British Farmer cycles 3,000 miles across Canada for charity
5th August 2019
Nick Bragg, of Frogmary Green Farm, made it his mission this summer to cycle 3,000 miles across Canada in just 30 days.
Nick Bragg, of Frogmary Green Farm, made it his mission this summer to cycle 3,000 miles across Canada in just 30 days.
Every hero on a mission needs a worthy cause. Nick has chosen one that is very dear to his heart and all the farming community: The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, a welfare charity changing lives in farming for the better.
Every year the R.A.B.I gives out roughly £2 million in grants and supports approximately 2,000 farming individuals and families. A farmer can control many aspects of their farm, but when their finances are affected by unpredictable circumstances, the R.A.B.I is here to ease that pressure with their support and advice.
Nick and his trusty bicycle made it across 3 time zones and 4 provinces, through the mountainous terrain of the Rockies, and finally finished at the Inukshuk monument on the Vancouver waterfront.
Nick was accompanied by his wife Claire, plus siblings Ashley and Adele Martin of Adele Martin PT. With a background in cycling, AMPT provided Nick with the best challenge specific training and advice needed to complete his cycle across Canada safely. Ashley joined Nick at the start of the challenge for 3 weeks until Adele tagged in to tackle the Rockies.
Despite getting slightly lost, Nick and Ashley set off from Montreal Olympic stadium on the 21st of June. They faced strong headwinds for most of the journey and temperatures soared to 30 degrees. Claire followed close behind in their motorhome, with food, clean clothes and plenty of water.
While they travelled through the Canadian National Parks and along the banks of Lake Superior, Nick made sure to stop and enjoy the stunning scenery around him. They spotted a variety wildlife including a wild Moose and her calves, Forest Foxes, Porcupines, Armadillos, Chinchillas, Turkeys, Bald Eagles and numerous bits of roadkill. Nick even had a close encounter with a Bear sunning itself not 15ft away.
The last 1000 miles was by no means the easiest, as the mountainous Rockies loomed before Nick in the distance. On their steepest day, they faced a 3,982ft climb to the Bombi summit and then a 5,036ft climb to Paylson summit, meaning they had climbed a total of 9,018ft. Despite being the hardest section of their challenge, the surreal splendour of the Rockies kept them moving and they were always looking forward to the next breath-taking view.
On day 30, Nick and Adele triumphantly arrived at the Inukshuk monument in English bay on the Vancouver Waterfront. Before returning to Somerset, Nick, Claire and Adele treated themselves to a tour of downtown Vancouver and whale watching, where they spotted a pod of Orcas on the hunt. Back in the UK, Nick is giving himself a brief break before jumping back into his Triathlon training with renewed vigour.
For Nick, the challenge has flown by unbelievably quickly and he feels pleasantly surprised at what he has achieved, plus immensely grateful for all the support from friends and family. His advice to any others considering a challenge like this is: Do It. Take that leap and surprise yourself. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve and do for others.
You can still donate to Nick’s Cycling Challenge here> https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NickBragg
Challenge in numbers
3,000 miles
6,708 training miles
600,000, pedal rotations
9.5 hours on the bike (longest day on a bike)
211 total hours on a bike
4 provinces
3 time zones
4 litres of water a day
Consume 4000 calories a day
85,559 calories burnt
16 months planning
Height climbed – 9,018ft climbed in one day (3,982ft climb to Bombi summit then a 5,036ft climb to Paylson summit a total of 9,018ft)
