11 Days • 10 friends • 2500km
Words by: Quinn Lanzon • Photography by: Graeme Meiklejohn
For us, bikes are life.
They steal our money and reward our souls. They introduce us to our best friends. They expose our weaknesses and reveal our strengths. They’re an analogue compass for an organic world.
We wouldn’t be going anywhere without the friggin’ things.
So, on May 25, 2019, 10 friends head north on a 10 day, 2200km ride with little more than the lycra on our backs, the credit cards in our pockets, and the need to find out: “How far can we go?”
We’re in for the ride of our lives.
On May 24th, 1989, the guy who’s organized this entire trip, Quinn Lanzon, was born in Yellowknife, NWT. He lived there for just over a year as a baby but has never returned. Now, looking down the barrel of the last few months of his twenties, we’ve decided it’s time to go back, and maybe put everything he’s become since his last visit to the test along the way.
The group is composed of six guys who grew up riding mountain bikes together at Camp Fortune over the past two decades, and four dudes from Whistler who never turn down a good time.
Alex Conlon, Jamie Blades, Mark Taylor, Matt Tirrell, Will Cadham, Quinn Lanzon, Huw Thomas, Dave Kenworthy, and Braedyn Kozman.
At the core of our crew are six guys who’ve been riding bikes together for nearly two decades. Though we’ve laid down serious miles on the trails over the years, across the country and planet, this will be our first adventure on skinny tires. Luckily, road biking is super easy.
Our mission is two-fold: to have fun and to share our love for riding everywhere we go, without being preachy or pricks.
We just think bikes are good for you, for a good time, for life. No big deal.
At the core of our crew are six guys who’ve been riding bikes together for nearly two decades. Though we’ve laid down serious miles on the trails over the years, across the country and planet, this will be our first adventure on skinny tires. Luckily, road biking is super easy.
Our mission is two-fold: to have fun and to share our love for riding everywhere we go, without being preachy or pricks.
We just think bikes are good for you, for a good time, for life. No big deal.
May 25, Day 1:
Whistler to Lillooet + NIMBY Fifty
169km – 3,511m climb
May 26, Day 2:
Lillooet to Williams Lake
270km – 2341m climb
May 27, Day 3:
Williams Lake to Prince George
240km – 1686m climb
May 28, Day 4:
Prince George to Azouzetta Cabins, Pine Pass
200km – 593m climb
May 29, Day 5:
Azouzetta Cabins to Dawson Creek
205km – 970m climb
May 30, Day 6:
Dawson Creek to Grimshaw
205km – 725m climb
May 31, Day 7:
Grimshaw to High Level
280km – 486m climb
June 1, Day 8:
High Level, AB to Sixtieth Parallel Park
190km – 85m climb
June 2, Day 9:
Sixtieth Parallel Park to Fort Providence
224km – 174m climb
June 3, Day 10:
Fort Providence to Yellowknife.
316km – 335m climb