Heart attack survivor to bike from Yukon to Ontario

An Ontario man is leaving Dawson City, Yukon, Sunday morning to ride his bike to Windsor, Ont.

Mike Jones, 48, wants to promote awareness of coronary disease and raise money for a new lab at Htel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor.

So far, he has raised more than $12,000.

Jones suffered from a heart attack in 2008 and was treated at that hospital. He said the reason hes doing this trip is that he wants to try to help the hospital which he credits for saving his life.

"It boils down to being alive today. Its a heck of a debt to repay to that hospital and really I think thats the way I feel about it," said Jones during an interview with CBC in Windsor.

"Im doing this as a fundraiser to support construction and equipping the new Cardiac Catheterization Lab thats going to be built by the Htel-Dieu Grace and I feel a real obligation to help them and raise that money."

Jones said the reason hes starting up North is that its a less-travelled route.

"Seems west to east is the status quo for bicycle tours and I thought you know what, lets try north to south and see what happens here."

Jones added that Yukoners helped him to feel at home.

"I had an email from a woman in Windsor who made an offer for me to stay at her nieces house in Whitehorse, and that's where I stayed on my way up. And these kind people put me up the night and they offered to have me stay there on my way through as I'm heading home," he said.

Jones will do the journey alone, pulling his supplies on a trailer behind his bike.