7,200km by hand bike

Photo: Contributed

Canadian Paralympic athlete Jimmy Pelletier made a pit stop in Kelowna today as a part of his 7,200 Kilometer trek across Canada by hand bike. 

Pelletier expects to complete the journey in just 67 days while raising $500,000 for people suffering from autism spectrum disorders and physical or intellectual disabilities.

Friday afternoon the Paralympic athlete stopped by L'Anse-au-sable, a French-language elementary and secondary school on Lequime Road in Kelowna. 

''The spirit of the group was great. The kids were very focused and I loved sharing my story,'' Pelletier said. 

''I love to talk about my four key values: resilience, perseverance, determination and family spirit. It's important to let kids know that sometimes life can bring difficulties, but we have to push through and enjoy all that life brings,'' he added. 

Pelletier survived a car accident in 1996 that left him paraplegic at 19 years old. With hard work and perseverance he became a successful Paralympian.

Pelletier has been a member of the Canadian hand cycling race bike team and he competed in the Torino 2006 Paralympic Games in cross-country skiing.

Last year, he became the second in the world to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro using an adaptive mountain bike.

Pelletier and his team of six cyclists departed from Vancouver on May 7th and are making their to Halifax. Their arrival is planned for July 10th.

The money raised will be given to Patro Roc-Amadour and Adaptavie, two Quebec nonprofit organizations, as well as various nonprofit organizations located in the cities visited during Jimmy’s coast-to-coast challenge.