Winter adventurer Paul Mondor has completed his wintry motorcycle ride
across Canada – finishing the final leg across the Trans-Labrador
Highway 16 days later, according to the Labradorian newspaper.
Mondor left from Victoria, British Columbia on Jan. 2, riding a sidecar-equipped BMW Dakar 650, and crossed the country, reaching Happy Valley-Goose Bay on the 18th.
Mondor, who rode across Canada to Newfoundland last winter, told reporter Aimee Chaulk that his recent ride across Labrador was "the hardest thing I’ve ever been on." He said it was "awful."
The ride between Baie Comeau and Happy Valley-Goose Bay was "100 times harder" than the rest of the country, he said.
Mondor first came to national attention last winter, when he rode his BMW from B.C. to Newfoundland.
He used a sidecar on that ride, too, and while he’d prefer to go on two wheels, the sidecar saved him at least twice on his latest adventure. It kept him from crashing when he hit ice and slid across the road in a curve, and when cold temperatures nearly did him in, he was able to hunker down in the ‘car with a propane heater and get warm. He said the Dakar 650, which he calls "Frosty," performed well on the long, cold journey.
There were pleasant moments, too. On the run from Churchill Falls to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, he was accompanied for a while by running caribou.
Chaulk told CMG that she first saw Mondor around 11 p.m. on the night of Jan. 18 as he was riding into town at Happy Valley-Goose Bay. It was "pretty cold" out, she said.
Next, Mondor wants to ride around the world, according to Chaulk’s story, though he’ll save that endeavour for warmer seasons.
Minor correction – Last year Paul rode his BMW650 across Canada without a sidecar. I interviewed him shortly after he finished.