Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 09/05) - After 20 months, adventure-cyclist Gwendal Castellan realized his dream of riding from the southern tip of South America to the northern-most end of the road in Inuvik, arriving in town on Aug. 31.

After cycling through South and North America over the past 20 months, Gwendal Castellan breezes through the Inuvik RCMP bicycle safety rally course on Friday afternoon. Castellan rode most of the way from the southern tip of South America by himself and was the only one to travel the entire 23,000 km distance to the end of the road in Inuvik.

With only his bicycle for transportation, a tent for accommodation and a pressure cooker he towed behind, Castellan rode more than 23,000 km to accomplish his goal. "Originally I planned to start here (in Inuvik) but I couldn't get organized in time for the Arctic summer," he said.

So his journey began in Ushuaia, Argentina in January 2004. While 11 different cyclists joined Castellan at various points along the way, he was the only one to bike the entire distance.

Riding into Inuvik last Wednesday afternoon, Castellan was accompanied by his two brothers Mael and Armel, his girlfriend Tania Lo and a couple of other like-minded cyclists, Marcel Gijssen and Maria Josenhans, whom Castellan met at the beginning of his trip and then later on during a stop in Mexico City. "It gives me a sense of accomplishment," he said of finishing the trip. "And discovering the North was amazing. I feel like I now know a lot more about Canada."

Of local significance, the final leg of Castellan's trip included a lesson in dryfish-making from Noel and Alice Andre, who played host to the group of cyclists during their stop in Tsiighetchic.

"That was definitely a highlight," said Castellan, who is from Vancouver, B.C., and actually finished the trip just in time to celebrate his 29th birthday on Sept. 1.

The cycling may be over for now, but Castellan and Lo hope to share their knowledge and experiences with students across Canada.

"We're hoping to put together a presentation we can take to schools to inspire kids by bringing geography to life," he said. "Ours is low-impact travelling, the only thing we leave are tire tracks and friendships."