Orillia, Ont. man, 69, completes cycling journey across the world in support of cancer research

Orillia's Mark Herbst cycled around the world to raise money for Princess Margaret Hospital.

It was one year ago, Jan. 7, 2025, that Mark Herbst from Orillia, Ont., set out to cycle around the world for cancer research to honour his late wife, Jackie.

Turns out, not only did he cover 30,000 kilometres on his bike in 11 months across 25 countries, but he also raised $66,800 for the Princess Margaret Hospital. And at 69 years old, he just so happened to be the oldest person to do it.

While this wasn’t Herbst’s first rodeo, this new mission came with a personal twist. Herbst’s wife, Jackie, was diagnosed with cancer at age 48 and died in 2021 when she was 55, three years before Herbst set out on his adventure. As it would happen, there would be many times throughout the journey Herbst felt his wife’s presence while he was cycling through some of the most spectacular spots.

The cycling, Herbst said, was the easy part. It was the mental side of things that was the most challenging. Averaging around 120 km a day, Herbst said, was not really a big deal for him. He had been racing bikes for 40 years.

“I’m a fairly fit guy. I knew I could do that,” he said. “The logistics were just horrendous. Definitely the hardest thing I had to deal with out there.”

The ride

Coming up with a route was tricky. The world record guidelines state that at least 29,000 km starting and ending in the same spot is a trip around the world; the trip path needs to be in the same direction the whole time, and it must go through two antipodal points, points on the earth that are diametrically opposite each other. His antipodal spots were New Zealand and Spain, meaning his route needed to go through both of those.

Herbst also needed to take safety into consideration, often questioning if particular countries were safe to go to. Herbst said most people who set out to do something like this will go through Russia, but due to the ongoing war with Ukraine, that was not going to be an option for him.

He ended up changing his route several times but eventually ended up landing on one that took him from Thailand through Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand; several spots in Canada and the United States, including on the Route 66 Highway; over to Lake Erie; through some of the major European countries, including Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, and North Macedonia; and back to Thailand.

When it came to packing, Herbst said he had to take clothing for every kind of weather: heat, rain, and cold. Plus, he had to bring his camping gear, which included a tent, sleeping bag, and stove.

“I know a lot of people who have done this type of thing—they’ll a lot of times have somebody back home kind of coordinating—they’ll call them up at the beginning of the day and say, ‘Here’s where you’re going today: you’ve got a hotel or campground booked, and here’s where you can get food.’ And I didn’t have that.”

Herbst did all that planning on his own. At the end of every day, after he set up his tent, made himself dinner, and filled out his journal and logbook, he had to map out the logistics for the next day of basic essentials, like where he would stay and what sorts of options existed 120 kilometres away from where he was at that night.

Enduring every kind of weather

Herbst said he experienced every kind of weather and season.

“I had from one end of the gamut to the other,” he said.

From taking in the summer heat and feeling wind in his hair in Australia to fall rain in New Zealand, he had it all. Temperatures soared into the mid-40s as he was cycling across a desert, but then when he got to the Alps, he found himself cycling through snow.

There were many times Herbst wanted to quit.

“I would wake up in the morning and go, ‘Oh my God, I have another 200 days of this,’ and I would start crying,” he said.

The people

But it was the people he met along the way that kept him going. Due to the fact he wore clothing showcasing the purpose of his challenge, people talked to him regularly, gave him words of encouragement and support, and oftentimes, even put him up in their homes.

“Nine times out of 10 it was because they had lost somebody or they were battling cancer at that moment,” he said. “So all these people started following me and sending messages of ‘You can do it!’ and ‘We believe in you!’ and ‘You’re an inspiration to us.’ And I just couldn’t let those people down.”

In fact, one of those people happened to be a man who was going through the same difficult situation as Herbst, having lost his wife to cancer, and was also cycling to raise money. The two met in San Francisco and cycled a portion of the ride together.

“I knew if I stopped and I didn’t finish it, I’d beat myself up for the rest of my life,” Herbst said.

A spiritual journey

Herbst recalled there were moments on his journey when he’d be cycling through some beautiful landscape and have a spiritual experience.

“There were times when I’d be going through some amazing place and I’d think, ‘Jackie would really like this.’ And then suddenly, I’d get this feeling, and I tell people, “It’s the same kind of feeling I had when Jackie gave me a hug,” Herbst said. “And I would get that as I was riding along. It still chokes me up.”

Herbst, who is originally from Orillia, lived in Horseshoe Valley for 19 years and now lives just east of Bracebridge, said travelling made him especially grateful to live in Canada. He said he met people along the way who viewed Canada in such a positive light and even encountered people who wanted to know how they could become Canadian. But the part that Herbst loved the most about coming home was having a sense of normalcy and routine. Not having to set the alarm for 6 a.m., not needing to pack all his camping gear, and sleeping in his own bed were some of the best things about returning home.

Donate

For anyone who would like to still, the opportunity is available through Mark’s EPIC RIDE social media channels where he documented the trip through photos and videos. The money will go to the Princess Margaret Hospital, a cancer centre Herbst said was a part of Jackie’s care and speaks to people globally, being one of the top five research hospitals in the world.

What’s next?

So what’s next for the world cyclist?

He will make a submission to the Guinness World Records to get the official designation of oldest person to cycle around the world, which includes gathering data from his GPS tracker he had to wear on his ride, his daily log, photos and video documentation, and witnesses saying he was actually in the places he said he was. He notes there was a guy who was 66 who did the same thing and joked with him that he could only have the title for a couple months before Herbst would take it over.

He also said he has to get back in shape, which he admitted sounds funny, but said it’s due to going at one speed for 11 months, so he’s been going to Bracebridge Strength and Conditioning.

Herbst said he has to get some housekeeping out of the way, like his 2024 taxes and packing up his Christmas decorations, which have been up since last Christmas, before he sets out on his journey.

And finally? Writing a book to document the epic journey.

“I’m a big believer in constantly having to challenge yourself,” Herbst said. “We’ve all been given these gifts of physical and mental well-being. They’re only there for so long—they’re on loan to us.”