Actions that do good | From one coast to the other by bike for his sister

In August, The Press presents you with portraits of people who, in their own way, do good around them. Today: Armand Lupien, 18, who crossed Canada by bike to support research on fibromyalgia.

It’s done! After cycling more than 7,500 kilometres, Armand Lupien arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, this weekend. He took up the challenge he had set for himself: to cross Canada by bike.

Having left Saint John’s, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, on May 28, the 18-year-old amateur cyclist took just over two months to travel the country from coast to coast.

The idea for this challenge came to the young Blainville resident two years ago. “I cycle a lot. I wanted to do something big, see the country, go on an adventure.” […] “I was inspired by a few cyclists who had done it and documented their journey,” he said in a telephone interview a few days before his arrival in the British Columbia capital.

He was then in Canmore, Alberta, with a travel buddy they met on the road. The duo had just experienced one of the most beautiful moments of their journey: arriving in the Rockies. “We had been in the Prairies for 10 days. It’s flat. There are fields. It’s long. Suddenly, yesterday, we entered the mountains. The Rockies are imposing, impressive.”

How far did he walk each day? “It varies a lot. […] “On average, I do over 100 km a day. Around 140 km,” he says, specifying that he sometimes takes days off. His longest one was completed shortly after the interview: 400 km in one day, from Kelowna to Abbotsford, B.C. “It was my longest ride ever,” he wrote on his Instagram account.

The sporting challenge and the beauty of the landscapes are far from being the only elements that have fueled Armand Lupien’s motivation in recent weeks. He made this crossing mainly to collect donations to support research into fibromyalgia, a syndrome that causes pain, fatigue and cognitive disorders.

Throughout the journey, when he was going through more difficult times, such as the Achilles tendon injury that occurred on the eighth day, Armand Lupien thought of his big sister, who has suffered from chronic pain and sleep disorders for about three years.

“I told myself that my suffering now was nothing compared to what it will be able to prevent for others,” he philosophizes. The donations he collects will be given to the National Action Network on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Fibromyalgia and will help fund a research project led by Alain Moreau, a professor at the University of Montreal. “It will be one step closer to an effective treatment or perhaps even, preferably, a cure,” the young man hopes.

Sporting challenges still in vogue

Armand Lupien is not the only one turning to sports to raise awareness for a cause. “It’s a very present trend among organizations, especially in the health sector,” notes Laetitia Shaigetz, president of Épisode, a philanthropy consulting firm.

The Walk for Alzheimer’s, the 24h Tremblant, the Relay for Life are just a few examples of events where participants commit to raising funds for a cause while playing sports.

And this type of fundraising activity appeals to Quebecers. Épisode’s latest study on philanthropic trends reveals that 21% of the population is attracted to these charitable sports challenges. “It’s something that interests young people a lot. When we look at the type of donors, it’s the Gen Z and Gen Y who participate a lot,” adds M.^me Shaigetz.

Different motivations

What are the motivations of participants in general? Sylvain Lefèvre, professor at the UQAM School of Management Sciences, notes two profiles. “There are those who come because it is first and foremost a sporting event. For example, people who love going on bike rides with friends and who suddenly decide to do it for a good cause,” begins the professor.

“There are those who are touched by the cause, because they have loved ones who have suffered or are suffering from an illness, or because they themselves are experiencing the illness. The philanthropic sporting event is one way for them to get involved,” he continues. This “demonstration of solidarity” allows them to feel less alone in the face of this ordeal.

Armand Lupien agrees. He is well aware that his bicycle trip will not cure his big sister. “But it is motivating to know that each kilometer, symbolically, is a way of helping the cause,” he says.

He hopes to raise $50,000 with his GoFundMe campaign, which he has been running for a few weeks since he arrived at his destination earlier than expected. His goal is ambitious, he realized along the way. At the time of publication, he had raised nearly $8,000.

Visit Armand Lupien’s GoFundMe page