June 21, 2011
For Immediate Release
LOCAL 54-YEAR OLD GRANDPA SETTING OUT JULY 1 TO BREAK GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR FASTEST BIKE RIDE ACROSS CANADA
$50,000 donation waiting in Halifax for his cause if he can do it
WINNIPEG, Man. – Local cycling philanthropist, Arvid Loewen, will set out on July 1, 8am PT, from Vancouver City Hall for Halifax. What most cyclists would think of in terms of a month(s), Arvid hopes to ride in less than 13 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes – the current Guinness World Record for the fastest bike ride across Canada.
What pushes this former Palliser Furniture executive to put mind over matter is what’s in his heart – 1000’s of orphaned and abandoned street kids in Kenya who are being rescued by a charity called Mully Childrens Family (MCF), http://www.mcfcf.org.
On Thursday, June 23 at 11am at Bikes and Beyond (233 Henderson Hwy), Frank and Agnes DeFehr will hand Arvid a 2×3-foot UNSIGNED cheque for $50,000. If Arvid rides in record time, they will fly to Halifax and sign the cheque in support of MCF.
THIS IS AN OPEN MEDIA EVENT.
Arvid currently has $30/km pledged for the 6040 kilometer trans-Canada race and hopes to raise another $100 for food, healthcare and education for each of the 2,000 children cared for by MCF. Donations are accepted online at grandpascan.com.
In 2008, Arvid finished Race Across America 10th overall and first in the 50-60 year-olds category (recognized as the world’s toughest bike race). This Guinness World Record attempt is 1200 kms longer, but Arvid believes that Grandpas Can!
Arvid is deeply thankful to the following corporate sponsors and individuals who have underwritten all ride costs through cash donations or gifts-in-kind: Bikes and Beyond, MTS, Think.Shift, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Loewen Railings, Wiebe Chiropractic Centre, FreeLife Gochi Juice, Crossroads Christian Communications, Regehr’s Printing, Frank & Agnes DeFehr, Waldo & Edith Fast, Ted & Mary Paetkau, and Larry & Sylvia Dyck, Gwendolyn Penner and Darryl Neustaedter-Barg.
Follow the ride at www.grandpascan.com with live GPS, audio/video/social media updates and make a donation.
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For in-person or phone interviews on Thursday-Friday, June 23-24 in Winnipeg, call Arvid at 996-8758 cell or 667-0445 home.
After June 28, for crew updates and live interviews with Arvid on the bike (via Bluetooth headset) during the ride, call/text (204) 805-1326 or grandpascanbb@gmail.com.
