Some people may have been skeptical when young athletes Marcia Davidson and Fabio Scaldaferri first announced their plans to cycle across Canada this past summer.

Both just 21 years old when they began the trip, Davidson and Scaldaferri had never even attempted anything of similar magnitude in fact, Davidson only took up cycling on a regular basis just over a year ago.

But last month, the Whitehorse woman and her boyfriend, who hails from Vancouver, proved what those closest to them knew all along their passion for a worthwhile cause and determination to finish was enough to get the job done.

'I didn't really have any expectations,' said Davidson in an interview Thursday, back home in the Yukon capital. 'It was a totally amazing experience.

'Everyday, we had some challenges to face wind, hills, no shoulders on the road.'

Davidson and Scaldaferri left Victoria June 4, at mile 0, and arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland, about 6,500 kilometres and three months later, Aug. 27.

The couple met lots of new people along the way, some of who took them into their homes for the night. But for the most part, they slept in their tent, either in a campground or wherever they could find a place along the road.

'At the beginning, I found (the trip) uncomfortable, because it was such a change in lifestyle,' Davidson said with a smile. 'It was a mess. I fell down and cut my legs up like five times, I think. I was dirty all the time, sweaty all the time and we ate at a lot of crappy places.'

Still, it was definitely a life-changing experience, she said. And it was a great way to tour the country, although some provinces were certainly more enjoyable.

'We had flooding basically from Victoria to Winnipeg,' she said of the summer's crazy weather. 'And (mainly in Manitoba) there were so many mosquitos, we actually couldn't get off our bikes. We had to ride in full rain gear, even though it was so hot outside.'

Once they got past Manitoba, the mosquitoes dispersed somewhat but the heat just continued to climb, making it nearly unbearable, said Davidson. It was so humid that the cycling duo rose at 6 a.m. every day so they could do most of their scheduled cycling in the early hours, when it was cooler.

They biked about six hours a day in total, though it felt like much longer, she said, because they were on the road from 8 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m., including breaks.

'Ontario took almost three weeks to finish and it was so desolate, there was almost nothing there,' she recalled. 'So from Montreal, all the way to the top of the St. Lawrence, it felt like the most unbelievable ride. It was like a different world.

'That was really rewarding, because Ontario, for both of us, was the hardest part.'

Another hard part of the trip was just riding with the traffic on the road, she said. They were always checking their rearview mirrors and if a vehicle wasn't moving over as they came closer, the cyclists were forced to ditch their bikes in the gravel on the side of the road.

'It caused us some problems a few times, like a lot of (flat tires) for Fabio. I think he had about 30 in total.'

But there were certainly good times too, she pointed out, as well as some stories they can share with their friends and family. One of the last nights of the trip, they got a little sloppy when they were camping, she admitted, and ate dinner in the tent. She recalled what followed with laughter.

'We woke up at 2:30 in the morning and heard sniffing and panting. Whatever it was got closer and closer to the tent, so we were freaking out. We were waiting inside the tent with bear spray and a swiss army knife. All of the sudden, whatever it was was caught between the tent and the fly.

'It turns out it was a dog.'

While Davidson was nervous initially about spending 24 hours a day, for three months, with Scaldaferri, she said it was experiences such as that one which brought them even closer together.

'We had our moments,' she admitted. 'But it was really good. I couldn't have done it without Fabio. Every time I was having a bad day, he was right there. And I know he feels the same way.'

Now back in their respective hometowns, as Davidson saves up money to return to university in January, the pair find it weird not to be together every day. In fact, there are a few things Davidson needed time to get used to.

'You're averaging 20 kilometres an hour on the bike, so when you get home, at first being in a car feels so fast,' she laughed.

'And I wore spandex for three months, so it's nice to be back in the normal world. But in the same sense, I really miss it. Now that it's all done, I don't really know what to do with myself anymore.'

At the end of their journey, the couple had raised $18,000, as well as more awareness, for the Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver.

It's a charity close to Davidson's heart, as she lost her brother Bryce to cancer when she was just seven. Bryce underwent treatment at the B.C. Children's Hospital for three years, and during that time, the entire Davidson family frequently stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

Ronald McDonald House is a nonprofit organization which shelters families whose children are undergoing lifesaving treatments in the hospital, for just $12 a night, and the families can stay as long as necessary.

'It's really nice to have that base, rather than staying in a hotel,' said Davidson in an earlier interview. 'It has a community of people going through the same thing, so it's a good support system.'

While McDonald's gives the seed money to start the house off and contributes through a foundation, the house is actually owned and operated by a Vancouver organization, the Children's Family House Society.

Davidson and Scaldaferri's goal for the trip was to raise $100,000 for the foundation. Despite the fact they fell well short of that goal, Davidson said she's pleased with the support they received especially from Yukoners.

'Everything went super. Whitehorse was so receptive. It was wonderful to see the community come together. Thank you to Icycle Sports, they helped me with my bike and they helped us get all of our gear together. They were a huge help, they had great advice. And just everyone in the community that got involved. We almost had $10,000, just from Whitehorse. I'm so proud.

'After seeing all the other communities along the way on this trip, I think we're one of the best out there, for sure.'