Melissa Smalley
What started as a gesture of good will for a friend, followed by a test of endurance and determination met with plenty of skepticism from doubters has culminated in a Guinness World Record for a Montreal resident, who passed through the South Cariboo on his fixed-gear bicycle last week.
Jean-Aimé Bigirimana has been on the road for nearly 13 months, since setting off on his quest to become the record holder for the longest journey on a bicycle in a single country.
His excursion has taken him from Montreal to Canada's east coast, back across the country to Vancouver, and up north of Prince George, after tallying 14,576 kilometres, he broke the previous record, held by India's Prasad Erande.
And though it's a milestone Bigirimana, 37, is happy to have achieved, he insists that his journey was not intended to be a record-breaking venture.
"The most important thing to me is to get to the Arctic Ocean," he says of his coast-to-coast-to-coast expedition. "The world record thing, that's just something to show off to my nephews."
A DJ by trade, Bigirimana – also known as DJ JaBig – tells the 100 Mile House Free Press that he prefers people not describe him as a cyclist.
"I'm just a cycling DJ," he explains, noting that riding across the country on a fixed-gear bike was not something he put a lot of thought into.
It all started, he says, when he lent his car to a friend who was without a vehicle and started commuting around town on a bike. While tracking his distances travelled each day, he noted the kilometres were starting to add up; by the end of four months of regular riding he had notched 6,000 km.
"I thought, 'that's almost from Vancouver to Halifax," he recalls. "So, I should just do it."
He launched his epic ride in January 2016, noting the winter start was a way for him to "conquer" his dislike of the cold.
"Everyone thought I was crazy, that I was on a suicide mission." he says, noting one friend advised him not to pack away his belongings telling him "you're going to be back in a week."
One by one, however, his friends were proven wrong as he trekked eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean before heading west to the Pacific.
During a stopover in 108 Mile Ranch last week, Bigirimana says the experience has been surreal.
"To be honest, even I can't believe that I'm here in 108 Mile Ranch right now," he says. "The more I keep marching forward, the more the world starts to cheer for me."
The trip has not been without its share of challenges, he concedes, recalling a day in Newfoundland when he rode for six hours in freezing rain and suffered from hypothermia.
"I knew I put my life in danger, and shouldn't have ridden. I should have waited for the rain to stop," he says. "I learned a very important lesson: don't mess with Mother Nature."
While that particular incident was among the most difficult psychologically, Bigirimana was met with the greatest physical challenge of his year-long ride just last month, when he cycled the Duffey Lake Road from Pemberton to Lillooet.
"I was knocking on heaven's door," he says, noting he had to take a week off after completing the stretch because he was "physically exhausted."
Not only has his journey given him an appreciation for the beauty of the country he calls home, Bigirimana – a native of Rwanda who grew up in Kenya and South Africa – has been hosted by dozens of Canadians across the country, who he says live up to their friendly reputation.
While he is careful to keep each day's destination in mind and not get too caught up with what he's accomplished or where he's hoping to end up, Bigirimana says his journey has been nothing short of life-changing.
"It's shown me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it," he says. "Not only is anything possible, but if you take the first step, the world will respond to your actions."