Guelph, Ontario cyclist to bike across Canada from Victoria, B.C. to Newfoundland, starting this Saturday

This Saturday, Brendan Wetherall of Guelph, Ontario is riding out for the adventure of his lifetime — overcoming his own fears, as he says, to help others.

Like other cyclists who have attempted a ride across Canada in recent years, as Wetherall is, the cyclist is doing so for a good cause. His cross-country journey — called the “Break the Box Tour” — is in support of an organization called Pencils for Promise, a “for-purpose” organization that believes children worldwide should have access to quality education. Among its various initiatives are the creation of quality schools, the training of teachers, the availability of scholarships for students, and programs focused on water and health.

Wetherall, likes others involved in the program, is inviting donations in support of those initiatives as he rides out from Victoria, B.C. this Saturday, headed for the east coast. Every dollar donated, his website says, goes directly into the construction of the newest school built under the program in Ghana, Africa.

It’s a tour with physical ambition well-matched to its charitable meaning, too. The ride’s itinerary, reports the Guelph Mercury, tentatively puts him in Cape Spear, Nfld. on Sept. 23.

“While I travel across Canada,” Wetherall said, “I will be able to share my beliefs and inspire other young adults to step outside their own comfort zones and achieve what they didn’t consider possible.” A 2011 high school graduate, the young cyclist has certainly taken issues of education and emplowerment to heart, and hopes that his ride will underscore the same essential ideas. Along with building that school in Ghana, the ride will also be something of a homecoming for the Ontario rider. With plans to roll in to Guelph, Ontario on August 14, Wetherall will spend three days in his home town, before continuing on to Toronto on August 17.

By the end of Wetherall’s 8,000 kilometre-plus journey, he hopes to have raised $25,000 for Pencils for Promise. “Education offers a child the key to unlocking their purpose,” a statement on the ride’s Facebook page reads. “It offers freedom, independence, and opens up a world of possibility and wonder. I want to help some of the millions of children around the world find their purpose through educatin while I take the next step in my journey to find my own.”

“Biking across Canada has been a dream of mine, but an example where I have been held back by fear,” Wetherall adds. “I believe that when you are no longer held back by fear, purpose will show up and ignite your life.”

For further information or to follow Wetherall’s journey by YouTube and social media starting this Saturday, visit brendanwetherall.com.