044. Chris Bruckner - Canadian Cycling World Record

My Back 40

On December 29th, Chris Bruckner got the official call from Guinness that named him the new world record holder for the fastest time to cycle across Canada. The ride took place on July 13th, 2019 so I can’t imagine the anxiety of having to wait that long to find out. Chris completed the 5,747km ride in 13 days, three hours and 49 minutes, taking the record by merely 3 hours.

Chris has always been a cyclist and has raced bikes for years and though he has some experience racing longer events, riding across Canada as fast as possible would be a new challenge for this paramedic living in Inuvik in the North West Territories.

As you’ll hear, Chris put it all out there and covered huge daily mileage to attain his goal suffering severe nerve damage from the extended days on the hoods - Something all endurance athletes are familiar with. Although this was a supported effort, logistics and the work of maintaining a positive mindset weighed hard on him and he was grateful for the support from his family and team.

As a paramedic, Chris’ concern for the mental health of all front line healthcare workers was top of mind, so he raced for a cause and raised $5,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Chris is also working hard to build up the cycling community in Northern Canada and wants to see more people on bikes.

I really enjoyed chatting with and getting to know Chris and I hope you enjoy our conversation.