Ontario squad plans cross-Canada bike odyssey for charity and world record

Matt Sharp, a cyclist from Collingwood, Ont., has big, big plans over the next couple of years.

In this case, we’re talking Canada-style “big.”

As part of a squad called Team 49 Parallel, Sharp, along with three other men and one women, will take to the roads in a relay to cross Canada, supporting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle and Canada. They’re doing it somewhat gradually, though. In 2017, Team 49 plans to cross Ontario from the Manitoba border to Ottawa, taking a route through the Greater Toronto Area. The following year, they’ll tackle the main event: a trans-Canada haul from Vancouver to Halifax, non-stop, keeping a rider on the road at all times.

Speaking with Canadian Cycling Magazine, Sharp explained the ambitious plan.

First, there’s the Ontario crossing. “We are using the Ontario crossing as an opportunity to begin training and raise awareness of the larger Canadian crossing during 2018,” Sharp said.

In terms of itinerary, he said, the plan is to roll out from the Manitoba border on Aug. 15, heading southeast through scenic Muskoka—cottage country north of Toronto—and then on to Ottawa via Peterborough. En route, the squad will have a support car following, providing food, shelter and medical care, along with the all-important aid of mechanical assistance.

To date, Sharp told Canadian Cycling Magazine, the Team 49 Parallel crew has received enthusiastic support from sources ranging from Pearl Izumi to local Collingwood businesses, such as Peak To Shore Physiotherapy. The squad’s fundraising goal is $100,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle.

“Our goal,” Sharp said, crediting the inspiration of teams that have performed similar charitable rides, “is ultimately to raise money for [Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle] so that they can provide more services to the Georgian Triangle youth. But equally as important in my eyes is demonstrating to the next generation through our actions that your goals are attainable if reasonable effort and organization are put forth.”

Sharp is hoping his squad will beat the record for cycling across Canada in a relay team. Currently that record, set in September 2007, is held by Matt Young , Kyle Bagnano, Willie Cormack, Richard Alm and Keith Nicoll. The five riders, known as Team H2V, rode from Halifax to Vancouver in eight days, eight hours and 14 minutes. They also raised almost one million dollars for juvenile diabetes research.