Day 53 – Extra Miles (Saint Hilaire QC – Trois Rivieres, QC)

Posted Aug. 21 from Riviere Ouelle QC

Our morning started early as we were camped near the truck and riders were already getting up and opening the truck door well before 5AM. I usually set my alarm for 6:00 or 6:15 AM (after all I am on holiday) and after a leisurely breakfast and packing of the tent, etc., get out on the road shortly after 8:00 AM.

The route this morning took us north along the shore of the Richelieu River up to the Saint Lawrence where we caught a ferry from Tracy/Sorel to St. Ignace. We then headed east along Route 138 with the occasional side trip along “La Route Vert” part of Quebec’s incredible network of bike routes/paths.

Time to improvise!

One of the instructions on the cue sheet tried to send us across a “bridge, closed to traffic, but bikes can cross”. Apparently the cue sheet had yet to be updated, as the only way to cross it with a bike involved a climb over a chain link fence and a 15 foot descent down a wooden ladder made by the construction workers on the site. We had been warned in Vancouver that it was impossible to keep the cue sheets current with the status of construction projects along the route, so after a good laugh, we headed off on the detour. It was 2.5 miles north to the next bridge, so we rode that, crossed the river and then took the next right and rode back to what we thought would be the next turn, only to realize that the 2.5 miles we rode back to the bridge was in effect back tracking.

Serge and I justified this by convincing ourselves that we needed to see the construction project from both sides, just to make sure that the bridge was impassible to cyclists.

Our route was along back country rolling hills through farmland. Along the way I managed to get a wasp bite, through my bike jersey! After a quick swat at the area of pain, I pulled over to check out the damage. I don’t know how, but the wasp’s stinger and part of its tail made it through my jersey (no hole) and was lodged into my flesh. I removed it, dabbed the area with Purel, and then some anti-chafing cream. It eased the immediate pain, but I still developed a pretty good welt.

We stopped at yet another 135 year-old general store for some doughnuts and date squares. It was a pretty neat experience, including the kitten who thought our food purchases were for it!!!

Back onto the busy Route 138 heading towards our final destination in Trois Rivieres (T/R). I am not sure when we realized it (probably 8 miles after the turn) but I mentioned to Serge that I thought we might have missed a turn and had been focusing too much on our precision two-man pace line. I stopped and asked some construction workers for directions, and they suggested, instead of backtracking, to ride into T/R, and take the road to the campsite from there. They warned us that it involved some pretty steep and long hills. Serge was grateful that I was there, as he said, “to translate for me!” Not from English to French but from Quebecoise to French.

Our trip into involved getting totally lost, asking people (including a policeman) for directions at 10 minute intervals, and getting conflicting directions each time! We finally stopped at a bike shop where I asked the owner for help. He gave us perfect directions, but warned us of the hills (which we had just ridden up and down a few times) and that it was a fair distance away – about 10 miles. My response was to thank him and comment that 10 miles was not so bad since we had already ridden over 90 for the day.

With all of our detours, and our impromptu tour of T/R we arrived in camp logging 103 miles instead of the 85 on the cue sheet. The hills that were mentioned weren’t too bad given our current level of fitness.

Day 52 Tour Guide (Hudson QC – Mont Sainte Hilaire QC)

Today I got to play tour guide for my fellow riders on the tour as we rode through my hometown of Montreal. After a few wrong turns, we managed to interpret the cue sheet to the point where we actually made it onto the island of Montreal without putting ourselves in major danger.

Surf's up!

Once on the island the first 20 miles were riding along the lake shore, and the Lachine Rapids where we saw some river surfers surfing on a standing wave in the river. Instead of paddling back out to wait for and catch the next wave, they would come ashore, walk 200 feet with surf board in hand and pop back into the river upstream of the wave.

Our next stop was at the Atwater Market to drool at real food. The selection of fruits and vegetables was amazing, on the weekends, it is even more impressive.

It was a slow day so far with many stops to sightsee – we had only travelled about 30 miles in the first four hours.

Next was a stop at a bike store, and then I took my party (Serge, Judy, Kelly, Jody and Carol) climbing – first up Westmount Mountain to Summit Circle to see the massive houses in upper Westmount, the back of St. Joseph’s Oratory on the north side of the mountain, and the view overlooking Westmount. As you can see from the photos, we were having another great weather day!

After a steep serpentine descent off Westmount Mountain, and a crossing of the busy Cote des Neiges, we headed up Mount Royal for the views from there. It was a lot easier climbing up Westmount and Mount Royal this time than it was last year.

The Big "Owe"!

Some quick photos at the top, and from the lookout on the east side overlooking the Olympic Stadium, and then Serge and I had to “book it” to the campsite for dinner with Annie, Eric, Emma, my Mum, my sister Sue and Brendan, my nephew.

Luckily for me, on previous visits to Montreal my brother-in-law, Louis showed me a lot of the cycle paths on the south shore, so I was able to abandon the cue sheet for a more direct route to the campsite as we were running late.

We arrived with 30 minutes to set up our tents, shower, change and then join my family for a great dinner – a good time was had by all!

When we got back to the campsite at 9:15 after dinner, it was dark and deserted, causing Annie to ask “Where is everyone?” We responded that our typical routine is to be in bed asleep by 9:00 to rest up for the next day’s ride. Such is the life of a touring cyclist,

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!!!