NORTH BAY -- With 70 pounds of gear strapped on his peddle bike, Louis-Joseph Couturier is biking across Canada to raise awareness for cyclist safety.

“I started in Gaspe in November,” said Couturier, who landed in North Bay on Tuesday. “I hope to reach Vancouver somewhere in mid March. I do it to raise awareness on cycle safety and to raise money for biking NGOs that push for more cycle safety around Canada.”

His goal is to raise $20,000, with $7,000 already raised. The money will go towards two companies that install ghost bikes.

“Ghost bikes are usually like a bike that is painted in white and that is used in a memorial for victims that died cycling,” he said.

For Couturier, this is a personal mission, a way to honour his friend who died in a cycling accident and to push for change on her behalf.

“She was big in cycle touring," he said. "She cycled around the world in Europe and Latin America. She was engaged as a citizen. She wanted a better world and I think it’s a tragedy, not only for us, but for society in general … She could have (brought) so much more to our society, so it’s very sad.”

Lack of infrastructure

Although battling winter weather conditions, Couturier said that isn’t the biggest challenge he has faced since entering Ontario.

“I’m really well geared for -30 and really cold weather," he said. "What has been the main challenge in Ontario is the lack of paved shoulders for cyclists and the lack of direct route for us as cyclists. So like, really the lack of cycling infrastructure in Ontario has been my biggest challenge.”

Even with the obstacles, Couturier does about 100 kms per day in a 10-11 hour window.

For biking advocates in North Bay, they understand why he took on this challenge at this time of year.

“It really just helps to build awareness,” said Jennifer McCourt, Discovery Routes Trails Organization executive director. “I think the fact that it is winter … really will bring people's attention.”

With the main message of this peddle trip being that Canada needs more cycling infrastructure, McCourt said it's important here in North Bay, as well, even though there have been recent improvements.

“The City of North Bay actually has an active transportation master plan, which includes both cycling and pedestrian activity in the city,” she said. “The city has made a lot of progress in the last 12 months towards working on the implementation of that master plan. So you may have noticed that cycling lanes have been popping up in North Bay.”

It's not just cyclists who benefit from cycling infrastructure, McCourt said, because it makes roads safer for everyone.

"From a pedestrian's point of view, from a cyclist point of view and also from a motorist point of view, it’s creating space for the safe movement of space for cyclists through the community,” she said.

Couturier plans to continue his journey on Thursday, when he heads to Timmins.