Winnipeg, Manitoba

In Winnipeg, Dave was joined by former Olympian and two-time world champion rower Jeff Powell, as he rode into the city from the East. The two athletes stopped at the future site of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to meet local media.

While in Manitoba, David rode for He Depu, who was detained in 2002 after signing an open letter calling for political reform and was sentenced to eight years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”.

In April, He Depu wrote IOC president, Jacques Rogge stating: “the Olympic Games should not just be understood as a collection of competitions of active sports. They are athletic competitions, but even more so, they should be viewed as a movement for social progress that embodies the values of humanity…”

On Monday 4 August, the Canada Tibet Committee released a letter to Canadian athletes in advance of the Beijing Games offering help on how to take a stand for human rights while in China. (more)