When Kevin Mills set off on his bike trip across Canada, he never even considered someone would steal any of his equipment.
A quadriplegic, Mills uses a handcycle, and while in Quebec, one of them was stolen off his team’s RV.
“I was absolutely devastated to learn that one of my bikes had been stolen,” he said. “I was worried that it would affect my trip and not allow me to continue.”
Mills, who uses his biceps and shoulders to operate the handcycle, brought two on the cross-country trek in case one needed to be repaired. The special attachment works with his wheelchair and costs between $9,000 and $12,000.
“I was also baffled, I didn’t know what they could use it for,” Mills said. “You need a manual wheelchair with a specialized docking bar. It’s set up for a quadriplegic.”
The Newmarket resident is on a mission to raise awareness about activity-based therapy, accessibility, and inclusion for people of all abilities through his non-profit Pedaling Possibilities.
He began his trip in Newfoundland in May with a goal of reaching British Columbia. Currently, he’s continuing his journey using just his one handcycle and hopes to be in Newmarket in the coming days, but remains in a precarious situation as he tries to replace the stolen unit.
“We are continuing to bike with my one unit, but I’m worried about being stuck in a location for a while if I have a mechanical issue with my bike,” he said. “I would need it to get repaired, which is difficult. There is only one dealer in Canada for the Batec units. They are trying to get a unit in for me for when I come through Newmarket.”
Newmarket Councillor Bob Kwapis, a friend and supporter of Mills, initially started a GoFundMe upon learning about the situation fearing it could halt the journey.
“Doing a cross-country trip in a wheelchair is a massive undertaking,” said Kwapis. “It’s important to understand that any equipment malfunction could end Kevin's cross-Canada advocacy initiative abruptly if there is no backup of his highly specialized equipment.”
While Mills and his team continue to work to replace the handcycle, with hopes of doing so while in Newmarket, he and Kwapis have directed supporters to visit pedalingpossibilities.ca rather than the GoFundMe.
“Everyone has been extremely supportive and wants to help,” said Mills. "People who want to help can donate through the website. We are trying to steer people to our website so they learn about our primary message and objectives.”
