At 83, Robert Fletcher is riding across Canada on a mission
The retired cyclist starts his cross-Canada tour June 12 from White Rock, part of a lifelong journey to show seniors that adventure doesn't end at retirement.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Robert Fletcher was three years old when he first climbed onto a tricycle. Now, at 83, he's about to ride 8,600 kilometres across Canada to prove that life doesn't get smaller after retirement — it gets bigger.
The Octogenarian Odyssey, as Fletcher calls it, kicks off June 12 from White Rock's iconic pier. Fletcher will arrive in Langley June 11 before launching into the longest journey of a cycling life that already spans more than five decades.
"I show a picture when I do some talking of me as a three-year-old on a tricycle," Fletcher said Wednesday, laughing. He's been retired nearly 30 years and has used every moment to move. A cyclist pretty much his entire life, he ran and competed in triathlons before work and family took priority. Then, about a decade ago, he saw a TV series featuring Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on their epic motorcycle and cycling adventures. Something clicked.
"I said, 'Oh, I can do that, but I'll ride from the North Pole, Alaska to Panama," Fletcher recalled. "I'll do that to celebrate my 80th birthday. My goal was to motivate seniors — everybody, really — but mostly seniors, and to say that life isn't over at retirement. There's still lots of years left."
He did exactly that. The North American ride was so satisfying that he kept going. Six months later came a six-month South American tour from Cartagena, Colombia to the bottom of Argentina. Then Europe, riding from Lisbon, Portugal to Antalya, Turkey. Last year, he circled Australia — 15,000 kilometres on his pedal-assisted electric bike.
He's now racked up more than 50,000 kilometres on two wheels since turning 80.
Fletcher uses Bulls Bikes, pedal-assisted electric bicycles with sponsored support. His wife Gloria handles logistics and accommodation. His step-daughter will drive the support vehicle. He'll turn 84 while in Quebec somewhere along the route — still pedalling.
The first leg from White Rock to Chilliwack is 73 kilometres — "short," as Fletcher describes it. From there the route pushes to Hope and onward, eventually covering all 10 Canadian provinces.
What drives him isn't conquest or speed. It's the people. "I meet so many people," he said. "I have a sign on the back of my bike and it varies... this one is something like 83 years old riding across Canada ask me why. It gives people a chance to ask me 'why,' and I say, 'Well, I want to promote active living and seniors and living life to the fullest while exploring the country.'" Sometimes friends old and new will join him for stretches of the ride.
Born in Ontario, Fletcher now divides his time between Costa Rica (where he lives much of the year) and Edmonton, with family in Langley. He's lived long enough to see retirement redefined. For most people, it's a finish line. For Fletcher, it's a starting gate. At 83, he's not slowing down — he's just now beginning to roll.