Push, pedal, duck

Royalwood

Sage Creek

Cycling enthusiasts are gearing up for the 10th annual Ride to the Lake — a one-day, 220-kilometre bike ride from Winnipeg to Kenora, Ont., to raise money for Ducks Unlimited Canada.

“It’s 220 km in one day,” said Brad Fedorchuk, a long-time participant of the ride, and Ducks Unlimited board member. “When you finish, you feel like a million bucks.”

Ducks Unlimited Canada is a Manitoba-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for wetland conservation across North America.

Environmental preservation is what encouraged Fedorchuk to join the ride eight years ago. Now, he’s prepping for his ninth consecutive year doing the trek.

“There are two things I say you can’t trade away. The environment, and your health,” Fedorchuk said.

This ride takes care of both, the Royalwood resident added.

“I’ve always admired the work (Ducks Unlimited) has done,” Fedorchuk said. “It’s an unbelievable organization.”

The idea for the ride first hatched on a fishing boat with avid cyclists and outdoorsmen Kevin McFadden and Pat O’Connor. Both being volunteers with Ducks Unlimited, they approached the organization, and the ride has grown since.

“The first year, I think there was 17 of us,” said Ashley McFadden, who became involved through her dad, Kevin. “But it set the foundation for what it’s grown into.”

It’s her sixth time doing the ride this year, and she couldn’t miss the 10th anniversary.

“I’m reflecting on how far the ride has come, (to) just see the contrast from that first ride in 2017 to 10 years later,” she said.

“It’s unbelievable how it’s grown and changed,” said Lacey Schroeder, signature and peer-to-peer event coordinator at Ducks Unlimited.

“I think cyclists are outdoorsy people. They utilize roads and paths. Everything Ducks stands for resonates.”

The riders fundraise through a peer-to-peer system, meaning bikers rely on their social network for money.

Fedorchuk attributes a “wide network of supporters” for his fundraising success.

At time of print, he had raised over $17,000, placing himself comfortably ahead as a top fundraiser.

Schroeder noted that this is the largest fundraising event for the organization in terms of dollars raised across Canada.

On ride day, happening on Friday, July 17, participants are up and at it before the sun is.

Riders arrive at Qualico’s headquarters in Sage Creek at 4:30 a.m., and the groups of nine to 10 riders depart in 15-minute staggered intervals, with the slowest groups leaving first at 5 a.m.

Organizers try to plan departure times so all riders arrive in Kenora within 30 minutes of each other, according to Schroeder.

“There’s big energy at the start,” Fedorchuk said, adding that every year on the night before the ride he hosts a dinner with fellow riders.

He explained the most strenuous stretch of the ride is after a rejuvenating lunch stop, between Rennie, Man., and West Hawk Lake, citing buggy conditions with lots of hills for the 35 km stretch.

“(But) the peloton works together and it’s the camaraderie that gets you there,” he said.

A peloton is a group of cyclists who tag team leading in front of the pack to reduce drag, while the other riders tuck in behind them. When done correctly, riding in a peloton allows a group to move faster, conserve energy, and ride further.

“The finish is the best part. It’s a rewarding feeling at the end,” Fedorchuk said.

“There’s some self doubt along the way, but cold beer, friends, and family are waiting at the tent.”

Fedorchuk often invites other riders and friends back to his Lake of the Woods cabin for the weekend after the ride, but for those not staying in Ontario, a bus will leave Kenora at 5 p.m. and return riders to Qualico in the evening.

For more information, visit ducks.donordrive.com/Ridetothelake