An Ontario man has cycled 30,000 kilometres around the world to raise money for cancer research in honour of his late wife.
Mark Herbst, 69, who lives east of Bracebridge, Ont., rode his bike through 25 countries over the past 11 months in memory of Jackie Herbst, 55, who died in December 2021 of squamous cell cancer. In the process, he raised roughly $50,000 for the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
On Monday, Herbst arrived in Toronto from Bangkok, where he started his journey on Jan. 7.
Hebst, who describes himself as a “fairly competitive guy,” says he undertook his epic bike trip because he needed a challenge and a “daily purpose,” but also because he wanted to honour his wife’s spirit.
“She was my everything,” Herbst said. “She was my biggest supporter.”
Herbst said his wife was “super fit” and had finished the Ironman and loved Crossfit. The two met when he was 40 and she was 30.
“We just loved sharing life together,” he said. “We just smiled all the time.”
During his journey, he said: “I felt her energy.”
Herbst, who documented his cycling journey on social media, said the trip took 324 days. Parts of the journey required taking his bike apart and flying from one country to the next, before the cycling began again.
Once he has done the paperwork to validate it, Herbst hopes to have set the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to circumnavigate the world by bicycle.
Herbst said the trip itself was hard logistically because every day he had to plot out where he would go during the day and stay at night. People along the way, however, helped him tremendously, he said.
“About half of my time I was just in a tent and sleeping bag and I’d have to find some place to stay. And then I’d have to make my dinner and then I’d have to do my log book and journal. And then I’d have to figure out, OK, where am I going tomorrow? Is there a place that I can stay? Is there a place I can get water? It was like mind numbing.”
Herbst said it was the same thing over and over again for days and it was difficult if it was raining, or if he had to ride through countries that didn’t have coffee.
But he said he met “amazing, amazing” people. “There’s good people everywhere,” he said.
In Australia, for example, some people emailed him with support, donations or offers to buy him dinner or a beer.
One email said: “You’re riding through our town. We’re not going to be home. But the key is under the mat. Make yourself at home.”
One time, he got a flat tire and there was no bike shop around for 2,000 kilometres. A man drove 1,100 kilometres to bring him a tire, Herbst said. In all, he had three flat tires and went through 15 chains. Every 2,000 kilometres, he would have to get his bike serviced.
“It’s in rough shape,” Herbst said of his bike in an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday.
Herbst returned home once for three days in July to join an anniversary celebration for C3, a triathlon group with which he used to train. He was worried that he wouldn’t want to leave again but he did and finished the trip.
As for what he plans to do next, he said he wants to exercise his muscles not used in cycling and to write a book.
Barrie Shepley, a friend, supporter and Olympic coach, said he is thrilled that Herbst finished his journey. Shepley also lost his wife to cancer.
“Eleven months ago, there was a big nervous pit in my stomach when he took off to Bangkok, knowing a guy, all by himself, 25 countries, 30,000 kilometres, all the things that could go wrong, language, weather, so forth.
“I’m so happy when he hit Vancouver, and now, getting here to Toronto,” Shepley said while waiting for him to arrive at Pearson International Airport.
“His accomplishment is beyond words,” Shepley added. “I’m just so proud of that guy.”
