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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, June 15, 2012 · 8 Greig is cycling in search of good news By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville resident Chris Greig will be riding nearly 8,000 kilometres, from one corner of the continent to the other to find and spread good news. The 25-year-old, who was born and raised in Mississauga, aims to complete his journey in as few as 30 days, riding approximately 250 km The Regional Municipality of Halton Access Halton at: www.halton.ca Dial 311 Oakville Bulk Brush Call-in Service Bulk brush is collected by appointment only. Note: your scheduled collection date may be two to three weeks from date of call Book your bulk brush collection: 7 a.m. 5 p.m. maximum of one pile 3 m long x 1.8 m wide x 1.2 m high not be collected. 150612 Please contact us, as soon as possible, if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings per day. He intends to have a new good news story each night of his journey, after speaking with locals who greet him at each town. "This is about trying to inspire people to care about the world and to try to get involved, stay open-minded and care about their community," he said. "That's the whole vibe I'm going for and to remind people of all the good things that are going on in this world." His Campaign For Good News begins in Fairbanks, Alaska on Friday, June 22. The journey will end in Miami, Florida. His ideal target is to complete the trek in 30 days, but expects it to take as long as 35. Three years ago, Greig completed a similar journey, riding 7,500 km across Canada in 46 SUBMITTED PHOTO days in memory of his childhood friend, Michael looking for good news: Oakville resident Chris Greig Webster, who died of canwill ride nearly 8,000 km -- from Alaska to Florida -- in search of cer at age 14. That jourgood news. ney, called Bike for Mike, raised funds for Toronto's He admits the 30-35 day goal is much more Hospital for Sick challenging than his previous 46 days to comChildren. plete a slightly longer distance, but said it's part of This time around, Greig is not fundraising, is the fun. not seeking financial support, he just wants to "This time, I'm really pushing it, in terms of spread good news, something that stemmed distances. Just because I'm a really competitive from his first long-distance solo journey. guy and I like to do this sort of stuff," he said. "You bike all day, you arrive in some little Greig has a global positioning system that will town you probably never heard of and everyone track where he is and every 10 minutes his new is really nice to you and you get to learn a little location will be updated on his website where bit about the town. People are just happy to see there is a map of his journey. some crazy cyclist go through their town and His destinations are chosen based on the good they're all very nice," Greig said. news stories he's found by simply making cold"That's part of the reason for this journey. calls to people, which he admits was a challenge You never get to hear about these little towns of its own. unless something terrible happens there that "It's tough to phone people out of the blue and makes the news. So, I thought why don't I do tell them you're riding your bike from Alaska to this bike ride where I stop in every town and I Florida. A lot of people think you're kind of nutty. meet up with people to talk about some positive I was just really resilient and I would just call story or something interesting." people," he said. Furthermore, completing the cross-Canada On many instances, he called various local journey gave him a bit of a cycling bug, Greig organizations, such as the Chambers of Commerce admits. and spoke to directors who were able to give him "Bike for Mike was my first cycling thing. I good news story ideas. On one of the instances, bought the bike a couple months before I left. the person he spoke to at the Chamber of Now, I'm into it. I've got three bikes in my little Commerce was part of the good news story. apartment. I have all the tools," he said. Greig is currently taking science classes at the He built the green-coloured bike he's using University of Toronto Mississauga in the hopes of himself, buying the parts separately. He cycles getting accepted into medical school. However, regularly and even did a bike race in New York when he returns from his journey, he will need to recently. He joined a cycling social group at return to work, he said, as he has been living and www.strava.com, where he finds various bike planning his trip on his savings. challenges, including one for the month of May To follow Greig, visit www. to challenge yourself to ride as much as you can campaignforgoodnews.org. in the 31 days. He completed 3,500 km.