When Ted King, Ryan Atkins, Eric Batty and Buck Miller rode more than 600 km in northern Ontario last winter, it was a real adventure – and they raised money for a local charity. We were happy to be involved in a small way – we supplied the entire team with Berthoud saddles, so they’d be comfortable during their long days on the road.
Now Eric has made a short movie about their incredible ride. Enjoy!
Amazing video, thanks! What is the Friendship organization they were raising money for?
It’s a local charity for the Native American communities. You can donate here.
Unbelievable! Thanks for sharing.
Is there a way we could get a list of all the equipment used on this ride and what they would change if they did it again? I’ve ridden in -30F weather (only for short periods) and it is a challenge to stay warm.
Ted King’s video has some details about their equipment. Also, in the Winter Bicycle Quarterly, there is an article on sub-zero riding that includes a very detailed equipment list.
Amazing journey. One correction however, the James Bay coast is not in Nunavut it is in the beautiful province of Ontario.
I was born in Kapuskasing and worked there as a letter carrier for a decade. I only stayed in from work one winter afternoon because of a bitter wind which had dropped the chill factor to a bit south of 70 below zero F (-57C) with a thermometer reading of 30 below zero F (-34C). (Chill factor reckoning has since changed.) In the tundra around the James Bay coast of Ontario, there is no protection from the wind since plant growth is stunted because of permafrost. This explains why people check on anyone stopped in a vehicle or exposed, as a cyclist would be; the intense cold can be deadly and the next time you could be the one waiting for assistance. Also this group of ‘winter tourists’ would have been quite the novelty since a snowmobiling group would have been more in season, shall we say.
I’ve worked briefly in Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut. Winters there seem more temperate but strong winds can created extended white-outs.
My bones still remember what this group may have experienced.
That was frikken’ awesome! I know a bit of that country, and can imagine how hard some moments of the ride were.