Ryan Correy

Ryan is an adventure cyclist who has raced thousands of kilometers to raise thousands of dollars for charity.

If today were my last day on Earth and I could share 500 words of brilliance with the world, here are the important things I'd want to pass along to others...

When I was 13 years old, my father and I bicycled across Canada. He called it Manhood Training. Little did I know, this journey would inspire me to pursue a dream of open roads and the unknown, and a mission to inspire the world.

In the final week of Training, we happened across footage of the Race Across America (RAAM) - a 3,000 mile ultra-marathon across the U.S. - on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), while watching TV in our motel room one evening.

It was amazing to see the drive of the riders and support crews, headlong in a monumental challenge. Later I would find out, Outside magazine had once rated RAAM the most difficult race in the world - even more difficult than the Tour de France, or climbing Mt. Everest. This point would make an impression on me.

Since first touring across Canada, I have cycled many thousands of miles around the Americas on my own. Most recently, I cycled from Alaska to Argentina along the Pan American Highway. It took me four and half months to ride 25,000 km. Along the way, I witnessed a murder, had two bikes destroyed, had $20,000 worth of equipment stolen, and dealt with corrupt border officials, among many other misadventures. I'm now 24 years old.

Unfortunately, my father, the man that played a major part in molding my "Adventure Cyclist" persona, has been absent from many of these adventures. In 2001, he and I had a falling out over the death of my baby brother. Looking back now, my time on the bike might have been a way of escaping the confrontation.

Twelve years since first learning about RAAM, I am now signed up as a competitor in the 2008 solo category.

Back in July 2007, I took part in a 538-mile RAAM qualifying race near Portland, Oregon. Serving as my support crew, my father and a buddy from school came along for the ride. My personal ambitions aside, I wanted to bring my dad back into the story. Thankfully, he agreed.

Two days after the race, he and I sat with my mother in the living room of my parent's cottage, recounting the epic that was the Race Across Oregon.

He spoke with a renewed energy and inspiration, awoken by a renewed kinship with me. As I had expected, the race had broken down egos and exposed raw nerves, and in the darker hours, had brought our team together in a kinship unlike anything any of us had ever experienced.

This was a testing ground for much larger goal. That same week, I asked my father to be my support crew chief for the Race Across America. He agreed.

I feel that I am in the midst of a major defining point in my life.

You hear stories of grown kids, regretting the fact that the relationship with their parents has fallen apart. In some cases, communication has stopped completely. I'm thankful that I have taken control of my own situation.

The Race Across America...this is a full circle journey for father and son, 12 years in the making.