Mat Fee is one step closer to his finish line in Victoria after reaching Sicamous yesterday.

Mat Fee is one step closer to his finish line in Victoria after reaching Sicamous yesterday.

Cross-Canada cyclist riding for sobriety makes next B.C. stop

BMX biker Mat Fee stopped during the final leg of his charity bike ride in Sicamous

  • Sep. 19, 2019 12:00 a.m.

Mat Fee is thousands of kilometres into his cross-Canada bike journey as he travels through the Shuswap to raise awareness around drug and alcohol addiction.

Fee is aiming to set a world record for the longest BMX ride across Canada, and he’s well on his way to achieving that goal after arriving in Sicamous, B.C. Wednesday afternoon.

READ MORE: Man cycles across B.C. Interior for sobriety

He has spent more than 141 days on his single-gear BMX bike from his starting point in Nova Scotia on May 1. Fee expressed his relief as he got closer to his finish line in Victoria in just over three weeks.

“The feeling is a little overwhelming. It’s also a sense of relief,” said Fee.

“On Oct. 8th, it will have been six months on the road. It’s been really awarding. I’ve met a lot of cool people and I’ve had a lot of fun. It’s a lot more than I could have ever imagined.”

Fee graduated from the two-year addiction treatment program at Surrey’s John Volken Academy in 2018.

Just over a year later, he started on his ride.

As Fee gets closer to the finish line, he acknowledges that the social media buzz around his journey has gotten pretty intense.

“Now that I’m getting closer to town, people from my hometown in Terrace have been really active on social media. The smaller communities in B.C. have been blown away that I’ve done this on a single-speed track.”

Fee said he still wants to continue giving back to communities after he finishes his ride next month.

“I’m gonna try and continue the journey by doing speaking engagements. I’m going to keep the journey going afterwards and have a positive impact in communities by doing some public speaking.”

To follow Fee’s journey as he pedals closer to the finish line, follow Cycling for Sobriety’s Instagram page.


Connor Trembley

Reporter, Kelowna Capital News

Email me at connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com

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