David Burt, our road captain in North Bay, Ontario, prefers to stay in the background but agreed to be featured in this article to help promote Bike for Bibles (B4B) and Bible distribution in Canada. David is one of the loyal B4B riders, joining the rides year after year.

Here’s our short email interview with him. Can you identify with his riding experiences?

Bike for Bibles (B4B): How old were you when you first learned to ride a bicycle?
David Burt (DB): When I was approximately 10 years old.

B4B: Who taught you?
DB: I was self-taught. I tried out bikes owned by friends before getting my own bike. My first ride was around the block with my older sister, the day we both picked up our new bikes from the hardware store. We had been saving our allowances and other money for some months and finally became “mobile.”

B4B: What’s your best memory on a bicycle?
DB: Various tours, including part of the 1996 Tour de Yonge. I participated in four days from Kirkland Lake to Toronto. Also, several Bike for Bibles tours around Manitoulin Island a few years ago. Always good to reconnect with others who were on previous rides.

B4B: Do you remember when you first joined Bike for Bibles?
DB: About 12 years ago, Manitoulin Island B4B.

B4B: Who encouraged you to join?
DB: Dale Broadworth, former Northern Ontario Bible Society Director encouraged me, as did other cyclists from North Bay.

B4B: What was your first B4B ride like?
DB: Challenging distances and hills, great fellowship with other Christian cyclists, good conversations on and off the saddle, and of course, wonderful support, food and accommodation.

B4B: Why do you keep joining B4B – and even help in organizing one?
DB: Part of keeping fit, but also to support worthwhile Bible publishing and distribution.

B4B: What’s your best memory with Bike for Bibles?
DB: The last Manitoulin B4B ride about 4 years ago. The weather was scorching hot all three days, the hills were challenging, the distances long. At the end of each day, we headed for the beach at Lake Mindemoya, and refreshed and recharged.

B4B: What should riders expect from this year’s ride in North Bay?
DB: An easy, short ride, suitable for families, youth, inexperienced and very experienced cyclists. Departing from Lee Park on Lake Nipissing, halfway point at the picturesque Callander Beach, returning to finish with lunch at noon back in North Bay. Lots of good chatting along the way, and reconnecting with cyclists we rarely get a chance to ride with.

B4B: What’s your personal fundraising goal this year?
DB: $500.

B4B: When your legs are tired and can’t pedal anymore, what do you tell yourself?
DB: I try to not let this happen by having proper nutrition, hydration and stopping for a short break every hour. However, I have “bonked” a couple of times, and it takes time to recover, so I pray for strength to carry on.  If carrying on is not an option, the sag wagon is available for a lift.

B4B: What encouragement can you give to those who will be riding for B4B for the first time this year?
DB: Come and enjoy a great adventure on easy, flat trails with other rookies and experienced riders, supporting the worthy cause of raising funds for distribution of God’s Word.