::TWO RAD CANADIANS::

You thought it was a one-time thing, you thought you'd seen the last of Rad Canadians. Well, I'm here to prove you wrong. The thing is, though most Canadians are pretty rad... you've gotta blow the roof off of rad to qualify for vankayak radness.

Two Canadians this time.

Rad Canadians [post 2.0]

Simon Whitfield is really rad, so he gets a nod for making me wise to this installment's first most worthy rad dude. His name is Svein Tuft, he placed 7th in the cycling time trial in Beijing, he's one part Christopher McCandless of "Into the Wild", one part Lance Armstrong (plus one testicle and minus any and all doping allegations), and all parts rad.

His paternal grandfather is Arne Tuft, who cross country skied for Norway in the 1936 Olympics. He is from Langley, British Columbia, he rode his bike to Alaska from there when he was a teenager. When he started cycling competitively he had to go to a training camp in Los Angeles; so yeah, he rode his bike there. I cannot do this article any justice, so just read it and absorb the rad by osmosis. Actually, don't read it in your head, scream it aloud at your office or in your lecture hall or wherever the heck you are for the benefit of all who are within earshot, they need to hear about Svein too.

Svein, you rock.

Rad Canadians [post 3.0]

These are in no particular order, only in the order that I hear about them. All Rad Canadians are equally rad in that their radness is so diverse and distinct; there is really no comparing them. Unlike different types of fruit, which I think are all subject to cross-comparison on the basis that they are all edible fruits; blueberries are the best one, I just ate some.

On with it, van Koeverden.

Ray Zahab

Ray is an ultra-marathoner. Lives in Chelsea, Quebec. Runs distances that make me cringe; across the Sahara, through the Amazon Rainforest, and most recently to the South Pole, the first person ever without skis. Drinks a lot of coffee, used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, and does not anymore. He wore a David Suzuki t-shirt on the Hour with Strombo, knows my friend Corey, and is totally incredible. He does all of this to raise awareness, for advocacy, and to inspire. The Sahara run was to raise awareness for the lack of clean drinking water in Africa, the South Pole run was to inspire our youth to think about protecting our environment. Inspiring to say the absolute least. Check out impossible2possible.

These two videos will give you a pretty good idea of who Ray is. and why I think he's so rad. Next, he and his team plans to run to the North Pole in 2011. Way to go Ray, you rock, and you are truly, a very rad Canadian.

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::WICKED-WINTER::

Back to winter. I've been back at it in the snow 'n ice for a couple weeks now, my throat is not diggin' the cold air. My pipes like the humidity, the warm salty air, I miss short sleeves and flip-flops. Oh summer, where art thou? Check my skating skills over here in the pic. I can stop on the left now, stoked!

Really, I kid. I love our Canadian Winters, skating and skiing in my beloved Algonquin Park this weekend was incredible (and my left-stops are still lame). The lakes I use for kayak-borne locomotion all spring, summer and fall are solid and perfect for ice-skating right now. Saw lots of wicked wolf tracks which were both very cool and very scary. They'll go straight for your throat, I hear.

Two weeks and I'll be down in Florida. I'll soak in every bit of winter before I go. Through the window from the treadmill. Again, I kid. Off to Banff this weekend for some XC ski action and to host the Canadian Culinary Championships (Word to James "Penne Alla Arrabiata" Chatto). It's a gonna be delissima! (please use an Italian accent when reading aloud to all your friends)...
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