70-year-old Toronto cyclist to bike from Ontario to Mexico this September for Amistad Canada

With a goal of raising $25,000 for Amistad Canada, Toronto’s John Murtaugh is kicking off his 70th year of life with a ride that might make cyclists half his age think twice.

Starting this September, Murtaugh will mount up his bike and pedal 4,000 km, leaving Toronto bound for San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It’s an ambitious enterprise, especially as a way to mark the beginning of his eighth decade of life. Still, Murtaugh feels ready for it—and believes it’s a mission as much as a personal challenge.

For the 70-year-old cyclist, a nearly 60-year-old tale of intrepid riders travelling the opposite direction is what inspired him.

In 1956, two brothers—Arturo and Gustavo Martinez—cycled from Mexico City to Toronto, and when they arrived, never left again. Remaining in Canada, they decided to raise their families on Canadian soil, one of whom—Andrea Martiez, Arturo’s daughter and Gustavo’s niece—went on to become a documentary filmmaker. After seeing her work on the subject of her two-wheeling family, a film called Ciclo, Murtaugh, an accomplished long-haul rider in his own right, had a fire lit under his saddle. He would retrace the same journey, but he’d do it in the opposite direction, ending up in San Miguel de Allende.

With that, Bi-Ciclo was born.

Sadly, while Gustavo Martinez remains a Toronto resident, and spoke to the Toronto Star last summer about his and his brother’s 82-day ride and the film that resulted, Arturo has since passed away. Nonetheless, his legacy lives on in Murtaugh’s ride—even more so than it might if it was just a ride for riding’s sake, considering the spirit behind the latter-day adventurer’s undertaking.

Donations will go toward supporting the work of Amistad Canada, Murtaugh’s preferred charity, which is dedicated to the serving the needs of children and families in and around San Miguel de Allende. Three projects in particular will benefit: child literacy, midwifery training and an anti-domestic violence program.

The 70-year-old rider doesn’t roll out for San Miguel de Allende until Sept. 15. Already, though, $2,900 of his $25,000 fundraising goal has been raised—over 10 per cent of the planned proceeds.

Those wanting to support the ride, the Bi-Ciclo Facebook page says, can do so directly via the Amistad Canada website if in Canada, or by visiting CASA’s website, if attempting to donate from the United States.