Wish us luck. Also clear skies and tail winds. It was Cate’s idea. We’re riding 150 km on Canada’s 150th birthday tomorrow. The group of riders is Cate, Sarah, David, and me. We’re riding from London to Port Stanley and back for 100 km and then a bonus trip to Belmont and home for 50 km.
After there’s a BBQ and Tracy and Nat will be there too, along with my kids and my mum too. Maybe even Jeff it looks like. Yay! (He’s off on a boating adventure. You can read his blog about that here.)
I’m glad we’re doing this. I think many of us have complicated emotions about Canada Day this year. Cate wrote an incredibly thoughtful piece about Canada’s 150th birthday, our colonial past, and the ongoing injustices towards indigenous people. See her Colonialism 150: my tiny disruption.
Cate writes:
“I’m trying to listen and read and pay attention, and I’m doing one tiny gesture that feels meaningful. I’ve been asking for recommendations about small Indigenous organizations that are doing work with little resources. I am picking 10 and sending each of them $150 leading up to July 1. And then I’m going to try to learn more about the work that each of them is doing, and how I can be a true ally. And then on Canada Day, I’m going to ride my bike 150 km and think about what I am grateful for.”
I’m excited and I’m ready to ride!
If you’re Canadian, do you have any plans to mark the country’s birthday?
