A bike ride from Ottawa to Burnaby to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion wasn’t all smooth sailing for a pair of McGill University students, but both say it was definitely worth it.
Alison Gu and Sarah Mitchell set off from Parliament Hill on June 24, determined to ride to Burnaby (Gu’s hometown and the terminus of the Trans Mountain pipeline) and raise money for Pull Together, a campaign supporting First Nations and their legal battles against Kinder Morgan.
Only three days into the trek, however, Mitchell crashed her bike riding down a gravelly hill, and the two 20-year-olds had to cool their heels in Petawawa for three days while her bike got fixed.
“I was pretty shaken up,” Mitchell told the NOW.
The pair had always planned to skip a particularly dangerous stretch of road between Sudbury and Winnipeg, but after the crash they decided to get a ride to Sudbury from Mitchell’s parents, take a train to Winnipeg and start again from there.
In total, they ended up cycling about 3,000 kilometres and arrived at Gu’s parents’ house in Burnaby last Thursday (Aug. 10).
Riding between 80 to 100 kilometres per day, the pair encountered more than a few challenging surprises besides the crash.
“Manitoba and Saskatchewan are not as flat as people think,” Gu said.
And, while the pair got a lot of encouraging honks along the way, they also got their share of angry ones from motorists in the mountain passes, where narrow shoulders forced them to ride on the highway.
Overall, though, the kindness of strangers and the natural beauty along the route far outweighed the difficulties, according to Gu.
At a diner in St. Lazare, Man., for example, a man described by Gu as a “Trump supporter,” struck up a conversation with them and proceeded to disagree with them on everything from the pipeline to
LGBTQ rights.
“That was a frustrating conversation,” Gu said, “but at the end of it he was like, ‘Well, let me check out your site. I’ll donate.’”
He then paid for their meal.
Having face-to-face conversations with people who didn’t share her views was among the most important parts of the trip for Gu, who said she started the tour frustrated with today’s political climate.
“They didn’t necessarily agree,” she said of conversations along the route, “but oftentimes people were very open, and they wanted to know why we felt so strongly that we wanted to bike across the country. People are open to hearing other people’s opinions. That’s a good sign.”
Gu and Mitchell were recognized by Burnaby South NDP MP Kennedy Stewart at a welcome home reception Friday afternoon.
“Not only did Alison and Sarah travel from Ottawa to Burnaby and raise funds for First Nations communities fighting the Kinder Morgan pipeline, but they also spread the word about their commitment to the environment,” Stewart said. “They matched their words with deeds, which is inspiring to us all, and I commend them for their efforts. I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
The pair have raised more than $2,000 toward their $4,461 goal.
Donations can still be made directly to Pull Together at tinyurl.com/PullTogetherDonation or by buying prints or digital copies of photos Gu took along the tour at www.cyclistsinsolidarity.com.
