Sophia and Kevin are heading north towards Sayward. This is where the riders enter a different world. The gap between the sparsely populated north end of Vancouver Island and the Starbucked and stoplighted the south is, literally and figuratively, vast. Other than Woss (pop. 200) and Sayward (400 in the village, maybe 900 in the valley) the 195-kilometre stretch of highway between Port McNeill and Campbell River — roughly the same distance as Victoria to Courtenay — is largely a conifer canyon punctuated by the odd rest stop with bear-proofed garbage cans. It’s beautiful. It’s also a very, very long journey by bike.