20
|
AUTUMN
|
EARLY WINTER
2016
ThispastJuly,
EvanGilroy
pedalled his bike downHighway
26 towards his home inMeaford,
a mere 30 days after his ride
began inVancouver.What’smore
impressive than riding a bike
4300kms—therewere no Power-
Bars in Evan’s pack. Evan sus-
tained his energy by eating only
foodsgrownandproducedwithin
50kmsof his locationeachday.
Havinggrown upon an apple
orchard inGreyCounty, Evan un-
derstands the relationship be-
tween farmerandconsumerbetter
thanmost. Evannamedhisadven-
ture “FuelledbyCanadian Food”
inhopesof bringingawareness to
the importance of accessibility of
locallyproduced food. And lucky
for us, Evanbloggedabout hisex-
perience riding from the Pacific
Ocean toGeorgianBay.
“Thedistance that agreat per-
centageofour foodhas to travel to
get toourplates ismindnumbing,”
explains Evan on his blog fueled-
bycanadianfood.weebly.com
“According toaRegionofWater-
loo study, 58 commonly con-
sumed foods travel on average
4,497km to the table. So, I’vede-
cided to see just what it takes to
travel these distances, the energy
that it consumes, and impact that
it’shaving. Iwon’tbeburning thou-
sandsof tonnesof fossil fuels; I’llbe
fuelledbyCanadian food.Me,my
bikeandCanadianagricultureare
going toget me fromVancouver,
BritishColombia toGreyCounty,
Ontario in30days.”
Evangraduated from theUniver-
sityofGuelphwithBachelorofBio
ResourceManagement. “This de-
gree taught me a lot, but most of
all, reassuredme that I belong in
the food and agriculture sector,”
explains Evan. “I am a very opti-
misticperson. Ihavehighhopes for
the future of our food systemand
thepeople inourworld.”
OnaverageEvan’senergyout-
putwhencycling140kmper day,
required approximately 5000
calories. Thismade for some tough
epicurean decisions, and rein-
forced Evan’s suspicions on how
difficult it has become to eat only
locallyproduced foods.“There isn't
always lots to choose from,”
Gilroy stated. "In one grocery
store I foundabrickof cheeseand
some smoked sausage that luckily
were both from within 50 km of
where I bought them. Sometimes
youhave toadapt towhat isavail-
able."
Evan quickly learned that he
faredbetter sticking to routes that
were likely to hold roadsidemar-
ketsand food stands.He recounts
one such stand filledwith mouth-
wateringBritishColumbiacherries.
"Delicious fresh fruit as a snack
whenyou'recycling is todie for.”
“Therewere standson the sides
of the roadwhere anyone could
stopandgrababasket."
Evan’s bikealso needed tobe
up for the task. After hours of re-
searchand in speakingwithother
riders, he settledona2016Kona
Rove Al. “It weighed about 100
pounds all saidanddone. Tooka
little getting used to, but within a
fewdays of my tripwewere best
friends. Iworeout1 tire, had9 flat
tires,but thebikeworkedperfectly
all thewayhome.”
As farassleepingarrangements,
Evan explains, “During my trip I
never reallyplannedmore thana
day ahead, most of the time not
even knowingwhere I was going
to sleepuntil a fewminutesbefore
I set upmy tent. I allowed for the
trip to justhappen, Iwasn'tpushing
to fill any stereotype inmymind.”
Insummarizinghis journeyEvan
remarks, “Theworld isa lot smaller
thanwe think.Whenyouareona
trip, what's the component that
makes you feel like you are far
away fromhome? I'mgoing toas-
sume you answered, ‘not being
withyourcommunity’ (friends, fam-
ily, neighbors and people that
make you feel like you belong).
Well, I am happy to say that
Canadamademe feelathome for
theextentofmy4300km journey.
Canadians welcomed me and
showed amazing willingness to
form global communities regard-
lessofwhere Icalledhome.Soba-
sically, I was on an adventure
while feelingat home. People sup-
portedandappreciated thecause
that Iwasadvocating for.Mymis-
sion to fuelmyselfacross thecoun-
tryconsumingonlyCanadian food
wassuccessful (withonlya fewex-
ceptions). I made it home on time
and Iwoulddefinitelydo it again.
Canada'samazing!”.
|E|
For more stories from his cross-country
pilgrimage to raise awareness for
eating local, check out Evan’s blog
fueledbycanadianfood.weebly.com
You don’t want to miss Evan’s Mom’s
reaction to this journey and how she
kept tabs on her son while he made
his way across this great country of
ours.
Photos | Evan Gilroy
Story | CaraWilliams
awareness
BIKESTATS...
2016KonaRoveAl
Frame: 6061AluminumButted
Wheels:WTBFreedomCruzDisc
Fork: KonaProjectTwo
Crankset: FSATempoCompact50/34
Drivetrain:
ShimanoClaris11-32t8-speed
Brakes: HayesCXComp
Tires: SchwalbeRoadPlusw/Puncture
Protect700x35c
Saddle: KonaRoad
SLEEPINGSTATS...
Bed: 4nights
Couch: 2nights
Hammock: 1.5nights
Tent: 22.5nights
FUELLEDBYCANADIAN FOOD
