Face of Nation : Before Chris Bruckner moved to Inuvik in February, he’d already planned an attempt to break the Trans-Canada solo men’s biking record. The current record was set in 13 days, six hours and 13 minutes. Bruckner said he finished his 5,747-kilometre ride in 13 days, three hours and 49 minutes.
“I knew it was really fast and I knew it was really challenging,” said Bruckner, a paramedic and volunteer firefighter. “For the last six months I’ve been doing everything I could to beat this record.”
He said the ride was a time trial — a bicycle race where the rider races alone against the clock — across Canada. Cyclists are allowed to choose their own route though for the Trans-Canada race, they must start and finish at the city halls in Halifax or Vancouver.
Bruckner decided to ride from Vancouver toward Halifax. While working in Inuvik from February to April, Bruckner would jog in town and play squash to “build up my bone density.” At the end of April, he moved to Victoria so he could continue his cycling training until he began his journey on June 30.
Bruckner said he’s a very experienced cyclist, but this ride was his first ultra-endurance event. He had a team to help him gather the evidence he needed to submit his time for a world record. On day 13, he said he felt like he wouldn’t break it, and on top of that his phone had died from rain that had drenched him.
“The ride started well the first six or seven days, but once I entered Ontario on day seven, it really became a struggle to hit the miles,” said Bruckner.
