Cyclists shown Winnipeg’s warmer side

Fundraising cyclists from New Brunswick who had their bikes stolen in Winnipeg got to see a completely different side of the city over the weekend.

“The good people in Winnipeg really wanted to show us that our first impression in Winnipeg is not what it was, and I think that’s really cool,” said Thomas Clark, 23, who is cycling across Canada with Valentine Duquenne to raise money for men’s mental health.

Winnipeggers rallied to raise nearly $16,000 in just a few days to replace their bikes, which were stolen Friday while the men were doing an interview with CBC.

The friends said they’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring support.

“It can’t be put into words. We didn’t expect this, but it’s absolutely amazing to see the whole community in Winnipeg come together for us,” said Duquenne, 24.

All seven local Canadian Tire stores raised $8,900, while around $5,000 was donated by traffic ticket consultant Radar Rodney. The rest came from individual donations by community members.

The cyclists picked up their new bikes Monday morning from Olympia Cycle and Ski on St. Mary’s Road. The new white and black carbon fibre bikes are Sava models valued at $7,000 in total.

They met multiple people at the shop who came to show support and provide gift cards for their trip.

Clark and Duquenne were also celebrated at the Canadian Tire on St. James Avenue Monday.

“It was super cool. We got to meet three of the (seven) owners that contributed that money to us, so it was super cool to meet them. They also got us in for an oil change — complimentary — which was really cool,” said Clark.

The retail chain had also helped the duo at the start of their journey by giving them a $1,000 gift card for gas and other supplies.

That gift card has now also been used for better security.

“We bought a new lock — it’s huge — no one’s taking them,” said Duquenne with a laugh.

Canadian Tire is inspired by their initiative, Chris Coenen, associate dealer for the Garden City location, said in an email statement.

“When we heard the news that their bikes had been stolen, our local dealer network came together to make sure their mission continued,” he wrote.

The friends spent the weekend going to The Leaf, seeing a comedy show and walking around the downtown area. They also took in a Goldeyes game, which Clark said is the first professional baseball game they’ve seen.

Their ordeal has brought a lot of attention to their cause and they say they’ve doubled the amount of money they raised since they’ve been in Winnipeg from around $6,000 to $12,000.

They say they’ll have enough to “give back to men across the country” and an announcement will be made soon on their social media.

Their cycling journey got started after Duquenne received medical help for mental health and substance abuse issues and became inspired by Manitoba cyclist Mady Kennedy, who biked from Nova Scotia to British Columbia this spring to raise money for cancer research. Clark, Duquenne’s longtime friend, has also had mental health struggles and decided to join him. The pair hit the road three weeks later.

They hope to reach their last stop — Victoria, B.C. — by Aug. 15.

The stolen bikes, valued at between $15,000 and $20,000, had been locked to a rack on the back of the men’s vehicle on Young Street, south of Portage Avenue, when someone cut the lock at about 7:40 a.m. on Friday.

The Winnipeg Police Service shared photos of the bikes on its social media accounts. People with information about the theft or the location of the bikes, or surveillance footage, are asked to call the property crimes unit at 204-986-2426.

tiago.resko@freepress.mb.ca