Nick Bragg, of Frogmary Green Farm, has succeeded in his mission to cycle 3,000 miles across Canada in just 30 days.
Nick and his trusty bicycle made it across three time zones and four provinces, through the mountainous terrain of the Rockies, and finally finished at the Inukshuk monument on the Vancouver waterfront on day 30.
Accompanied by his wife Claire, plus siblings Ashley and Adele Martin, Ashley joined Nick at the start of the challenge for three weeks until Adele tagged in to tackle the Rockies.
Despite getting slightly lost, Nick and Ashley set off from Montreal Olympic stadium on June 21. They faced strong headwinds for most of the journey and temperatures soared to 30C! Claire followed close behind in their motorhome, with food, clean clothes and plenty of water.
While they travelled through the Canadian National Parks and along the banks of Lake Superior, they spotted a variety of wildlife including a wild Moose and her calves and had a close encounter with a bear!
The last 1,000 miles was by no means the easiest, as the Rockies loomed in the distance. On their steepest day, they faced a 3,982ft climb to the Bombi summit and then a 5,036ft climb to Paylson summit, meaning they had climbed a total of 9,018ft.
Before returning to Somerset, the team treated themselves to a tour of downtown Vancouver and whale watching, where they spotted a pod of Orcas on the hunt.
Supported by main sponsors, DraperVENT, Fendt UK & Ireland and Compass Tractors, the longest day on the bike during the 30 days was 9.5 hours.
Every hero on a mission needs a worthy cause. Nick has chosen one that is very dear to his heart and all the farming community: The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution RABI), a welfare charity changing lives in farming for the better. Every year the organisation gives out roughly £2 million in grants and supports approximately 2,000 farming individuals and families.
For Nick, the challenge has flown by unbelievably quickly and he feels pleasantly surprised at what he has achieved. His advice to any others considering a challenge like this is do it. “Take that leap and surprise yourself,” he said. “You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve and do for others.”
You can still donate to Nick’s Cycling Challenge here> https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NickBragg