Charles Bauman, 23, cycles across Canada, raises over $18,000 for World Vision

This summer, after saving his earnings for two years, Charles Bauman set off on the four-month cycling adventure of a lifetime.

The 23-year-old chef from Elmira, Ont. left his hometown and cycled to Fairbanks, Ala., and back, living off his savings and the generosity of strangers while he raised money for World Vision, a prominent Christian relief, development and advocacy organization.

To date, he’s raised over $18,000 for World Vision’s Gift Catalogue. Even though he’s back at home now, he’s still accepting donations until the end of the year.

“It all started with myself knowing I could do more, as being blessed in my life, it felt only natural to try and make a difference through attempting to inspire others,” Bauman told Yahoo Canada News in an email exchange.

"Having cycled across Canada and USA before, Alaska was a destination I thought would be pretty cool to see and it so happened to be 7500km [one way]."

His employers encouraged him to take the time off — and even made generous contributions for Bauman’s fundraising efforts.

"What he’s done is so remarkable at such a young age," Jermaine Hylton, spokesperson for World Vision Canada in Mississauga, told the Record.

"It’s very rare to find someone who is willing to do that. He took four months off work to do this. There were times he was lonely…He still went through with it."

Bauman endured 11 flat tires, spotted 18 bears, went through three cellphones and approximately 575 litres of water on his trip.

He even survived an unfortunate encounter with train tracks, what Bauman calls “the enemy of long distance cyclists.”

“It was on my way back from Alaska in the southern prairies just west of Souris, Manitoba,” Bauman recalled.

“I had come from a hosting family that morning. Just after the rains had stopped I headed out… [It] was a usual day of biking feeling rather good about myself, until I saw rail tracks ahead which normally don’t faze me. ‘OK, no big deal’ I think to myself. I slow down and see that they are 45 degrees to the road, and with a line of traffic approaching and no shoulder to allow the space for me to dismount or hit the ties straight on. I risk biking and going over the rails at the 45 degree angle head on — yes, tires slide out I fall over to my left, rather gracefully as an approaching car mentioned.”

“I slowed down enough that the damage if any would be minimal, a car pulled up beside me and asked if I was OK,” he continued. Bauman said yes, then “gave the bike a quick check over and proceeded biking whilst laughing at what just happened and envisioning how I must of looked to the oncoming cars.”

“Here I thought I wasn’t going to fall off my bike all summer.”

On his long journey, Bauman also encountered plenty of Good Samaritans willing to lend a helping hand.

He counted 76 “notable” interactions on his trip, one of which he shared with us:

On his return route, as he cycled south from Fort Nelson toward the small village of Wonowon, Bauman struggled to repeatedly MacGyver his tire over a few days. Two young men arrived “just at the right time” to offer him a ride to Wonowon.

“They provided me with a great meal, great stories, even generously paid and supplied for bike replacements and even gave me a motel to stay in,” Bauman said.

In Grande Prairie, Alberta, an oil worker struck up a conversation with Bauman outside a Tim Hortons. Before they parted ways, the worker handed Bauman a $100 gift card to help him stay caffeinated on his journey. The man later went online and donated $1,000 to World Vision.

"I was stunned and it reaffirmed in my mind, don’t judge a book by its cover," Bauman told the Record. “People you meet can shape a day in your life.”

What else did he learn from his four months on his bike?

"A good sense of humour is needed and life comes to us in seasons — and as much as i like to disagree, social orders need to be followed to find any real sense of accomplishment," he told us.

As Bauman now readjusts to life off the road — he tells us he’s focusing on how he can benefit his community and the less fortunate — he can’t help but dream of places to cycle next.

“It is in my blood after all,” he said.