Emanuele Lapierre-Fortin will spend this summer on a 4,000 km two-wheel European odyssey that will take the 24-year-old Toronto resident through 10 countries raising money for charity.

Lapierre-Fortin and fellow Toronto residents Robbie Brydon and Joanna Jack and Markham resident Jenika Wong will kickoff the Global Agents for Change (AFC) Riding to Break the Cycle Tour on July 1 in Amsterdam and finish in Istanbul.

The group hopes to raise $100,000 that will go to the front line organizations Kiva and Oikocredit, who provide interest free micro-credit loans to entrepreneurs from poverty stricken areas.

The project interested Lapierre-Fortin so much that the Huron and College area resident decided to get more involved in the project stepping forward to assume the role of tour coordinator.

As a ride leader, Lapierre-Fortin will be responsible monitoring fundraising and training routines for the grueling trip which will see them ride 80 to 100 km a day. She will also help plan routes, making sure safety procedures are put in place and logistics.

She observes, “This trip seems to attract people who already have a lot on their plate, really engaged people, so there have been some time management issues with people freaking out with all that they have to do. That’s part of the game and it’s clearly said at the onset in the application form that this is going to take you a lot of your time.”

Global AFC president Sean Smith saw something extra special in Lapierre-Fortin’s dedication and is considering her for the paid position of program manager. “The position that she is in now is awfully demanding as a ride leader for the bike tour,” said Smith. “In that regard Emanuele has been amazing.”

As Lapierre-Fortin forges ahead her top concern is keeping the cyclists safe as they travel through the different countries. Distribution of safety guides to all the riders in addition to an extensive orientation process will help the cyclists deal with some of the challenges. “[Safety] is one of the priorities for the planning team,” Lapierre-Fortin said. “There are some risks going through some of the countries and there are different driving habits. We have two and a half days of orientation in Amsterdam and we are going to go through it bit by bit.”

Sitting at a breakfast cafe at Bloor and Bay streets Lapierre-Fortin tries to put her huge undertaking into perspective.

“Sometimes I’m in disbelief that I’m really doing this. It’s real and unreal,” stated Lapierre-Fortin who stopped and then added, “Wow.” Follow them at  www.globalafc.org.