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Man bikes across Canada to raise money for underprivileged British Columbians

The 18-year-old biker will be pitching a tent at every stop along his route

From the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, recent high school graduate Aaron Saufferer will be spending his summer biking across Canada in an effort to raise money for a good cause.

“So I am helping raise money for the United Way, and they help underprivileged people in B.C. There’s lots of people who don’t have time and they can’t pay their bills, and I have two months of free time to ride my bike across the country, and some people don’t even have that time to pay the bills or work, so I think it’s a privilege to do what I’m doing," expressed Saufferer.

The young man will be doing the entire trek across Canada completely by himself with just a bike. And if that isn’t already extreme enough, he’s also decided to pitch a tent at every stop along the way, wherever he ends up for the night.

“Here I got my tent, that’s the most important piece of equipment I have. Right here I got a tarp just to lay down if it’s wet or anything it’ll keep me dry. And here I got my sleeping mat, they’re all in waterproof sacks so if it rains everything’s staying dry. And here I got my sleeping bag, which is also essential for camping," he explained.

Saufferer doesn’t have a specific dollar amount in mind for United Way, but he originally found inspiration to do this fundraiser last summer when he and his close friend biked together to Calgary, and he’ll be drawing on that inspiration once again.

“The buddy I biked to Calgary with, he’s always been pushing me to be better and be more athletic and when I think I can’t do it, he’s always the one to say keep going, keep going, and that’s inspiration. Even though he’s not with me, I’ll remember him.”

The 18-year-old biker will be starting his long journey across Canada – nearly 6,000 kilometres – in Halifax, with the goal of completing the journey in Vancouver in late August.