Good Sports: The Vegan Cyclist

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — “9 days, 13 hours, 15 minutes.” That’s how long it took Tyler Pearce to bike from Canada to Mexico.

“I wanted to tell one of the greatest adventure stories ever told in real time,” Pearce said.

Earlier this month – the 38-year-old husband and father of two from Bass Lake decided to embark on his most challenging journey to date.

“Can I move my body, just me from Canada to Mexico with navigation and riding and the whole thing and what would that mean to me as a person,” Pearce said.

For the past 12 years, Pearce, better known as the vegan cyclist on his popular YouTube and social media pages.

He has traveled the world on his bike. Racing, competing, and even making documentary films along the way.

But he’s never done it alone.

“If I get done with doing something awesome and I have a single selfie, what is that?” Pearce said.

For this adventure, Pearce mapped out a nearly 2,000 mile trek from Canada to Mexico hoping to become the fastest known human to do the ride in just nine days.

“The story had already been told I was just living it,” he said.

To raise the stakes, Pearce documented his voyage using live GPS, a go-pro camera and his phone to post updates on Instagram.

Even though I was alone for most the time, I never felt alone,” he said.

Burning as many as 11,000 calories on his 12-15 hour long bike rides per day.

Random people started showing up to fuel his expedition.

“Finding my dot, watching my stories and then bringing me a burrito so I’m just riding in the middle of nowhere and there’s someone on the side of the road with a burrito,” he said.

Like a modern day Forrest Gump, other cyclists started to join Pearce just to catch a glimpse of his record-setting pace.

“That emotional support is like food or water,” he said.

20 and a half vegan burritos later, with 100-thousand calories burned and tears streaming down his face, Pearce finally made it to the southern border.

Pearce says nothing can top that feeling of accomplishment.

You cannot buy what I’ve experienced. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve seen, the way I felt,” he said.

The journey giving Pearce a sense of peace.

“Like I’m such an average joe and the most ordinary guy has led the most extraordinary life. And what my life is right now is perfect,” he said.

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