by Blake Wolfe
August 23, 2012
The Scugog Standard
Trading auto parts for a
bicycle, Armin Kluge is a man on a mission. The 71-year-old Aurora,
Ontario, resident stopped in Port Perry on Aug. 16, the first day of a
cycling trip from Aurora to Halifax, Nova Scotia, part of a quest to
raise funds for students of Angkor Thom Junior High School, in the
village of Peak Sneng, Cambodia.
This latest trip is the third part of a three-leg cycling journey across Canada in support of the school, a project spearheaded by a childhood friend in which Mr. Kluge helped with building between 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Mr. Kluge pedalled from Kenora, Ontario (on the Manitoba border) to his hometown of Aurora, followed in 2011 by a trip from Vancouver, British Columbia to Kenora. The latest installment of Mr. Kluge’s journey is estimated to last about one month. Over the last two years, Mr. Kluge has raised approximately $25,000 of his $50,000 goal, for supplies and education for 260 Grade 7,8 and 9 students of the Cambodian school, adding that he is continually surprised by the generosity of complete strangers. Among those strangers are Gerry and Carolyn West of Port Perry’s Lakeshore Bed and Breakfast, who signed on to assist Mr. Kluge with complimentary lodging on his journey, capping off the first 56 km of the trip.
Growing up in East Germany in the years following World War II, Mr. Kluge began cycling long distances cross-country at the age of 15. Joining the East German Merchant Marine and jumped ship - “with $20 in my pocket,” he said - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1960. Mr. Kluge then became a “life-long automotive employee,” first working for a Brazilian Volkswagen plant and eventually making his way to Canada and a 20-year career at Aurora-based automotive empire Magna International.
The inspiration for a cross-Canada cycling trip came from a 70-year-old B.C. man who Mr. Kluge met while kayaking in 1997, who had previously traversed the country by bicycle.
“It planted the seed in my mind,” said Mr. Kluge. “I realized that in 2010, I was going to be 70 and if I didn’t do it then, I was never going to.”
The school itself has started to make a difference in the village, said Mr. Kluge. Despite challenges like a lack of public utilities (car batteries are used by many villagers to generate electricity, explained Mr. Kluge) students are now tutoring younger children in subjects like language - both English and Khmer - and dance. Seventeen of those students now have Canadian sponsor families, including five sponsored by Mr. Kluge and his wife.
“It’s so inspiring to see this happen - what can be accomplished with just a little bit of help,” said Mr. Kluge.
Training for such an endeavour at his age is time consuming, explained Mr. Kluge. Taking cues from another avid cyclist in his community, his weekly regimen involves practicing yoga daily, along with five hours of fitness and cycling every other day.
“Training is very important,” said Mr. Kluge, “because you can’t just jump on a bike and cycle long distances at any age. At 71, it’s more critical because as we age, it’s only natural that we are not as flexible. It’s critical to eat the right food and get enough rest and if I didn’t have a schedule, I couldn’t do it.”
From Port Perry, Mr. Kluge continued onward to Peterborough, which will be followed by stops in Ottawa and Montreal, and eventually New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. For more information or to donate to Mr. Kluge’s campaign, visit www.helpcambodianschool.org.
This latest trip is the third part of a three-leg cycling journey across Canada in support of the school, a project spearheaded by a childhood friend in which Mr. Kluge helped with building between 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Mr. Kluge pedalled from Kenora, Ontario (on the Manitoba border) to his hometown of Aurora, followed in 2011 by a trip from Vancouver, British Columbia to Kenora. The latest installment of Mr. Kluge’s journey is estimated to last about one month. Over the last two years, Mr. Kluge has raised approximately $25,000 of his $50,000 goal, for supplies and education for 260 Grade 7,8 and 9 students of the Cambodian school, adding that he is continually surprised by the generosity of complete strangers. Among those strangers are Gerry and Carolyn West of Port Perry’s Lakeshore Bed and Breakfast, who signed on to assist Mr. Kluge with complimentary lodging on his journey, capping off the first 56 km of the trip.
Growing up in East Germany in the years following World War II, Mr. Kluge began cycling long distances cross-country at the age of 15. Joining the East German Merchant Marine and jumped ship - “with $20 in my pocket,” he said - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1960. Mr. Kluge then became a “life-long automotive employee,” first working for a Brazilian Volkswagen plant and eventually making his way to Canada and a 20-year career at Aurora-based automotive empire Magna International.
The inspiration for a cross-Canada cycling trip came from a 70-year-old B.C. man who Mr. Kluge met while kayaking in 1997, who had previously traversed the country by bicycle.
“It planted the seed in my mind,” said Mr. Kluge. “I realized that in 2010, I was going to be 70 and if I didn’t do it then, I was never going to.”
The school itself has started to make a difference in the village, said Mr. Kluge. Despite challenges like a lack of public utilities (car batteries are used by many villagers to generate electricity, explained Mr. Kluge) students are now tutoring younger children in subjects like language - both English and Khmer - and dance. Seventeen of those students now have Canadian sponsor families, including five sponsored by Mr. Kluge and his wife.
“It’s so inspiring to see this happen - what can be accomplished with just a little bit of help,” said Mr. Kluge.
Training for such an endeavour at his age is time consuming, explained Mr. Kluge. Taking cues from another avid cyclist in his community, his weekly regimen involves practicing yoga daily, along with five hours of fitness and cycling every other day.
“Training is very important,” said Mr. Kluge, “because you can’t just jump on a bike and cycle long distances at any age. At 71, it’s more critical because as we age, it’s only natural that we are not as flexible. It’s critical to eat the right food and get enough rest and if I didn’t have a schedule, I couldn’t do it.”
From Port Perry, Mr. Kluge continued onward to Peterborough, which will be followed by stops in Ottawa and Montreal, and eventually New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. For more information or to donate to Mr. Kluge’s campaign, visit www.helpcambodianschool.org.
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