Global biking expedition leads Charles Lemieux to Guyana
Fourteen years ago, Charles Lemieux picked up his friend and their bikes to create a new adventure just out of spontaneity. Little did he know, he would be biking his way through the world and presently exploring Guyana – the Land of Many Waters.
Canadian Charles Lemieux is biking his way through Guyana
As he left Suriname and boarded a ferry to Guyana, Guyana Times caught up with Lemieux as he arrived at the Moleson Creek Terminal. With his bags of clothing, food and other essentials strung across his bike, the 34-year-old began his journey to Georgetown – counted as a four-hour drive but days with his two-wheeled mobile.
The Canadian-born national shared that while he had just biked for mere fun with his friend initially, it later sparked his interest to explore new places.
“When I was 20, my friend and I decided to bike from Quebec to Vancouver, which is 5000 kilometres and I never did any sports. But my friend has this idea and I decided to do it. We had no experience in anything and we did it. After that, I got hooked.”
In 2018, he left home in pursuit of this dream, riding through several countries in South America, until the pandemic hit. He was forced to return home due to travel restrictions. However, this year, Lemieux began his unfinished quest. Over the past weeks, he has made his way through Brazil, Suriname and now Guyana.
“I’m from the French part of Canada – the province of Quebec. I’m travelling on my bicycle with all the gears and bags that are very heavy. I started this trip four months ago in June from the north of Brazil but it’s actually the continuation of the trip I stopped two years ago due to COVID. In 2019, I had started to cycle from Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America though the Atlantic Coast in countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and then through all the coast of Brazil,” Lemieux explained.
As he rested his bike while waiting for the ferry, the Canadian national divulged a little more of his journey and how he navigated with a lone bike. He recounted camping along the route in a tent where it was needed, and also setting up his apparatus to make meals along the way. For him, the hot tropical weather has been a little discomforting.
The distance covered during his previous and current expeditions
“For me, I’m from Canada where it is very cold. So, this trip was very hot. Even after four months, I’m still not used to it. I need to adapt when I’m on the bike and take frequent breaks in the shade. In a lot of parts of Brazil, it was very hilly and the roads were very bad so it was very challenging. Even sleeping at night, it’s very hard because I find it too hot,” he chuckled.
The geologist by profession is looking forward to his time in Guyana, and is planning to island-hop around the Caribbean before he makes it back home.
“Every country I’ve been to, it was my first time. I didn’t know of Guyana so I’m trying to get to Georgetown and stay a few days there. I’ll see what to do and how I can cycle back to Canada. Maybe the next thing is to do island hopping in the Caribbean and then cycle though Central America.” (G12)
