Challenge Linda Haynes one of four women from KV participating in 182-kilometre ride

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ANDREW MCGILLIGAN
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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ROTHESAY - One bicycle is from 1932 and the other is approximately 32 days old.

Enlarge Photo

Kâté LeBlanc/Telegraph-Journal

Linda Haynes, left, and Dawn Buchan will be riding in the North Cape Coastal Ride in P.E.I. in support of the Canadian Council of the Blind.

Beginning Sept. 6 both bikes will make a two-day, 182-kilometre journey to raise funds for the Canadian Council of the Blind.

Four women from the Kennebecasis Valley - Dawn Buchan, Linda Haynes, Angie Buchan and Sue Watson - will pedal their way across Prince Edward Island as part of the 2008 North Cape Coastal Ride. The event has cyclists travelling from North Cape to Summerside over the course of two days.

Dawn Buchan will be riding the 1932 bike and Linda Haynes will be riding the newer bike. Angie Buchan, Dawn's daughter, and Watson will also be riding their own bikes.

It will be the second time Dawn and Angie Buchan will tackle the course. The pair completed the ride last year and it was Dawn's retelling of the biking adventure that got Haynes involved.

Both Dawn Buchan and Haynes are members of the KV Committee for Disabled Persons.

"At a meeting I was talking about the bike trip and mentioned I was doing it again this year," Buchan said. "A voice popped up in the back and asked if she could go with me and sure enough it was Linda.

"I thought this is wonderful because this girl is in great shape," Buchan said.

As for the fundraising, the pair figured they were going regardless, so they should try and help people along the way. The group will be collecting pledges at Sobeys on Hampton Road Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The pair will travel in two very different ways. Buchan will travel on a 1932 CCM bicycle while Haynes pedals a recently purchased modified mountain/racing bike.

Each one has a special reason for taking part in the journey.

For Haynes, it's another challenge she's hoping to achieve since she lost most of her sight and became legally blind in 2002.

"Some people probably think I shouldn't be on a bike because I can't see so well, but I'm not letting that stop me," the 62-year-old said.

She's completed a marathon, half-marathons and an aquathon since her diagnosis six years ago. Her goal is to complete a triathlon in the next couple of years and she said the North Cape ride will be good practice. She's been biking 40 kilometres a day in preparation for the event.

"I might not be able to see, but I decided not to let that keep me from doing what I want," Haynes said.

For Buchan, she's honouring her family by pedalling a 76-year-old bicycle almost 200 km. The bike originally belonged to her mother and aunt. The pair saved up to purchase the bike in 1932 and would often be seen biking around Summerside together. The CCM model bike travelled to Ottawa during the Second World War, the only time it was off the Island until it was given to Buchan in July 2007.

Driving the bike back to Summerside is a homecoming and a way for Buchan to honour her family.

As for completing the trek, Buchan said they'll push each other to the finish line.

"We'll work together as a team and when we get to the finish line we'll let out a whoop," Buchan said.