MONTREAL -- The moment Louis-Joseph Couturier gets on his bike each morning he knows there's still a long way to go before he reaches his destination.
Couturier left Gaspé, Que., on Nov. 14 and began a nearly 6,000 km journey that he hopes will end in Vancouver.
The experienced cyclist says the trek - which comes during the winter months and amid the COVID-19 pandemic - is at its worst, "doable."
He launched "The Last Ghost Bike Campaign" and started on his journey after going through a personal tragedy.
"I lost a friend recently, in bicycle (sic), and it really impacted me," said Couturier during a stop. "I wanted to do something that would be honouring my friend and also something that would allow me to speak about cyclists' safety around Canada."
Couturier hopes to raise $20,000 for The Last Ghost Bike Campaign. The funds Couturier is raising during his campaign will go to two non-governmental organizations, Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, in Toronto and Vélo Fantôme, in Montreal. Both organizations erect all-white bicycles as memorials for cyclists killed or hit while riding.
The all-white bikes are meant to raise awareness about safety for cyclists in cities, something Couturier is also hoping to do with his journey across the country.
Couturier points out that 7,500 cyclists are severly injured every year in Canada and that 18 per cent of the cyclists that die from a road accident each year are under 16.
"I think as a society, we should dream bigger. And one of these dreams should be to have more cycling infrastructure in a society that put more emphasis on cycling,'' said Couturier.
Couturier expects to wrap up his trip by March.
