The Real Ironman

Meet the real Canadian IronMan

Today while eating at my favorite casse-croute in Mont Tremblant,  I noticed a unique individual pull up on his tricycle to buy a hot dog.
He soon come over to ask directions due to his bad eye site, and to our surprise he was asking how to get to Halifax!

We inquired as to where he came from and he said Clearwater B.C., what!?

I was in compete shock as were a few of us, and he just turned and said “Well, believe it, I’m here”.

A small crowd started to gather in somewhat astonishment as they overheard his story.  His name is Cecil MacDonald, he is 69 year years old and he is biking all the way to Halifax to meet his ailing sister, Catherine.  Besides visiting his sister, his inspiration for the trip was listening to the Maritime broadcasts on CBC radio, he felt it was a good idea to visit his old stomping grounds. Cecil has not been back East in over 40 years, and has not seen his sister since 1980.  His sister is having health issues, “I wanted to go visit my sister before one of us dies”, he said with a smile.

Cecil is no ordinary cyclist crossing Canada, he is a true ironman cut from Scottish/Irish blood, something that he proudly mentioned as he flexed his arms when asked how on earth he is accomplishing such a long journey.

Not shaving till he gets to Halifax

The three wheel Tryke with all the fix-ins'

What makes Cecil unique is not only his age (69) but his gear and resolve, his eyesight is not what it used to be and he has trouble reading his map. One of the first things I noticed is that he is wearing cowboy boots. Yes, this man just cycled approximately 4200km wearing cowboy boots and jeans held up with a bungee cord!

across Canada in cowboy boots, pure style

Cecil left Clearwater B.C. April 28th and is just over 2 months into his trip and is making much better time then he anticipated, so far he has been sleeping in his tent on the side of the road and stopping off at grocery stores to buy his food along the way.  He averages about 100 km a day and though he expected to arrive at his sisters August 15th, he is way ahead of schedule.  I asked him if he took donations and he said he didn’t need any money because he was using his pension to make this trip possible.

One other thing that needs mentioning, he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, often while riding his bike.  He also said he had a few beers along the way but to make sure his sister didn’t find out.  I hung out with Cecil for almost 2 hours and was just amazed at his outlook on life and his positive attitude.  He is a true inspiration.

When asked about his safety, he just shrugged it off.  He seemed more concerned about bears than the highway, even after mentioning an 18 wheeler swiped him and took off his handlebar mounted rear view mirror.  I left him a keepsake as a good luck charm and a reminder that we were wishing him well.

Good old Barbie will lead him home

Cecil is currently somewhere on route between Montreal and Quebec City so if you see him on his Tryke make sure to say hello.

Here is a little video as he biked by me on the highway.  Good Luck Cecil, you’re AWESOME!