strategy.”
“I would watch my mirror and watch the front, and if two semis were coming or if a car was coming and you could tell it wasn’t getting over, I would just hit the ditch.”
Although the strategy was well utilized, Van Tighem only fell off his bike twice the whole trip.
In fact, on his first visit to the ditch, he fought hard to stay on the saddle. “I didn’t want to fall off my bike because I was afraid of rattle snakes,” he said with a laugh. “So I had to ride it out.”
Despite the terrible road conditions, and the terrifying encounters with dogs—either running after him or barking in his face from the box of a truck—Van Tighem said the ride was spectacular.
“I’ve never spent any time in that type of desert or arid or semi-arid type of climate. It was beautiful. One minute your riding in the desert and the next you’re in Alamo, in a river valley and it is all green and lush. It was so cool to just look at the landscape.”
The entire ride took Van Tighem 23 days—21 of which he spent in the saddle, pumping away on his pedals. Along the way, he passed through Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, before hitting familiar territory at the Alberta border.
He said his worst day was the second to last—not because of the ride, although it did include “Big Bend” hill, but because of the snow at Hilda Creek Hostel, where he was to lay his head for the night.
The ski trail into the hostel was covered in waist-deep snow, with only a thin crust on top, so with each step Van Tighem sunk in, banging up his shins. At first he tried to make the trip while pushing his bike, but it was far too challenging, so he ended up stashing his gear behind some trees near the highway.
By the time he finally got inside the hostel, he was freezing cold. “My feet were soaking wet, my hands were bleeding, my shins were severely bruised and I was exhausted from exertion.”
And to top it all off, he wasn’t alone in the cabin. “There was a critter living in there, chewing on something all night,” making it impossible to sleep.
The following day, he left at 8 a.m., while the snow was still frozen, to reduce the chances of further injuring his legs.
The final stretch of highway went quickly, as community members met him along the way to escort him into town. Van Tighem said although he can remember a lot from the trip, riding into town, May 15, is now a bit of a blur.
“That was intense,” he said of being escorted down Connaught Drive by about 50 community members on bikes and motorcycles, and being cheered on by people along the way. “I can’t believe all the people that were there.
“Everybody’s kind of rallied behind this. In a way, it’s brought the community closer to my cause. I didn’t expect that.”
When he finally arrived at the Mile Zero rock—the official start to Highway 93—Van Tighem was greeted by about 200 enthusiastic fans, including Mayor Richard Ireland, who thanked and congratulated him.
“What I saw on the street and all along Connaught Drive is the way a guy like Greg can bring out the best in all of us,” Ireland said.
“Thank you, Greg, for what you’ve done for MS and for Highway 93 and for everybody in Jasper. We are so proud to have you as one of us.”
Van Tighem’s goal is to raise $93,000 for the MS Society by the end of September. So far, according to his website, he’s raised 25 per cent of that goal. That figure doesn’t yet include the money raised by the Jasper Brewing Company during Van Tighem’s welcome home party, nor does it include the $3,000 the Volunteer Fire Brigade had waiting for him upon his arrival.
Van Tighem has been raising money for the MS Society of Canada for the past seven years. In that time, not including his most recent fundraising efforts, he’s accumulated $145,000 for the society through bottle drives, barbecues and his participation in the Hinton MS Bike Tour.
Although he still has a ways to go before he reaches his $93,000 goal, he said between his usual barbecues and fundraising for the tour, he’ll get there, “one way or another.”
To pledge Van Tighem, visit endms93.com, or visit the Amethyst Lodge, May 29, at 7 p.m, where he will be sharing photos and stories from his trip. He will also be holding a silent auction and there will be a $10 admission fee, with the funds going toward his cause.
