A world-first Race with Nature

Wings of Survival features Dr Timm Döbert, tropical ecologist and scientific explorer, and Leanna Carriere, Extreme athlete and mum, as they embark on a ground-breaking quest for life on Earth

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The Expedition

At the heart of this extreme challenge on body and mind, lies a nine-month, 30,000km cycling expedition from Alaska’s High Arctic to Tierra del Fuego — inspired by the greatest endurance athletes on the planet: migratory birds. In a world-first, Timm and Leanna will emulate the daring, southbound journeys of three GPS-tracked whimbrels — a story of hope and survival.

The Mission

Wings of Survival aims to ignite a shift in how we understand our role on Earth, offering an awe-inspiring glimpse into nature’s most daring phenomenon — an immersive experience of bird migration — to nurture emotional connection and planetary stewardship.

“OUR STORY EMPOWERS A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE: FROM HUMANS AS EXPLOITERS OF NATURE, TO HUMANS AS GUARDIANS OF THE WEB OF LIFE.“

The Support

Together we make a difference for people and planet

For maximum impact across science, education, and storytelling we require additional financial - and potentially in-kind - support. Foremost, we need to cover the costs of food to fuel our ride, fuel for the support vehicle, shipping the support vehicle around the Darién Gap and back to Canada, insuring the vehicle in South America, and permits associated with border crossings.

Thanks to the generous support of our ever-growing Wings of Survival community, about 49% of the total cost for planning, preparation, and execution of the expedition have been raised to date. In addition, in-kind donations from dozens of partners have significantly reduced the overall financial need.

our ImpacT

SCIENCE & RESEARCH — An interdisciplinary team of scientists is collecting pioneering data on the resilience of plant-based endurance cyclists and the migrations of threatened shorebirds across the Pacific Americas Flyway.

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY — Virtual classrooms open the expedition to young people around the world. Through awe-inspiring stories from all 15 countries en route, curiosity, awareness, and a lasting connection to nature and science are fostered.

THE FILM — The Wings of Survival film is in development by international film producers.

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Impact PartnErs

Explore with us

Meet the Team Behind Wings of Survival 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️ Timm Döbert Climate change scientist with a PhD in Ecology, cyclist, bird enthusiast, and passionate educator. Timm is driven by a desire to help people better understand our changing pl
It truly takes a team of people who believe in this project as much as we do. With less than 5 weeks to go until we head to Alaska to begin our 30,000 km cycling journey, we’re feeling incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported Wings o
🌎 World Environment Day For Wings of Survival, every day is World Environment Day. We are standing up for nature and empowering people to reconnect with the natural world. The health of our planet and the health of people are deeply connected, our
We had the pleasure of sharing our story on @globaledmonton at noon yesterday. https://globalnews.ca/video/11889187/edmonton-expeditioners-to-depart-on-world-first-race-with-nature/ This project has come so far and with just under 6 weeks to go, w
Today, on World Bicycle Day, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Tout Terrain! @toutterrain From the very beginning, they understood the vision and importance of Wings of Survival and immediately wanted to help. They have gone above an
As we get closer to the start of A World — First Race With Nature, we’ve been reflecting on the people helping bring this project to life. For the past 4 years, Justin has been behind the lens capturing the highs, lows, preparation, and
Today we officially kicked off our education component with Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants @ebtsoyp — an important and empowering part of our project. Have a listen as we share what this journey is all about and what it will take to cycle