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Cycling to Break the Stigma

By Kiernan Devitt

Hi, my name is Kiernan Devitt. For those of you who are friends and family, hello, and for those of you that don't know me, welcome. I appreciate you taking the time to look at my CAMH fundraising page.

On May 10th I will begin cycling, with my father, from Toronto to Halifax, covering a total distance of approximately 2000 kilometers. This journey will take around one month and span four provinces as we make our way from Canada's biggest city to the country's eastern shore.

I have chosen to dedicate this ride to a cause that I strongly believe in, the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Mental health and addiction likely touches every Canadian family either directly or indirectly. Despite efforts in recent years towards education there continues to be a stigma surrounding mental health. Many Canadians struggling with issues related to mental health suffer in silence out of fear of this stigma.

My goal is to raise $15,000 for CAMH, with your help. I hope that through raising funds for CAMH we can support the organization in their continuing effort to combat the stigma surrounding mental health, increase access to timely mental health services, and conduct leading research in mental health.

Thank you for your support, you can follow my father and I on this journey as we will be posting regular updates.

I am so grateful that you took the time to read this, and hopefully you will be a part of this journey with me.

Help me reach my goal

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$9,771

My goal

$15,000

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My updates

Day 19 Edmundston to Grand Falls

Thursday 28th May
We are back with a vengeance! It is amazing how quick you can move on a bicycle when you are not fighting the wind or in the pouring rain.

Today saw us travel from Edmundston to Grand Falls in just over 3 hours, including stops. At this rapid pace we arrived in Grand Falls with time to kill, so we found a delightful local restaurant called Linda’s Kitchen. Where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of cabbage rolls and spaghetti bolognese. The staff were incredibly friendly and interested in our journey.

Given the blistering pace today, I must say that I am very impressed with my father’s ability to keep up with someone more than half his age! We continue to make a strong team, with him only occasionally overthinking and misreading our GPS.

Day 18 Edmundston

Wednesday 27th May
Today saw yet more rain. We were wise to take it as a rest day, and not bike.

However it looks like we are in for a full week of wet weather if forecasts are to be believed. Tomorrow we will set off for grand falls rain or shine.

Day 17 Rivière du Loup to Edmundston

Tuesday 26th May
We learned a few weeks ago that there was a closure on the bike trail we were to take south of Rivière du Loup due to a large construction project.  To make the closure more of an issue, there is no on road alternative as the only road near the closure area is the 4 lane autoroute on which bicycles are prohibited.  We understand that in the summer months the Construction company operates a shuttle to get people around the closure area but we are cycling before this service starts.  Thankfully, we were able to find a person who could drive us and our bikes from Rivière du Loup to either an area past the closure where we could set off on our bikes and head towards Edmundston New Brunswick or to Edmundston itself.  As the forecast today showed a possibility of afternoon thunderstorms, we decided to go straight to Edmundston in the interest of safety.  We haven’t seen thunderstorms yet but there have been significant showers this afternoon and evening which give me comfort that we made the correct call.  We will spend tomorrow in Edmundston to let the weather forecast settle and then on Thursday head towards Grand Falls as the weather is supposed to clear hopefully for a number of days. 

Day 16 La Pocatiere to Rivière du Loup

Monday 25th May
No photo today, as I proved to be a horrendously wet and windy day. We did not stop to take pictures as we did not want to risk water logging our phones. Despite the disagreeable weather, we could smell the salt of the sea air as we peddled up the mouth of the St Lawrence.

Day 15 Montmagny to La Pocatiere

Sunday 24th May
Another great day of cycling.  Although the forecast called for an overcast day we were blessed with sunshine our whole day.  We cycled along a fairly quiet road, with a good sized bike shoulder, looking at the St Lawrence River on one side and farmland and forest on the other.  Beautiful scenery almost the whole route.  We met a few interesting people along the way including an elderly gentleman who was going to church, but stopped to talk to us for a while and then thanked us for our efforts in French and for giving him the opportunity to practice his English, as he doesn’t get the opportunity to use the language very often.  We are looking to tomorrow with some dread as the forecast is calling for rain all day.

Day 14 Quebec City to Montmagny

Saturday 23rd May
Our ride today seemed particularly gruelling.  While it was a sunny day, looks can be deceiving. We seem to be the unfortunate beneficiaries of a regular headwind and today’s was non-stop and felt quite strong.  Hence, the wind made us both quite tired but we persevered thanks in part to the day of rest we had yesterday.  Along the way there were little villages that we cycled through, each with typically French Canadian architecture and of course each community had a lovely church, some still in use and others repurposed for other uses.  Despite our tiredness it was a great day.

Day 13 Quebec City

Friday 22nd May
What a difference a day makes. After almost two weeks of cycling we took the day off to enjoy Quebec City and all of its history on a lovely sunny day. The rest and time with family has been terrific, and we will be ready to jump back on the bikes tomorrow.

Day 12 Deschambault to Quebec City

Thursday 21st May
We made it to the psychological half way point of our bike adventure, Quebec City. We woke to a very chilly morning and stopped early on at a picnic area to put on another layer of clothing.  While there a man in a camper appeared and struck up a conversation with us, even offering to make us a cup of coffee to warm up.  The French Canadian hospitality is so refreshing.  We proceeded to take a rather hilly bike ride to Quebec City passing through lovely farmland and little villages.  
On arriving in Quebec City we were joined by my mother and visited with some relatives who live in the area.  My father, mother and I will spend the next two nights together enjoying this lovely city and recuperating from the many days of bicycling.  Saturday my father and I will continue our journey.

Day 11 Trois-Rivières to Deschambault

Wednesday 20th May
Quebec continues to impress with picturesque scenery, beautiful architecture and very friendly people. Though it was a more leisurely ride through the country side today we are beginning to feel quite tired after the accumulation of so many days of biking, and are looking forward to getting to Quebec City tomorrow where we will take a few days off, as it is the half way point of our journey.

My father and I have been making a very good cycling team. He has kept up with me (or rather I have kept up with him) pedal stroke for pedal stroke. I have left much of the navigation to him, but wisely he has left much of the communication in French to me.

Day 10 Sorel-Tracy to Trois Rivières

Tuesday 19th May
We had a terrific day cycling through picturesque country side on quiet roads.  Although the weather forecast initially called for rain we were fortunate to have clear skies for the full 80+ km ride.  We cycled along the Chemin du Roy, the oldest drivable road in Canada built in the first half of the 1700’s.  We visited small towns and had a fascinating stop at a museum/store/music venue called Le Magasin general Le Brun, where the owner personally took us on a tour of this incredible treasure trove of history.  His enthusiasm for the area’s history and his commitment of time was very much appreciated.  We cycled on to Trois Rivières and after getting settled and cleaned up we walked around the historic centre of this lovely riverside city.  

Day 9 Boucherville to Sorel-Tracy

Monday 18th May
You can’t always trust the weather forecast. When we left this morning it was supposed to only rain for a hour and then be cloudy, however it proved to be exceedingly rainy for most of our ride and we were also treated to a strong headwind for the majority of the day. 

Along the way we passed through a number of lovely small Quebec towns, complete with beautiful Catholic Churches. While we did not take any bike pictures on account of the brutal weather, here is a picture of one of those splendid churches.

Day 8 Vaudreuil-Dorion to Boucherville

Sunday 17th May
Cycling across Montreal was terrific. We had beautiful sunny weather, bike paths for almost our entire trip, and of course when our energy became depleted, a croissant! It was a shorter day of cycling, but after the previous week in the saddle an easier ride was a welcome break.

Day 7 Cornwall to Vaudreuil-Dorion

Saturday 16th May
We woke up this morning to a lovely sunny day. 

Today’s ride saw us cross from Ontario into Quebec. It is very impressive how well developed Quebec’s cycling infrastructure is in comparison to Ontario’s. It was difference we notice immediately, and were very thankful for. 

The ride itself had us peddling into a headwind for much of our trip, and both me my father are feeling the accumulation of kilometres we have cycled thus far.

Day 6 Brockville to Cornwall

Friday 15th May
Today was a long and challenging ride, with a headwind and rain for much of the 110km trip.

However at about the halfway point the weather improved. We stopped to grab lunch at Morrisburg at a diner, where we chatted with some of the friendly locals at neighbouring tables who were very supportive about our journey.

After we passed Upper Canada Village, we were treated to a lovely bike path separated from the highway. While travelling on it we saw baby geese, herons, turkeys, a beaver and ever a fox. Spending time among nature such as this was very restorative, following a long bike in the rain along highway 2.

Day 5 Kingston to Brockville

Thursday 14th May
Today we biked from Kingston to Brockville. While the temperature was a bit chilly, the ride treated us to lovely views of the St Lawrence river and 1000 islands. We saw flocks of migrating birds, and the beginning of leaves on the trees, a reminder that spring has arrived.

Day 4 Kingston

Wednesday 13th May
Today we had heavy rain, high winds and even a thunderstorm, so we decided to stay put in Kingston and wait out the bad weather. We will resume cycling tomorrow. Truth be told we were very appreciative of having a rest day.

Day 3 Picton to Kingston

Tuesday 12th May
Woke up to a beautiful sunny calm day. Took a short ferry ride to cross the bay of Quinte. As we continued the weather deteriorated, with strong headwinds for much of the ride.

Day 2 Port Hope to Picton

Monday 11th May
Beautiful day for a bike ride!

Day 1 Toronto to Port Hope

Sunday 10th May
We were blessed with good weather on the first day of our cycle, sunny and not too hot.  While it was windy, the wind was generally at our back more often than not.  Looking forward to the rest of the journey.

Thank you to my donors

$1.02k

Adele Hall

Cheering you all the way

$1,000

Hari Sambasivam And Carole Matthews

$520

Deirdre Hall

Cheering you on! Don't let the weather get you down!

$520

Philip And Carole

Enjoy the journey..... and the quality time with "the old man"!

$500

Deb And Les

What a worthwhile charity! Have a wonderful time and sunny days! We wish you all the best, Deb and Les

$500

Dillon Sambasivam

$500

Danielle Melchior

Good luck with the ride!

$318

Anonymous

$300

Anonymous

Great effort for a great cause!

$265

James Chapman

Have a fantastic ride, may the wind be always at your back

$265

Carmine Stumpo

Safe travels! Enjoy the ride!

$250

Charles Hall

$212

Bob And Nicole Breeze

You're making amazing progress! Looking forward to hearing about your ride when you get back. Congratulations.

$212

Sarah Downey

$212

Allison Philpot

Amazing! Impressive! I’ll be watching the blog!

$212

Kiernan Devitt

$212

Wolf Klassen

All the best on your adventure!!

$200

Dan Pearlman Jane Ellens

what a great endeavour. Ride Safe!! we want to hear the stories when you return xx D and J

$200

Holly Rutherford

Good luck Kiernan!

$200

Barbara D.

Wishing you & your Dad a smooth ride and hope you make your goal and more!

$200

Michelle Hibler

Safe trails!

$125

Richard Devitt

Good luck!

$106

Renee Cain

Amazing job!

$106

Lori Marshall

$106

Trina Norman

So happy so support this ride Kiernan. It has strong meaning for me too ❤️

$106

Andrew & Paulette

Headwinds today so, get a good sleep

$106

Michael Leger

This is so cool! Im donating for my wife's uncle Jocko who recently passed away. He suffered with mental health for many years. Good luck and safe trip!

$106

Tim Rutledge

Wishing you and your Dad a safe and enjoyable ride.

$106

Karen Corbin

Good luck!

$106

Fannie Vavoulis

Amazing) And for a very worthy cause! And what a special memory being made between father and son!

$106

Roslyn Eskind

Good luck!

$106

Scott

Enjoy the ride

$106

Hugh Devitt

$100

David Drake

$79.50

Michelle Picard-aitken

What a great project & cause. I'm following along for the 2nd half!

$53

Maxim Volin

$53

Adam Topp

$53

Ev Osteopathy & Holistic Health

$53

Carrie O'conaill

$53

Graham Devitt

That's a hell of a distance! Good luck, and way to go!

$53

Kim Greenslade

Wow! What a great cause!

$53

Shelley Darling

Best of luck on your journey, Kieran and Rob.

$31.80

Michelle Therrien

$31.80

Anonymous

Allo Kiernan, Merci de te dévouer à cette cause qui est si importante!

$26.50

Andrew Hamilton

Hell yeah dude

$21.20

Tyler Zimmerman-jones