ESTEVAN - A chance encounter in southwest Saskatchewan resulted in a cyclist who is travelling across the country spending time in Estevan.
Jurjen Weerman, who hails from Lucknow, Ont., stayed in the Energy City on June 19, staying with his new friend Antoine Legendre and seeing what Estevan has to offer before resuming his journey, known as the Great Cross-Canada Tour.
Weerman started on May 27 in Jordan River, B.C., which is a small community on Vancouver Island about 80 kilometres northwest of Victoria.
"It's right on the ocean, and that's where we baptized the rear tires of the bicycle," said Weerman.
The journey is expected to end on Aug. 31 in St. John's. As of Thursday afternoon, he was three days ahead of schedule.
"The wind has been very favourable at the moment," he said.
The total distance is 8,700 kilometres.
Weerman has spent some time cycling in the U.S. as well during this expedition. He expected to cross the international border on June 24 at Emerson, Man., and return to Canada at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. The reason, he said, is for safety reasons, because he has been on Highway 17 in northern Ontario a couple of times, and it's not very friendly for cyclists.
"So far the journey has been amazing. I have been meeting great people. People stop while they are driving and they offer you food and they offer you drinks. They want to know where you're going to and where you come from. The weather has been fine so far. We had a little bit of rain," said Weerman.
The journey isn't about seeing the country, either. Weerman is raising money and awareness for two health-related causes: the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre and the Wingham District Hospital in Wingham.
"In 2012, I had four heart attacks, and then the guys in Wingham Hospital helped me out extremely, because I'm still walking around. So, there's a lot of gratitude going to them for helping me out so quickly and getting me back on my feet.
"The children's hospital is close to my heart. I love them. I have a new grandson and there's another one coming, and then you think if they need some specialized help, you hope there is a hospital that has the means to do that."
A co-worker has a newborn who had to spend a week in the children's hospital with some kidney problems, he said.
As of Thursday morning, Weerman had cleared the $7,000 mark, and he has a $10,000 goal.
Weerman had the inspiration for the ride in 2005, when a member of a church in Lucknow was going to cycle in a tour across the country. He thought it would be a great adventure, but he had a young family with kids in school, so he didn't have the financial means to do it.
"The idea has always stuck in my head, and it stayed there. I'm at the point where the kids are out of school and they have their own lives now, so it's just me and my wife," he said.
He decided if he was going to cycle across Canada, he has to do it now, because he wasn't sure if he would be capable of doing it once he's retired. His employer has been understanding, and Weerman has been able to work on the road.
While he was staying in Val Marie, Weerman met Antoine Legendre of Estevan, who was riding a motorcycle. They started talking and Legendre invited Weerman to spend a night in Estevan.
Weerman didn't know exactly where Estevan was, but saw it was on his route, so he kept cycling and stayed at Legendre's place. If not for Legendre, he would have likely cycled through the Energy City. He was impressed with the community, saying it's a nice, mid-sized city.
"You have all the stores you want and the houses are looking fine, and Antoine was saying it's affordable to live there."
Legendre gave him a tour of the city, and they had supper and breakfast at local restaurants. Weerman also grabbed some groceries before setting out again.
"Antoine's an ambassador for Estevan. If all the people of Estevan are like that, then it's a good place to be."
Legendre said Weerman was staying in the campsite next to him when they met. After hearing Weerman's story, Legendre wanted to help.
"He told me all about his project and his story. We keep in touch ever since," said Legendre.
He views Weerman as a unique individual who has a lot of courage to embark on this fundraiser.
"Not every day is easy. One thing that I thought was very interesting when he was talking about his adventure is some days are a grind. Some days the wind is in his face, and it is cold or it is raining. He came across as the type of guy who, no matter what, he's going to do it, and he's a very methodical guy."
He has a list and a breakdown for how far he has to travel each day.
People can visit https://www.strava.com/athletes/82176554 for more information on the tour.
"The more people we reach together, we are super strong," he said.
