When Raymond d’Entremont and his family drove his car to Nova Scotia from Ottawa in 2024, it had better mileage than his bicycle. When he came back this year, at 95 years old, he put his training to the test. On Sept. 14, d’Entremont became the oldest cyclist in the Gran Fonda Baie Sainte-Marie. He completed the 36-kilometre Piccolo race along Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore in approximately 2:14:00. “I wanted to do it for a while,” d’Entremont says from his home in Ottawa. “I’m not going to be able to do it much longer.” ‘The oldest in the gang’ D’entremont says he rides 20 kilometres every day, so he didn’t think 36 would be a problem. The Piccolo is the shortest of three options for competitors in the Gran Fonda Baie Sainte-Marie, which also includes Medio (67 kilometre) and Gran (128 kilometre) distance. “I thought it would be a challenge,” d’Entremont says. “And I was the oldest in the gang. The next oldest (90) was on an e-bike.” There were only six riders over 80 in the pack, says d’Entremont’s daughter Barbara, and only one other who rode without electronic assistance. D’Entremont had his eye on the race for a while because it’s close to where he grew up in Pubnico, N.S. “None of my friends were in shape to do it, but I thought I’d go for it,” he says. Barbara says her father wasn’t an athlete when he was younger, but he had an active job and enjoyed fishing, hunting and birdwatching. He took up walking, skating and cycling to be more active after retirement. “For the last few years, he has been the main caregiver for his wife living at home with dementia, so they had not travelled to Nova Scotia for many years,” said Barbara in an email to CTV. “After she passed away last year, he went to visit family and he expressed an interest in biking the Fondo.” She says her father rode a 1980s hand-me-down Peugot for years, but last spring he invested in a Trek Bike. He registered for his race after his doctor told him to go for it. Barbara says they turned it into a great big 10-day family event, and her brother rode with their father for safety. D’Entremont added a few long rides in the Gatineau Hills to prepare for the Fondo, and, on race day, he joined a pack that included riders as young as 11 years old. He said there were a few challenging hills, but he was happy with his performance. “We stopped for a break at Bangor,” he said. “If I hadn’t stopped, I would have had a better time.” D’Entremont says he doesn’t skate anymore, but he still walks and bikes to stay in shape — so when he saw the brochure for next year’s race in his grab bag, it gave him some ideas. “Who knows?” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
