One week later...

I've been home a week now. I've ploughed through all my bike rally laundry, gone back to work and life is slowly returning to normal. It has been lovely to catch up with friends who weren't involved in the bike rally and do activities that I had to put off in favour of cycling (like getting a haircut). I do miss the camaraderie of the rally and am starting to itch to get back on Bryn.

On Saturday morning we went out on one of my favourite outings. I hooked up my trailer (no, it doesn't have a name) and we went down to the St. Lawrence Market. On the way, I met two women from the bike rally out for a ride to Port Credit. It was a brief reminder of last week. I'm certainly not the only one missing some good long rides.

A note on the trailer: No, there isn't a child in there. It just looks like there is, which is great because cars give me a lot of space. In fact its completely empty (no seats, or straps). I got it from a company out of Guelph called Wike.

I think I may give this blog a rest, it ended up being a good way to document the bike rally and I don't think I'll mess it up with my more mundane thoughts and experiences. I'll come back to it next year if I decide to do the rally again... next year... humm... enticing thought.

Day Six - Lancaster to MONTREAL! 102 km

August 3, 2007

The morning of day six the excitement for Montreal was palpable. I had to keep on reminding myself that I still had to ride 102 km. The day dawned hot and muggy. I was feeling sweaty at morning stretches! We had a rain scare with thunder rumbling while we packed up camp. I don't think I've ever taken down my tent so quickly. We were fortunate to be spared from rain although places we rode through looked liked they'd had a good dousing.

We began the morning by gathering in a big group all wearing our rally jerseys or crew shirts, it was an impressive sight. We were all given red ribbons to attach to our helmets, some people wrote names of friends or loved ones on their ribbons. It felt bittersweet to head out for our last day of riding. The ride was almost over, I'd done over 500 kms but the amazing rally experience was quickly coming to an end.

After a very short ride (about 20 minutes) we crossed into Quebec. The tiny sign by the side of the road was a very popular photo op. We became something of a road hazard but fortunately our lime green shirts were highly visible.


The day passed relatively uneventfully. I rode with Sharon and her friend Marc, our pace was good (for Sharon and me) but just after lunch I felt a crackling in my left quad muscle. It was fairly painful and I had to slow down but thankfully it wasn't serious. We all had to wait at the third break before riding into Montreal (we were to appear at Emilie Gamelin Parc at 5 so we had some time to kill). I was able to rest my leg and by the time we were riding into Montreal the shear excitement of the moment made me forget all about a sore muscle.

Riding into Montreal was quite fun, we followed one of the craziest bike paths I've ever been on, it twisted and turned something fierce. We were a very impressive sight, single file lime jerseys as far as the eye could see. I tried to take a photo but really, was trying not to fall off. I think the locals were quite amused by us, we rode along calling out to each other about hazards, speed ("Slowing!" "Stopping!") and pretty much anything else that crossed our paths. Getting into the park was a little bit tight but we soon sorted ourselves out and then there was a lot of sweaty hugging and congratulating each other. I felt a bit stunned that it was all over.

Day Five - Johnstown to Lancaster 108 km

August 2, 2007


My team the Gears of Joy were on breakfast and morning sweeping. This means that we were to help serve and clear up breakfast (that's not the sweeping part). Sweeping entails hanging back and following the last riders, making sure that no one has fallen by the wayside or needs help. The sweeps on bikes are followed by a member of the Road Safety crew in a van. Some people don't like sweeping because they have to ride slower than they usually would. Seeing as I'm generally on the slow side (but usually reasonably well ahead of the sweeps), I volunteered to sweep. Marco and I took the first shift to the first break. During the bike rally sweeps are designated by lovely dusters attached to the helmet. Some people managed to make them stand right up but I thought mine looked jaunty hanging off the back.


Sweeping was fine although it was nice to change off with two other team mates at the break. The downside to sweeping was that I missed out on my usual ride buddies. I rode alone for the second half of the morning which actually was quite fun. You're never truely alone on the bike rally which is reassuring but riding alone meant that I could test myself a bit and ride as fast as I felt comfortable without worrying about loosing or keeping up with someone else. As the route was quite flat I was able to motor along pretty quickly (for me) and I got to lunch just short of the main pack of riders (we were all pretty fast on day five). I managed to pick up Sharon my riding buddy after lunch which was good because the afternoon stretch was a lot more challenging. We were dealing with our second heat alert and the afternoon was simply baking. Having Sharon nearby was very encouraging we also had Dairy Queen to look forward to. I have to say, I've never had better Dairy Queen in my life! The shop was just a few kms from the campsite and really was the end of the day's ride.


To wrap up a really great day, I had my very first massage (ever!). The Wellness crew included a number of Massage Therapists. Riders and crew could get massages at lunch or in camp. Being one of the slower ones (thus arriving in camp a bit later than everyone else), I didn't usually get to the massage line until it was all full up. On day five Nicole the Massage Enforcer (she who is in charge of the massage list) decreed that those of us who hadn't yet had a massage would get priority. I still had to wait quite a long time but it was worth it.

The evening activity was a candle light gathering down on the beach. We heard from a number of people about what the ride meant for them. A couple had been living with HIV for over 15 years, one was relatively recently diagnosed. I was struck by their courage. Courage to do the ride, courage to turn personal struggle into something worthwhile and courage to stand up in front of 300 people to talk about it. Something I really loved about the ride was that it didn't matter... whether you were slim, fat, fast, slow, gay, straight, single, HIV positive, whatever... everyone was accepting and welcoming and really how often does that happen?

Day Four - Kingston to Johnstown 109 km

August 1, 2007

The weather up until day four had been hot but not horribly hot. On day four we got our first heat alert. The Road Safety crew were real champions keeping us all hydrated and reasonably happy (I particularly loved the folk who misted us with water). Riding in heat actually isn't too bad, its the stopping. I find that there's a bit of a breeze whilst riding, when you come to a stop, you get the full blast of heat. Thankfully all of our breaks had some nice shady spots.


On day four we started to pick up more bike trails. These were great trails, they either meandered through the woods or ran parallel to the highway (no, not the 401). In my mind they were proper bike trails in that they were paved (granted there were some killer bumps and potholes) and not like so called recreational trails that are all gravel.

Day four also meant that the route started to flatten out. The subject of hills is one that can be endlessly debated by bike rally riders. I think hills are pretty subjective. Often a hill looks worse from a distance and then doesn't end up being all that hard once you get to it. Others are slow and grueling to climb. I guess it all depends on how peppy you're feeling at any particular hill climbing moment. Anyway, from about day four onward I found the route easier.

Our campsite was in a campground alongside the St. Lawrence with a view of a bridge to the United States. The campground also had a tuck shop where popsicles were purchased and enjoyed. Mmmmm cold treats.

Day Three - Adophustown to Kingston 51 km

July 31, 2007

Day three, a short day! Its amazing to think that just a few months ago I certainly wasn't thinking of 51 kms as a short jaunt. But really, in the grand scheme of the bike rally, its short. Our route on day three covered some of the territory I rode in June when I was visiting Kingston, so I knew what to expect. The scenery along this part of the route is very pretty and the riding is quite easy. The whole group moved along pretty quickly and before long, some of us were pausing for a photo op.


The very best part of day three for me was not the hot shower, the clean laundry or the real bed (in an air conditioned room). It was having my very dear friends Les and Jaimie show up along the route and cheer for me. Having strangers cheer for you is encouraging, having good friends cheer, is the best.

In the evening my team (Gears of Joy) went for dinner at Frankie Pestos (very yum). Later on in the evening there was a half way party at the Queen's Grad Club. Unfortunately, I was so sleepy by the time that the party started, I really wasn't that much fun and was glad to go back to the residence to bed early.

Day Two - Port Hope to Adolphustown 124 km

July 30, 2007

Something they don't tell you before heading out on the bike rally is that morning comes very early. The morning of day two began for me at 5:30 am. I hadn't really slept well anyway but it still seemed early. Breakfast was served each morning starting at 6:15. We were expected to eat and break camp by 8am. After a few days I got more efficient at striking my tent and repacking my bins so I was able to sleep in eventually till 6 am (ooh ah!).

On the morning of day two, we were joined by Breakfast Television which was somewhat exciting (except for their truck backing up making beeping noises very early in the morning). They filmed a few short segments, interviewing some of our many interesting riders (we were all quite interesting but there was only so much time). Soon enough it was time to depart for our longest day. In order to put on a good show we were told to cycle out of the campsite in two lines. The effect was quite neat as we were all wearing our red jerseys (with the names of our major sponsors on the back).


This was our longest day. We had two breaks before lunch. Lunch wasn't until 79 km (usually lunch was around the 60 km mark). I didn't get to lunch until close to 2pm. The day was hot and I thought I was doing a great job hydrating with sports drinks and keeping my energy up by eating Clif bars... until I discovered why you shouldn't eat too many of them... enough said.

I felt pretty lousy most of the afternoon but my riding buddy Sharon was very sympathetic and I made it through to the campsite near Adolphustown. The enormous hill that was threatened right at the end of the day's ride turned out not to be all that bad (I eventually took everything my fellow riders said about hills with a grain of salt). The highlight of the day was a very scenic lunch spot under the shady trees of Henderson House B&B and a ride on the Glenora Ferry (although there was some talk of ice cream that never came to fruition).


The day ended in a really nice camp ground near Adolphustown. I had a moment of panic when Laurie reported that she couldn't find my bins but I quickly discovered that my team had kindly moved them for me to their camping area. The evening's theme was Rocky Horror Picture Show, so the evening's activity of bingo was somewhat silly. I played a couple of rounds and then crawled off to bed and slept like a log.

Day One - Toronto to Port Hope 112 km

July 29, 2007 Departure Day

Packing day was on Saturday. Basically, we all showed up to a central location and packed all the gear needed for the rally (except for the stuff for the first day of riding). I forgot to take my camera (I didn't want to pack it after all). Packing day was pretty exciting I got two snappy new jerseys, one for day one and six, the other for day two. As I left with Laurie I had the nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something. I never did discover what I'd forgotten.


Departure day dawned very early. We were told to be at Allan Gardens by 7am so being the nerd that I am, I showed up very nearly at 7 with parents in tow. The early arrival was so unnecessary, the main benefit was that we got an awesome parking spot. Ah well, better than being late I guess. The opening speeches were hard to hear and the group photo was a bit of a cat herding situation... At last we were off, with police escort and road safety blocking intersections.

The whole day was fairly urban until well after lunch. I felt pretty good throughout the day, I think the adrenaline of departure pushed me along. By the time I got to the first day's campsite I was really ready to be finished and frankly got a bit misty at the welcome we received. The people who generously donate the use of their land for our first camp site (imagine over 300 people descending on your land) had thrown a fundraising bbq and those in attendance welcomed us with signs, clapping and cheering. It was really moving.

Laurie had collected my bins from my truck and after awhile I found them. A tent city had quickly formed and it they weren't all that easy to find. I confess that I felt tired, hot and had no idea what to do first. There were so many options. At each campsite there was swimming, snacks, not so convenient showers, yoga, wellness treatments (massage) and of course setting up camp. I wasted a fair bit of time wandering around aimlessly until my fearless team leader Dawn suggested I swim. It was a brilliant suggestion, it really cooled me down.