Day 51 – Kudos!!! (Ottawa, ON – Hudson QC)

Posted Aug 21 from Riviere Ouelle QC

Today’s entry could easily have been “The $70,00 Spoke”.

After a quick ride to the Carleton University Campus, where everyone else was staying, and an all you can eat breakfast, we headed out towards Quebec under threatening skies. We (Pierre-Alain, Serge, Kelly Judy, and I) rode by the parliament buildings and along the eastern parkway before turning north to catch the ferry across the Ottawa River to Quebec.

About 16 miles into the ride, and before reaching the ferry, I heard a distinct “pop” from my rear wheel, and stopped because it sounded like a spoke breaking. After a quick check confirming that one of my rear wheel, drive-side spokes was broken, I spun the wheel to see if it would spin freely – NOT! The wheel was so “out of true” that even with the rear brake pads removed, the tire was rubbing against the frame.

I got out my trusty spoke wrench (a plastic one that came with the wheels) to try and get the wheel so that it wasn’t rubbing, and managed to just get it from touching the frame before the plastic stripped. The next task was to locate a bike shop that could get me fixed. Kelly Googled shops in the vicinity, while I called some Ottawa bike shops. To my luck, we found one less than 2 miles from where we were, so I hobbled along only to find that they opened at 10:00 AM. We found a Tim Horton’s nearby where we could kill the time having coffee and donuts.

At 10:00 AM we went to the shop, only to find that they did not have the particular spoke that my wheel needed, and my spare spokes were buried in the truck somewhere on its way to Hudson. The next 30 minutes were spent calling bike shops in the area to see if they had the correct spoke. The folks at Bushtukus (sp?) in Ottawa were extremely helpful – although they did not have the spoke I needed, they did some research to give me an exact description of what I was looking for (a straight pull, drive side spoke for a Ksyrium SL 2006 wheel, complete with Mavic the part number!) I finally found what I needed at The Cyclery on Bank Street in Ottawa.

I sent the others off towards Hudson, and took a taxi back into Ottawa to get my problem fixed. Forty dollars later, the taxi driver who was extremely interested in our adventure, dropped me off at the store. I went in and was greatly relieved to see the mechanic who was helping me pull out a Mavic Parts box with what looked like every type of spoke they ever made. He found the correct part and then said “Now we need to schedule when we can replace it - we are fully booked until late afternoon!” I explained my predicament to the manager – riding across country, needed to ride to Hudson 101 miles away, where my camping gear was, before it got dark. He looked at me and said “Go next door and get yourself a coffee, and don’t worry!” Much to my relief, I went next door (A pet food/coffee bar) and ordered a large cappuccino, figuring it would take about 45 minutes to get my wheel on a stand and get repaired. The folks at the coffee shop graciously offered a 2nd shot of espresso, so I would be energized for my ride. Before I could get my 3rd sip of the coffee, the bike store manager came in to tell me I was all set to go. Now I had to chug my coffee so that I wouldn’t feel bad having the mechanics “rushing” my job, only to have me take my sweet time. Before leaving the store, I bought a new, industrial strength, spoke wrench for my wheels, Many thanks to the guys at the bike shop for bailing me out of a predicament and keeping my dreams of finishing the tour as part of the “EFI Club” alive!!!

After a four hour and fifteen minute “reset”, at 12:15, I was now ready to depart Ottawa for a 101 mile solo “time trial” to the camp in Hudson, with 16 miles already under my belt.

Along the ride I still took the time to not miss out on all the neat things to see between Ottawa and Hudson. First up were the guards marching 15 feet, turning around, marching 15 feet, turning around (repeat until shift ends) at the Governor General’s Mansion. They were an inspiration to me throughout the day’s ride.

The first of two ferry rides today brought me into our 6th Province of the tour, Quebec. Since I couldn’t find a “Bienvenue au Quebec” sign for a picture, I opted for one in front of a 135 year-old hunting supply store!!!

Where Evel Kinevel got his start?

One thing I noticed along the route was the graphic nature of the highway signs – apparently we rode along one section of the route where tractor jumping is a very popular pastime!!!

Chateau Montebello

Another interesting stop was the Chateau Montebello, an enormous 6-story “log-cabin” hotel which started out as a private club for Montreal and Ottawa’s elite, and is now a 5 star hotel.

Seating for One!

One of the more interesting/puzzling sights was a “Lazy Boy” chair which I saw on the 2nd ferry crossing, in the middle of the Ottawa River. My bet is that someone ice fishing carted it out over the frozen river and plopped it on a rock or buoy for a more comfortable seat in the cold!!!

The day was one of the most challenging, but also one of the most fun, for me since leaving Vancouver ~120 miles, riding solo, a significant time constraint, having to deal with a significant change in plans. I ended up averaging just a little over 20 mph, for the 101 mile solo ride, with a little help from a tail wind. When I arrived in camp Kelly, Judy, Serge and Pierre-Alain were surprised to see me so early.

Kelly eased the end of day routine for me by hauling my bag over to the camping area and staging my tent for set-up.

Needless to say, I slept very well that night!!!