On August 28, 2022, JB Owen and Peter Giesin officially completed their 10,000km cross-Canada tandem cycling tour, which took them from Vancouver, BC, all the way to their finish line in Heart’s Content, Newfoundland. The couple was cycling coast-to-coast throughout the summer to inspire others, raise money for charity, prove what’s possible, and film for an upcoming documentary focused on empowering and uplifting people around the world, titled Ignite Humanity.
After multiple bike breakdowns, massive mountainous inclines, temperamental weather, and even catching a thief trying to steal their bike, it was a moment of triumph and bliss for JB and Peter as they reached the finish line and proved anything is possible when you set your mind to succeed.
Throughout their trip, they captured incredible landscapes, compassionate, caring Canadians, and special moments that truly shared all that is possible in our country. Donning their Alchemy of Ride cycling gear, which features colorful artwork of famous Albertan landscapes by local artist Lynn Harrison, they were dressed for the occasion as they rolled through all 10 Canadian provinces, meeting new people and inspiring others with their mission to Ignite Humanity and raise funds for charity.
JB Owen is the CEO and Founder of Alberta-based empowerment media company Ignite Publishing. As she and her husband Peter traveled, their follow vehicle was covered in a brightly colored wrap that acted as a moving billboard for their initiatives. The first of which was Ignite’s charity initiative they created in partnership with Classroom of Hope, called the Ignite Possibilities School of Hope. This initiative raises money to fund the building of a school in Indonesia so children can get access to education, literacy, and a safe learning environment. Many kind people JB and Peter met donated to the cause. There would be times when people would approach them as they parked at the grocery store or pulled over as they were resting at the side of the road, drawn in by the initiative and compelled to learn more. These people, right then and there, would generously give money to the cause, and those moments are remembered as true highlights of the trip. JB and Peter feel that nothing makes you want to keep cycling kilometer after grueling kilometer more than knowing you’re reaching people around the country and raising awareness for an important cause.
JB Owen, who was knighted last month for her entrepreneurial and philanthropic contributions to humanity, shares about the initiative, “We want to promote literacy, reading, and storytelling. We want to provide a place for kids to learn, grow, and step into their greatest potential. Every child deserves access to an education.”
Throughout the journey, they also filmed their travels for their upcoming documentary Ignite Humanity and a TV show called Wisdom From the Back of a Bike, which is a companion to JB’s forthcoming novel of the same name. Ignite Humanity aims to catalog every person’s diverse and impactful insights on humanity and the light we can bring into the world. It is meant to inspire and uplift others by showing all the incredible possibilities available to them and the power of community when people authentically and joyfully come together. The cycling trip is just one component of the documentary, which will also film in India, Indonesia, and the United States. The documentary will also be JB Owen’s directorial debut, as it is her vision to create a documentary that shows the best of what humanity has to offer around the world.
JB Owen shares, “We must restore love and faith for humanity by connecting with as many people as possible. I want to showcase people who are Igniting humanity and share their inspiring stories.”
The Wisdom From the Back of the Bike TV show brings all the wisdom, life lessons, and advice JB Owen has learned throughout her years as an entrepreneur, coach, and mentor and delivers it straight from the back of her and her husband’s tandem bike. With gorgeous Canadian landscapes passing them by as they cycle, JB Owen appears on camera while cycling to share inspiring words that will make viewers want to create incredible, positive, and lasting change in their lives.
The Wisdom From the Back of the Bike book, which JB Owen started writing in 2020, was completed on the road this summer and will be released later this year. Wisdom From the Back of a Bike contains inspiring insight from JB as she uses cycling as a metaphor for perseverance, dedication, and inner life lessons. A forward-thinking business owner and student of life, JB shares how cycling without any experience, setting off during the pandemic, and overcoming fears, worries, naysayers, and a global pandemic inspired her. Her book shares valuable life lessons, unique strategies, winning mindset beliefs, and fun anecdotes of how biking and life mirror one another.
This summer’s cycling trip is the third successful long-distance cycling trip JB Owen and Peter Giesin have completed. In 2020, they cycled 5,000km from their hometown of Red Deer, Alberta, to the parliament building in Ottawa. In 2021, they cycled over 6,500km throughout Canada’s western provinces and up the Top of the World highway to the Yukon, Alaska, and back. The couple decided they would take on even more with two trips completed, tackling 10,000km, a documentary, a TV show, press, and fundraising for the School of Hope.
Their trip was jam-packed with adventure, and the two couldn’t be happier with their achievements this summer. JB and Peter share, “This experience has been wonderful and impactful.”
Highlights From the Trip:
Canada is a special place with so much to explore and many incredible people to meet. To celebrate the completion of an exceptional trip, JB and Peter have gathered their favorite highlights from each province they traveled to. Many of these moments were also captured for the Ignite Humanity documentary.
British Columbia
JB and Peter cycled through many mountainous areas in British Columbia, but nothing was quite like the Bonanza Pass. Reaching speeds of 84km/hour coming downhill into Castlegar, the two started their cycling trip off by breaking their record for the highest speed on their tandem bike! They are excited to show this moment in the documentary so that everyone can be reminded of the amazing things that happen when you boldly chase your dreams.
