Trek for cousin
Happy Valley-goose Bay man completes cross-canada bike trek honouring his late cousin
A rousing welcome awaited Matthew Pike at the Terry Fox Memorial on Water Street east in downtown St. John’s on Tuesday afternoon as he completed a 7,000km bike ride across the country in memory of his cousin, Craig Pike.
Matthew Pike could not have given his cousin and his family a better birthday gift.
The man from Goose Bay left Vancouver, B.C., on a bicycle June 7 on a mission to ride clear across the country.
His goal was more than to finish the 7,000-kilometre journey. It was to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation, a cause that was near and dear to his cousin, Craig Pike.
Craig was a Corner Brook resident who died in 2014 at the age of 34. He had done his best to live life to the fullest, despite enduring medical and mobility issues caused by spina bifida.
In the early 1990s, Craig was granted a wish through the Children’s Wish Foundation. He chose to meet hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, a moment Craig would cherish for the rest of his life.
Craig also looked up to his younger cousin Matthew, but the inspiration Craig’s life provided back to Matthew was obvious by this cross-country ride that wound up raising nearly $30,000.
Although it wasn’t planned to work out the way it did, Matthew rolled to his finish in St. John’s early Tuesday afternoon. It just happened to be what would have been Craig’s 37th birthday.
It was a bittersweet moment for Mabel Hancock, Craig’s mother who was among the many who greeted Matthew upon his arrival in St. John’s.
“It’s hard to put into words, but I think it’s amazing that Craig left such a legacy that someone would get on a bike in Vancouver and ride all by himself all the way to St. John’s,” said Hancock. “I think that speaks volumes about the kind of person Craig was and the kind of person Matthew is too.”