Who should be Cycling Canada’s honorary team captain for Tokyo 2020?
The U.S. has Patrick Dempsey. Here are some possibilities for our team
Actor Patrick Dempsey, best known for starring in Grey’s Anatomy, has been an athlete his whole life. As a young ski racer, he cross-trained by cycling. When he got involved with the Amgen Tour of California’s Breakaway from Cancer event in 2007, he decided to get back on the bike and has been riding ever since.
On Feb. 12, Dempsey was named USA Cycling’s honorary team captain for Tokyo 2020. The role involves working with USA Cycling to raise awareness on the sport and encouraging people to ride and support the team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“I have been a passionate cyclist for years now,” says Dempsey. “This is a once in a life opportunity, one I could not pass up.”
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Dempsey is not the only celebrity cyclist. Pro athletes in other sports such as Reggie Miller and Jimmie Johnson enjoy riding. Musician David Byrne has famously been a cyclist since the 70s, and wrote a book on traveling with his bike titled Bicycle Diaries.
Electronic musicians such as Kraftwerk and Benny Benassi are bike people. Even rapper Gucci Mane got into cycling after getting fit in jail.
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Many actors are basically paid to stay in shape, so it’s not surprise that actors like Zac Efron, America Ferrera and Hugh Jackman cycle as part of their multi-sport workout regimens. Orlando Bloom has been posting about some of his rides on Instagram lately, and seems to be pretty deep into cycling culture based on his gear and Strava Summit account.
There are lots of american celebrities on bikes that USA Cycling could have chosen for their captain. But what about Cycling Canada’s theoretical captain? Here are a few options.
Canadian cycling celebrities
Jagmeet Singh
The 41-year-old criminal defense lawyer turned politician is the leader of the NDP. Singh loves to bike and has organized group ride events during past campaigning events.
RELATED: The NDP’s new leader Jagmeet Singh loves cycling
“It’s no secret that I love to cycle. I believe that it’s time for Canada to have a national cycling strategy that works to advance cycle infrastructure, safety and accessibility in cities and regions across Canada,” he said in an invitation to a community ride.
We organized another group bike ride – this time in Winnipeg ? Such a great way to tour the city and meet new people along the way #ndpldr pic.twitter.com/lRWoKCLh6v
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) August 24, 2017
Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo
Jim Cuddy uses cycling to help clear his mind when he’s writing music. Riding his bike in Tuscany in 2010 got him into cycling and he’s traveled to Europe with his bike a number of times since.
RELATED:Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy on cycling
He’s gone on rides with Olympic cyclists in the past, as part of his Gold Medal Plates charity that raised money for Olympic athletes in Canada.
The musician is even hosting bike tours as part of a Danube River cruise package in November 2020.
Prince Harry
While (as far as the public knows) he isn’t a very serious cyclist, the new Canadian is definitely a fan. His army friend Dean Stott broke the world record for fastest time cycling across South America, in an attempt to raise money for the royal mental health campaign Heads Together. Harry cheered him on throughout.
Prince Harry riding a Brompton on a segregated cycle lane in Hackney Wick MT @HereEast: pic.twitter.com/fkjdkXOz4O
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) September 15, 2014
At the Invictus games, Harry rode a Brompton and he cheered on cyclists competing at the event.
William Shatner
The canandian Star Trek actor is a huge fan of electric bikes. He reportedly owns 16 e-bikes and enjoys spending time riding them with his children and grandchildren.
RELATED: William Shatner credits e-bikes for helping him stay fit at 87-years-old
The 88-year-old told the LA Times that he uses e-bikes to get him out on the road. “An electric trike gets you out,” he said. “Suddenly you’re seeing neighbors, riding to the grocery store and giving the bird to cars.”
Julie Payette
Canada’s Governor General is a proponent of cycling. The astronaut has a bike for every occasion, including mountain biking, commuting and triathlons.
Recently, she participated in Ottawa’s Bike Day event on Parliament Hill. A lifelong athlete, she’s a big fan of Canadian cycling. Hugo Barrette’s recovery from his 2015 seriously impressed her. “I have a special place for Hugo Barrette,” she says. “He was involved in such a tragic accident and he recovered and went back in.”
