Airdrie’s Ray Cossette will set out Sept. 1 on a 6,487.7-km cycling trip from Airdrie, Alta., to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, without a support vehicle, according to the campaign page for Pedaling for a Purpose: Ray Rides Across Eastern Canada.
The campaign says the two organizations — the Airdrie Food Bank and Community Links — provide “essential food, mental health resources, and family support” in the community.
“Our goal is to raise $1 for every kilometre I ride with all funds going directly to the Airdrie Food Bank and Community Links,” Cossette said. “Please, please, please, if you can donate, it’s going to a good cause, the Airdrie Food Bank and Community Links, great organizations in your community, and we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can come up with this year.”
He plans to ride “approximately 200 kilometres [200 km] a day” for 33 days — just over four weeks — with “no rest days, unless safety or major weather events are of concern,” he said. The campaign notes he will carry all his own gear without a support vehicle.
Cossette and his wife Nikki Nordick own Airdrie Puppy Pals, which has “been very fortunate to lead fundraising efforts for the Airdrie Food Bank and Community Links” for several years.
“This year, we wanted to attach the ride to something important and to do a fundraising effort,” he said. “We thought, hey, why not start the fundraising efforts a little bit earlier this year and attach the ride to this effort.”
Cossette has been bike touring since 2022. “My first one … only a couple years back,” he said. “I decided to ride to Miami for my first one. So I did Airdrie to Miami, and then last year, I ended up doing Airdrie to [Tofino] on the island,” he said, referring to Vancouver Island. “And that was a great ride. And now to start thinking about the four corners of both Canada and US, the four southern corners, the next step would be to tackle the rest of Canada and get to the eastern part of our country.”
“Canada is a very challenging country to bike across in terms of weather,” he said. “Wind is probably on the top of my concern list in terms of weather, but … be prepared for wind, be prepared for cold, be prepared to get wet, because it’s unlikely that we’re going to be or I’m going to be cycling across the country without a little bit of rain along the way.”
September was selected “on purpose,” he added. “It’s a little less warm, so the heat is less of a problem, and it’s generally a little bit drier as we go across the country as well. So … there is a purpose of selecting September as a good riding month.”
Packing for the trip is about knowing “what you actually need versus what you think you need,” he said. “This comes with experience, whether it’s riding across the country or long bike rides or just hiking in the mountains. You’re not going to get a shower every day and you’re not going to be dry every day, and that’s okay. You’ll be fine. So just pack what you actually need for the day, and then just reset the day after.”
Two stops stand out. “One of them is the geographical centre of Canada, which is just east of Winnipeg, Man.,” he said. “It’s a big sign on just off of the [Trans-Canada Highway], and the other one is actually riding through my hometown. I grew up in a town kind of like Airdrie, but just east of Ottawa, Ont., called [sic] Orleans… I grew up there. Went to high school there, all of my friends are still — well, most of my friends are still out there. So I’m really looking forward to stopping by my old high school … and seeing some friends on my trip.”
Cossette said his “closest circle of friends are not surprised at all by me taking on this challenge, but the community in general has been absolutely fantastic, and the encouragement I’m getting from them … is making it seem like this is a much easier trip than it will ultimately be.”
“I am going to be hungry along the way, but I am very lucky in being able to feed myself,” he said. “Not everybody’s always able to do something like this … that donation will definitely go a long way within our community.”
Asked if the trip was mind over matter, Cossette replied: “No matter how you dice it, I feel like there is a physical challenge that comes with it, but that physical challenge is overcome over time. It really is, and that sounds cliche. You are correct. Mind over matter plays a huge role in this … understanding that you will be uncomfortable, you will be sore, you will be hungry, you’ll be tired. And it’s a matter of just being able to push through that and understanding that if you put your mind to something, you can go much, much, much further than you originally thought possible.”
He began cycling about 10 months before his first long-distance trip. “I’m not a fan of mentioning this one, just because of how it sounds, but I only started cycling about 10 months prior to departure for my Airdrie to Miami trip … as a method to actually rehab my foot,” he said. “Ended up loving what I was feeling from cycling and then planned the big trips shortly thereafter. From then on, I try to ride my bike as much as possible … it’s definitely a passion."
“Success is always coming home,” he said. “So yes, there is a destination in mind, but success is not the destination … you actually get to your end point, and it’s underwhelming to a certain degree because of all the emotions … along the way. So success for me is coming home … and seeing that we were able to donate all of the funds that the community decided to partake in.”
“If you can do 5k [five kilometres] you can do 100 and if you could do 100, then you’re halfway to 200, so you’re almost there,” he said. “I’m excited about it. I’m hoping that the Airdrie community is getting excited about it. I’m looking forward to beginning and bringing everyone along with me, and we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can come up with this year.”
Updates are being shared on Airdrie Puppy Pals’ blog and on Ray’s Instagram account: @airdriecyclingmonkey, as well as on the Airdrie Puppy Pals Instagram account.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM.
DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.