Six-time Canadian Olympic speed-skating and cycling medalist Clara Hughes is getting close, as a matter a fact, she's halfway there. You may ask where but if you haven't been aware of the Olympians passionate endeavor you will soon find out this June when she comes to Carlyle.
Clara Hughes is promoting "Clara'sBigRide" which is a 110 day national bicycle tour across Canada and on June 11 at 2:45 p.m. hosted at the Rusty Relics Museum. She will make Carlyle one of her stops on the 12,000 km trip.
It began in Toronto on March14, and is set to finish in Ottawa on July1. As thenational spokesperson for Bell Canada's mental health initiative and the 'Let's Talk' campaign she seeks to raise awareness and end the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Friday, May 30 was the 78th day of her ride and the Olympian made Claresholm, AB her pit stop for that period. She made her way through High River and then into Calgary where she met up with other Canadian Olympians for a welcome celebration. Public relations and social media coordinator for Clara's Big Ride Jenny Duncan says each area they visit there is an amazing welcoming feeling, whether it's a small town or big city.
"I think for Clara one of the coolest things is each community is unique and so every time you go into a celebration it's different and that makes it so relevant for each community - planning a community celebration that works for them," she said.
On her journey she will stop at a total of 95 communities and travel at an average speed of 25 km per hour. The day entails a welcome event where Hughes, shortly after arriving will address the crowd and highlight issues surrounding mental health. So far she has made stops in Montreal, Edmundstun, New Glasgow and Yellow Knife. According to Duncan, Hughes is excited about getting to the 110th day and added she also finds excitement in discovering the differences traveling through each province.
"She's really excited to spend some time in the Prairies, there's going to be some long riding days but I mean at the same time, thankfully, we don't have the cold weather anymore, although there's going to be some hot weather," she said.
"She's excited to have that time in each community and she's really looking forward to meeting all the people of Carlyle and hope they are going to come out and cheer her on and help roll the conversation of mental health on."
