A young Calgarian woman cycles across Europe to raise funds for World Literacy Canada

Hey Calgary! Did you know that 24 year old Polish-Canadian Kasia Szewczyk used to be a commuter cyclist in Calgary too?  Now she's on a solo cyclo-fundraising mission in Europe, crossing the old continent this summer to raise new funds for Toronto-based charity World Literacy Canada. 

Kasia: "My peers at the UofC, when I studied at the Haskayne School of Business ('06-'10), used to think I was crazy for cycling 25km one way from my home near Fish Creek park in the SW to campus every day!  But I loved it and was glad to have finally found the big advantage to urban sprawl - an enjoyable and active daily commute!   Today, as I cross the border from Slovenia to Hungary, approximately half-way through my 10 week bicycle trek from Barcelona, Spain to Istanbul, Turkey I am faced with similar reactions to my undertaking - you are riding alone? How far? From where to where??? Aren't you afraid? Crazy is a relative concept and so is fear. If I could ride 50km in a day in Calgary, dodging traffic, pedestrians, ice and squirrels and donning increasingly thick boots and gloves while trying to stay warm...then why can't I ride every day here in Europe and so, slowly but surely, make my way across a continent?"

If you're as intruiged as I am by this cycling adventure then join Calgarian commuter-cyclist Kasia on this ultimate bike challenge: her Ride to Read. You can read her daily posts and check out photos and videos from the journey on the event blog: ridetoread.wordpress.com and follow and like the event on Twitter and FB! Thank you for your support and for spreading the word about the Ride to Read. 

Kasia: "Keep up the great work Calgarian commuters - stay warm and safe out there on the road and let's keep spreading the joy and awesomeness of cycling around the world!"

With kind regards, Ride to Read