2023
Montu Brand ambassadors
For me, cycling is more than just a sport. It is our community, an integral part of our physical and mental health, an opportunity for discovery, and a lifelong passion Cameron and I hope to instill in our daughter, Esme.
I started cycling as a ‘roadie’ in late highschool but have since widened my perspective and now enjoy riding year round! Whether it is on my road bike, gravel bike or fatbike, I love how the sport teaches me to appreciate the beauty each season has to offer.
Endurance riding has been one of my favourite disciplines as it helps me build strength and resiliency which transfers to all aspects of my life. Some of my endurance highlights include a 400km ‘Dawn ‘til Dusk’ ride with Cameron and the 200km Wendigo Fatbike Ulta.
My first foray into bikepacking was on the Green Mountain Gravel Growler in Vermont with Cameron in 2019. Do I ever wish I had a pair of MONTU women’s cargo bibshorts for that trip (let’s just say polysporin became my best friend on Day 1)! From there, we have enjoyed many other bikepacking adventures, especially exploring the Pontiac region in Quebec.
While pregnant with Esme, I continued cycling right up until the day I went into labour. I completed my goal of riding 100km outside each month for a year, raced the 100km Wendigo Fatbike Ultra and did a few bikepacking trips. Some rides were easy, some rides were tough but each ride helped me be in the moment and appreciate the day.
My hope is to inspire other women, moms and daughters to get outside, ride their bike and discover something new about themselves!
I am a teacher in the Ottawa Valley and have previously taught in Vietnam and Northern Manitoba. When I’m not riding my bike, I spend my time adventuring outside with my family, playing in the kitchen and reading.
You can connect with Jordan on instagram @jaynorris23
On being asked to join as an ambassador to Montu’s apparel line-up, I was instantly on-board, not only because their kits are super comfy and functional (cargo pockets!) but also because I see Montu as an active contributor and supporter to the cycling community.
I was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley and now call Beachburg, ON my home, along with my lovely wife Jordan and our baby girl, Esme. As a new dad, it is a whole new level of excitement for me as I can now share my passion for adventure with our family.
I grew up with a bike between my legs, being told to ‘be home for supper time’ and with that began my love for being outside, mostly always on a bicycle. I started racing xc at the age of 15, albeit recreationally but this sparked an interest in my continued affinity for competition and this also helped me shape a solid framework for living an active and healthy life.
As xc marathon and cyclocross racing took hold of me for many years, it all started to blend together in my late 20’s and thus I started wanting longer rides in a backcountry setting. With my summers off, my first foray into bikepacking was in 2007 when I rode to Halifax for a family visit, via La Route Verte and other backroads. I’ve since completed that trip six times, always taking different paths to visit family out East. Without me realizing it at the time, these trips are what helped me develop an affinity to travel on my bike, push myself and discover new places and people!
I enjoy many riding disciplines, in all of our four seasons, from road riding on hot and muggy July days to fatbiking in -30C. As founder of the WENDIGO Fatbike Ultramarathon and longtime Director for the Beachburg Off Road Cycling Association (borcatrails.com) I am busy as an event host and a volunteer trail builder.
My day job is at Algonquin College, in Pembroke, with the Adventure Guide Training & Action Sports Park Development programs. As a graduate of the Adventure Guide program and also from Thompson Rivers University, I’ve worked as a guide on Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well on rivers and trails in Costa Rica and Iceland, on bikes, on foot and in boats. These work opportunities have offered me huge learning experiences that help me personally in executing my own trips successfully and efficiently but also to help others in their endeavours.
This year, 2022, I decided to combine my education and work as a professional guide with my personal experiences from races, trips and expeditions to form a small business that is geared towards adventure based consulting and training, as well as offering a few bikepack related trips that involve packrafting and moving water safety . … Stay tuned for Grand Departs Productions to go live in the New Year!
You can connect with Cameron on instagram @camdube & Facebook
As the founder of the Ottawa region’s only women’s cycling club – www.CycleFitCHICKS.ca I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over 1000 women over the past 15yrs how to ride bikes and group ride safely.
During that time I became a Level 3 Canadian Performance Coach, but I still feel like a newbie at cycling.
I managed and coached a women’s masters team from 2005-2013, which was so much FUN.
In the past 6yrs, I have become an event organizer for a Time Trial with the FQSC, which has now turned into the Wakefield Gravel Grind-Womxn & Menz event.
My personal cycling goals for 2023 are: Attending and completing the UNBOUND XL Gravel event, raising money and attending the Toronto Ride to Conquer Cancer and a couple other Gravel events, while supporting and coaching cycling this summer.
You can connect with Sylvie at www.sylviedaoust.ca and on Instagram @sylviedaoust_cyclist
I have always been someone who goes all-in on things. That extends to everything: cooking, hobbies, work, sports, and anything else I endeavor to do in my life. So when it was suggested by a close friend that I try cycling because of how much fun you can have while keeping in shape, I jumped right in. I immediately enjoyed the feeling of flying through the wind (and sometimes being held back by it) and struggling up those pesky climbs. Not much has changed there, since buying my first entry-level second-hand road bike five or six years ago–but my enthusiasm has certainly grown…as has my sense of adventure on the bike.
I have now done a 600km bikepacking trip along the Caribbean coast of Colombia, several century rides through beautiful mountains in Cape Town, South Africa, a single-day 200km ride, and many smaller pursuits in between. I will also be heading back to Colombia to tackle the famed Alto de Letras in February 2023!
My Montu story is equally all-in…purchasing a Kopis gravel bike last year and loving it and their apparel (you gotta try the canopic cargo bibs, they’re real comfy). I then ordered their all-road bike, the Osiris, to bring with me to Colombia. So when the opportunity to be a Brand Ambassador with Montu was presented, I had to say yes…what an amazing feeling! To be able to represent a Canadian bike company with adventure, endurance, and soul at its heart is a dream come true. The way they have approached our interactions and the way I see them helping other customers is definitely next-level, and it’s a privilege to be a part of that kind of culture.
You can connect with Aaron on Instagram @aarononpurpose
I started riding bikes in 2010 in Petawawa, Ontario. I started with mountain biking, and after one season of group rides and races, I knew I was hooked on cycling.
I quickly found myself branching out from mountain biking to road cycling, cyclocross, dirt jumping, trials, DH, and winter fatbiking. Shortly after leaving the Ottawa Valley and moving to Cobourg, I discovered gravel bikes and was immediately hooked. I’m not much of a racer, preferring to enter events for the social aspect, but I am always drawn to any events covering lots of time and/or distance. I am also an avid bikepacker and love exploring Ontario by bike. When I am not riding bikes, I enjoy rock climbing, knitting, and games. I’m working on better documenting my cycling with an eye in starting my own blog in the future.
You can connect with Daniel on Instagram @velodan_kos