But You Have a Tail Wind?

Monday, August 29, 2022

Not Perfect, But Close

Well I got over Covid of course, having caught it in the second week of July. My case was pretty mild - I was on the couch with the classic symptoms for two full days. By day three I was up doing house chores and by day five I was out running again in the neighbourhood. However I kept testing positive up day ten. As irony would have it, my spouse Desa kept testing negative (we stayed in separate rooms in the house including meals, but didn't go to the point of masking) until the day I tested negative. Then she tested positive and started to display symptoms. Unlike me, she tested negative by day five, but still exhibited symptoms for a few days after that. After my recovery, it was less than a month before the big ride

One of the disappointments of catching Covid is early July was that it meant I missed the 401 training ride in Vankleek Hill with a bunch of the Montreal riders that I had not seen since 2019. I had carefully mapped out the route and stops and in the end none of the 3 Ottawa based riders could make it (two recovering from Covid and one away on vacation). The ride was fun and eventful with lots of flat tires and a nice post ride finish at Beau's Brewery. Well, better I miss the training ride than the actual event

Montreal Riders on Lefaivre ferry
Still happy despite the flats

I was fortunate enough to not suffer any long Covid issues affecting fitness - as one person in my run group did for months. My training schedule had now been thrown off as I now was going to have difficulty scheduling in a 200+ km run in preparation. In the end I settled for less aggressive plan, where my longest ride (other than Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour done back in June) would be 160 km and this would be on the back of a 140 km gravel ride the previous day

The gravel rides were particularly difficult - either in Lanark Highlands or north of Wakefield Quebec. Every one of those rides was taxing with lots of vertical climbs - I was wondering if this was the right training for the 401 Bike Challenge? One of the reasons I felt I could forfeit the longer road rides was because of these gravel rides. 140 km of which 75% is on gravel is probably equivalent to about 180 km of road riding. In the end, doing these types of rides really improved my climbing fitness, which showed during the ride event because, surprise, Toronto to Cornwall is NOT FLAT

It seems like I've been everywhere - man
like the song

Heading into the event days in late August, all eyes are on the weather. The forecast indicated that the temperatures would be warm but not some of the extremes we've seen this summer. There was a definitive chance of precipitation and (oh oh) it looked like we were not going to get that cherished tail wind for the first couple of days

On Tuesday, the 3 Ottawa riders - Matt, Jason and myself packed our bikes into a rental van and drove to Toronto. It was great seeing all the other riders after 3 years at the pre ride meeting and dinner

Wednesday morning we gathered in front of Sick Kids hospital in Toronto for sendoff. I was so pleased that my daughter Julie was able to meet me there! As per tradition, we were introduced to the parent of one of the kids currently undergoing treatment. She fought through tears as she recounted the story of her son's detection and treatment - both the sadness and disappointment with diagnosis as well as the joy of their encounters with the hospital staff and other families undergoing treatment. This is why we fundraise and ride

My Toronto girl

Having the police escort down University and onto Lakeshore in the middle of morning rush hour is so awesome. People (mostly) cheering us on and waving. And the sense of giving a bit of the FU to the drivers that had to delay their commute to wait for - bicycles. The escort would lead us into Scarborough-Guildwood, at which point we would break into groups of ~10 riders each with a lead motorcycle and a trailing van for continued road protection as we left Toronto. The groups are roughly based on average speed - group 1 is quite fast - averaging about 33 km/hr, whereas group 4 is about 25 km/hr. Groups 2 and 3 are roughly the same at around 29-30 km/hr. I was assigned to group 3

Waiting to turn onto Front St
from University Ave

The 401 Bike Challenge is really the Highway 2 Bike Challenge - as most of the route closely follows Kingston Road. Day 1 continues through Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Welcome, Port Hope, Cobourg, Brighton, Trenton and finally Belleville. Until about Bowmanville (73 km), the ride is very stop/start as there are many traffic lights. So it's hard to get any momentum going. Lunch was once again provided by McDonald's (urp) at a gorgeous stop at Victoria Park in Cobourg. Thunderstorms were looming, although I never saw any lightning at any time. We left as it started to rain - which went on for about 45 minutes. Our ride time ended up being significantly longer than it was 2019 both due to a head/cross wind and also longer break stops. I felt great after 190 kms with energy to spare

Making the most of the endless red lights

Day 2 is always the real challenge. 262 kms from Belleville to Cornwall with a lunch stop in Mallorytown Landing (142 km) on the 1000 Islands Parkway. The route was 4 km longer this year due to a construction detour near Morrisburg. Group 3 started out with fury - we averaged 31.5 km/hr over the first 80 km through Napanee onto Kingston, passing Group 2 and almost caught up to Group 1 at one point. The temperature was nice and cool even if we still had a bit of a cross wind. We even managed to rotate in a pace line for that first segment. But the temperature started to rise as the sun came out after we left Kingston and by the time we arrived in Gananoque several riders in the group were starting to feel the heat - our pace dropped down to 28 km/hr. The hydration stop was very welcome

The best looking group - Group 3
preparing to leave Kingston

We decided to continue at a slower pace as we were now getting on the 1000 Islands Pathway with the sun continuing to glare down. Some of the riders continued to struggle in the heat and we had to slow further. Finally we arrived at Mallorytown Landing (142 km). We were over half way done. I was starting to think that we might finish in the dark - sunset was at 8:37 pm the previous evening. By the time we left ML it was close to 3 pm. I'm not keen on night riding, but so be it

As luck would have it, not even 8 km later, one of the riders had a flat. It took a while to fix it - I don't think the rider had much experience changing these. I provided my tools to expedite the process but didn't help as I already did the bulk of a fix for a flat on Day 1. Share the joy

How many riders does it take?

A couple of other short unscheduled stops and avoiding a slightly scary construction cut out at Jones Creek along the Parkway before we got back on the road and on towards Brockville (163 km). Re-hydrated again, we kept going for another 14 km before one of the riders who had trouble with the McBurgers lunch stopped pedaling and then cramped up to the point that he couldn't continue. Our trailing van unfortunately didn't have room for a rider and a bike (it was filled with drinks, snacks and the riders' day bags). So our only option was to way for the large bicycle repair van that followed the Group 4 van. Unfortunately we had to wait almost 40 minutes for it to arrive

The bicycle shop (and rider pick up) van on wheels
Not shown - the attached trailer with all our luggage

After the rider pick up, we continued on through Prescott, Johnstown and Cardinal. This is kinda my cycling 'hood' as I'll occasionally head through these towns on training rides from remote starts like Kemptville. I pointed out the best tart bakery in Prescott and joked that Matt and I were going to head home as we passed old highway 16 intersection in Johnstown, heading up to Ottawa

The never ending Day 2 route - 262 kms. You can see the detour on the upper right

As we continued, one of the riders was significantly slowing and fading. Tim and I decided to stay with him and do whatever pulling we could while the rest of the group stuck together a little further ahead. Then we arrived at the detour which was to take us up over the 401, then east and then back down over the 401 back to highway 2. Our tired rider was especially struggling on the hills and the thought of 2 extra climbs on the 401 overpasses loomed large. Tim and I kept pulling and finally we made it to the last stop before the end - Morrisburg (224 km). Matt offered to buy me a Timmies Iced Cap and I didn't refuse. I was tired but not exhausted. But twilight was looming. My first thought upon stopping - get my bike lights on and switch out my sunglass lens for one less shaded. At one point, the bike repair wagon showed up and out popped not just our 'bonked' rider from earlier - but 5 or 6 others from the other groups. It seems that the temperature affected quite a few of us that afternoon.

38 kms to go. If we kept to 28 km/hr it would take us about 1:20 to cycle the remainder. We might reach the hotel at twilight end. Our previously bonked rider rejoined our group as well as another rider who was going to just ride this last day 2 segment. We might have to slow our speed a bit for the additional riders in the group. Off we set. Highway 2 in this section was (thankfully) repaved from when I last rode it 3 years ago. And the unpaved shoulder was just refreshed with fluffy, sandy new gravel. I noted this at one point and commented to one of the other riders that "you don't want to end up in that"

Well, at 240 kms, just before Ingleside, that's exactly what happened. For reasons unkonwn, our motorcycle escort slowed down and the riders ended up bunching up next to him (we are instructed to never go ahead of the motor escort). Within the yells of "slowing!" one of the riders further back swerved to avoid the wheel in front of them, onto the soft shoulder and went over the handlebars. We all stopped to assess. Thankfully, the rider suffered only gravel rash. It took some time to assess, validate and regroup. Group 4 passed us. It was getting dark and some dark clouds were appearing to the east of us, in the direction we were headed. The crashed rider decided he was good to continue

So on we went - 22 kms to go now. It was after 8 pm. At around the town of Long Sault I saw a rainbow whose edge landed right on highway 2. I yelled out "there's a cold beer at the end of that rainbow!'. I don't remember anyone laughing. Also, it never occurred to me that the dark stormy clouds were heading towards us (or at least not moving) rather than moving east - especially since the wind had turned and we had a bit of westerly wind finally during the late part of the afternoon and evening.

Darkness came. Not all the riders had bike lights (why?). Even so, my front light is not set up for illumination - it's more for visibility. Partially because of this, and because I still had some energy I ended up on the front of the group which had now split in two. Unfortunately, the good pavement ended (must be the Cornwall town boundary I'm guessing?) and highway 2 was back to the way I remembered it - full of holes and cracks. Then the rain started. We were still about 5 km from the hotel. My GPS display had switched to night mode, but I still couldn't see it. Thank goodness I switched my sunglass lenses. The rain intensified. It was like a video game where you had to guess which reflective pools of water were safe to ride through and which contained potholes or cracks that could send you flying. Cars continued to zoom by - thank goodness we had our escort motorcycle and van. If not, I would have stopped and waited for a ride. I was having difficulty seeing. After a while we all stopped yelling out "hole" because it was redundant. Just follow the leader and hope. I noticed a paved bike shoulder "protected" by one of those rumble strips. Hallelujah I thought - we're home free. Except wherever there was a driveway the bike shoulder ended up with a pile of gravel on it. After weaving in and out over the rumble strip a few times, I just gave up and stayed on the shitty road. Those last 5 kms (10 minutes) seemed like forever. What a relief when we saw the hotel sign. I must have been gripping my hoods so hard my hands were sore. Physically I was fine - just tired. But mentally I was exhausted. I don't remember the last time I concentrated so hard on a task. After that rainbow cold beer, a shower, a nice dinner I went to my room and crashed. I skipped the traditional Day 2 scotch and cigar celebration I was so finished - I needed my introvert time. The day ended 99% great and 1% slightly terrifying. Not perfect, but close

So happy we're not riding in the rainy dark anymore
Where's that cold rainbow beer?

Ahhhh... Day 3. A decent sleep, an awesome weather forecast including a tailwind(!) some slightly reformed groups, more relaxed expectations and a short distance to John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (98 km) before we pick up our police escort for the final leg into Montreal Children's Hospital. The hard part was over. The morning part of the ride is on nice quiet roads - through South Lancaster on into Quebec, through Saint-Zotique, Les Coteaux, Les Cedres, Point-des-Cascades, Ile-Perrot then Abbott. Some of the Saint-Lawrence river views are just gorgeous. I saw two baby ospreys in their nest atop one of those man made telephone pole platforms built specifically for them. The pace was civil - 25 km/hr allowing for some great conversations when not concentrating on the Quebec potholes (known sarcastically by the cyclists as "Quebec pave"). Lunch at Abbott was once again provided by McDonalds. I'm grateful for their sponsorship, but I'm fine if I don't see another f'n Filet O' Fish or Quarter Pounder for another year. But keep bringing the apple pies

The Ottawa riders at the start of Day 3

The motorcade led us along Lakeshore through Baie-D'Urfe, Beaconsfield, Pointe Claire, Dorval, Lachine, Ville Saint-Pierre, Montreal West and finally over the Decarie and into the hospital. For this last portion, like the first, we ride together as one big group. This requires a bit of concentration as we're not restricted to single or double file but can occupy the whole lane going east. This part of the ride is always a joy. We get so many shouts of encouragement, friendly honks, clapping and cheers it just makes you smile. As we did in 2019, we stopped just over 2 km short of the finish to pick up Georgie - the son of one of our riders and a cancer survivor. Georgie was to lead us into the hospital - a testament to the difference the participants and volunteers are making to the lives of those undergoing treatment

Our Montreal police motorcade

The lead into the hospital is always emotional. Music blaring and a crowd of friends and family to welcome us. My wife Desa and her sister made the effort to come out and welcome me. I can't overstate my happiness at having family support at both ends of this journey. After lots of hugs, high fives and many pictures, a few speeches were in order. Dr David Mitchell, who is a specialist in pediatric oncology at Children's Hospital and McGill Unversity said a few words about the importance and use of the funds raised for the hospitals. It's noteworthy that Dr. Mitchell is also one of our 401 riders. The 401 Bike Challenge founder, Gene Piccoli presented the final cheque tally to the 3 hospitals (CHEO in Ottawa is the 3rd one) - $278k, which brings the total raised for the 401 Bike challenge to $2.8 m over it's 15 year history. Many thanks were given to everyone involved in organizing such an event (it's a huge task)

Medals, thanks and the cheque

As a testament to the organization, it should be noted that over almost 590 kms with 39 riders + another few doing just the Day 3 ride, 4 motorcycle escorts, 4 escort trail vans and 1 bicycle repair shop on wheels, that there were no serious injuries. In an event of this size and complexity, "shit's gonna happen" but it's paramount that everyone get back safely. Kudos to everyone involved

And finally, a huge thanks to all you contributors who sponsored me. Without your contributions, this event wouldn't exist and the result would be a huge loss in the lives of those undergoing treatment and their families. You make the difference

One final note. If you think that cycling the almost 590 kms from Toronto to Montreal in 2.5 days is a little nuts, what about doing it in a single day? Well, this year, someone did exactly that. Bruce Bird who is an exceptional amateur cyclist undertook the task of riding the 401 Bike Challenge on Day 2 Thursday. He left Sick Kids at 4 am and after 16.5 hours of riding time and almost 19 hours of elapsed time, arrived at Children's Hospital at 11 pm. To do this, Bruce had to average a pace of just under 36 km/hr! Kudos to Bruce and wow, just wow.

All the best,

Dan

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Sorta, Kinda Back to Normal

Well, here we are with less than 1 month before the ACV 401 Bike Challenge. So far, my fundraising has been fantastic thanks to all of you who donated. I keep having to raise my target goal, which I love doing

So how's your 2022 going? Here's a little bit of mine so far

Start by Cycling in the Snow

During the pandemic, I needed to get outside more with an actvity that didn't require too far travel from home. Enter Costco(tm) and their sale of cheap winter fat bikes. For $499 plus tax you got a Northrock fat bike. For a while, these were like the new toilet paper - people would line up and rush to different stores to buy one. Usually they were all sold by 9:00 am on the days they were brought in. What made them attractive besides the price is that the frames are made in the same factory that makes Giant bicycle frames - the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. And the components were decent too. Of course, I made a pile of upgrades including studded tires that cost more than the bike!

Fat biking is an absolute blast. Think of the thrill of mountain biking but without all those nasty rocks and roots to worry about falling into. Just soft fluffy snow. Well, okay there are those trees. And some of the snow is really hard ice. And the rocks are hidden. But you get the idea. And what a workout. At 15 km you're quite fulfilled. At 20 km you're exhausted. Fortunately, I'm blessed with easy access to a swath of National Capital Commission trails in the Ottawa greenbelt as well as Gatineau Park

Like my lobster mitts?

On the crappy days (freezing rain, storms, temperatures below -25C) I feel priviliged to have an indoor trainer and a virtual riding program that I can use to climb Alpe d'Huez or ride along Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

"Train" for a 21.1 km Race, but then don't Run it

This is what happens when you hang around with a bunch of marathoners. Long runs every Sunday morning at 8 am throughout the winter and spring. They're following a training program. So I just keep running the longer and longer distances with them. To a point. But I did get up to 24 km, which is the longest run I had done in 8 years. But there's a difference between doing what I did and real training. Real training means discipline throughout the week and through the whole training program. It means doing hill repeats and speed work on a track. Painful boring stuff. And the worst of it - actual training means watching what you eat. I couldn't mentally bring myself to do any of that. But it was still fun to see the distance go up and claim victory when running with like minded people through sometimes crazy weather conditions. It was either victory or delusion

Sunday AM running gang in front of "Home Alone" house (Stittsville)

Oh, and also as usual, the weather sucked during Ottawa Race Weekend (24 May). 23-26C + near 100% humidity, which my body is never prepared for after running in the freezing cold for the prior 3 months. Everyone's times were terrible. I'm glad I saved the $100

Ride the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour

Another reason to not run the half marathon in Ottawa is it's always 2 weeks before Ottawa's Bicycle Club's premier event - the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT). So doing both means ironman type training. No thanks. RLCT takes you from Ottawa-Kingston on Saturday and back on Sunday. I rode the "Classic" route which was 173 km each way. So it's a good warm up for the 401 Bike Challenge. Great weather on the Saturday with a brutal head wind heading down into Kingston. Pouring rain on the trip back but at least with a tailwind. I had not ridden the RLCT since the early 2000s (mostly because of Ottawa Race Weekend). It's a fun event and one that I'm likely to ride again going forward. Maybe the "Challenge" route next year? (220 km each way)

Team "wet"

Catch Covid at Ottawa Bluesfest?

After RLCT, my goal was to build up my riding distance - both in terms of total kms as well as ride length. After RLCT in early June, I had over 3000 km of riding so far for the year. So I felt pretty confident. I put together a riding plan that would increase distances. The idea was to build to do another 2 days of back/back 160 km rides (imperial centuries as they call them) as well as a really long ride - like 230 km. The summer felt more like a pre pandemic summer with get togethers and events. I got Desa and myself tickets to Ottawa Bluesfest to see Jack Johnson and Alanis Morrisette. (If you ever get a chance to see JJ, DO IT! I could watch his show 100 times) I love the shows at Bluesfest. But I'm not thrilled with the venue - it's very crowded, some people are loud and rude during performances, I'm short, you have to stand for long periods of time in a small space. Anyway, several days after attending, I started to feel symptoms and tested positive. Crap. I managed to avoid this thing for 2.5 years but got caught up in the 7th wave. I don't know for sure if I caught it at Bluesfest, but I think the chances are quite high

And now I had to recover and re think the remaining riding I can do before the 401 Bike Challenge. I'm not too worried as I have over 4400 kms logged to date. So in a pinch, I can slog it out if required. Remember, whatever I need to do is a pittance compared to undergoing cancer treatment

Back on the bike

Take care,
Dan

Help kids with cancer at Toronto SickKids, Montreal Children's and CHEO hospitals and support my fundraising goal. You can donate to my ride via Dan's donation page at the Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge website. 100% of your tax deductible donation goes to the hospitals

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge 2022 Edition

I'm raising money in support of the pediatric/oncology departments at the Toronto SickKids, Montreal Children’s and Ottawa's CHEO hospitals by participating in the epic 401 Bike Challenge.

Along with my team of fellow cyclists/fundraisers, I'll be riding 585 kms in just 2.5 days from the doors of SickKids in Toronto to the doors of the Montreal Children's Hospital to raise funds for research, family care and awareness of childhood cancers.

I'll be posting to this blog from time to time to give you an update on my progress as well random thoughts on cycling, bikes, volunteering, running, probably the World Cup and other activities that I find myself engaging in.

By making a donation, you are helping to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families. 100% of the funds donated are split between these two important facilities in their efforts to improve the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching.

This is my 2nd time participating in this event. I'd love for you to make a donation today and help make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children and families!

Take care,
Dan

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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Mission Accomplished!

Before the last 2 km to Montreal Children's Hospital.
Led by our junior rider survivors Georgie and Joey.
I'm second from the left

Yes, we had a tailwind. For 3 days. And fantastic weather - no rain and not too hot. What a fabulous experience to raise money for these kids and get to ride my bike in the process. 585 kms in 2.5 days door to door from Toronto Sick Kids hospital to Montreal Children's hospital.

Ready to ride for the kids

Day 1 started out by meeting on the front lawn at Sick Kids. There were several speeches but the two most important ones were given by one of the oncology doctors and then a testimonial given by the mother of one of the kids undergoing treatment. The doctor gave an overview of how previous 401 Bike Challenge funds were put to use and also the research that is candidate for current funding. Pediatric cancer survival rates have increased dramatically in recent years - from 50% to 90%. But that still means that 1 in 10 kids that is diagnosed will not survive - still a totally unacceptable situation. And it's also highly dependent on the type of cancer - some cancers have much lower survival rates. So, research will be mainly focused in two areas: early detection and tailored treatment. Childhood cancers tend to have very unique fingerprints based on the individual's DNA. So broad based treatments tend not not work as effectively.

The holy grail is to be able to extract a patient's immune cells, genetically re-engineer them to suppress the cancerous replication and then re-introduce them to the patient. The re-engineering is highly patient specific. And the earlier that it is detected, the better - thus the focus on tests for risk. Doctors figure we are probably about 10 years away from being able to do this with good success rates, but recent advances might shorten that timeline.

We were then introduced to Markie. Markie is now 5 years old and he and his family have been put through what can only be described as living hell. His first diagnosis was at 3, where he was brought in because of persistent cold/flu symptoms that would not cease (apparently this is quite typical). His mother then went on to describe the battle that they were still in the midst of. 3 relapses, 400 plus days in the ICU, round upon round of chemotherapy and eventually a bone marrow transplant. I can't even remember half the details because it was so jarring listening to the story.

This is why we are fundraising and riding.

Sick Kids start group photo with Markie and family

The night before we rode, we were given the opportunity to select some magnetic badge pins with pictures of children who are undergoing or who have undergone treatment at one of the hospitals. I chose two girls, because, well, I have two daughters. My girls were rarely sick - I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times they were brought to the Children's Hospital of Easter Ontario (Ottawa). So I feel very grateful.

So I chose Madison and Talia - both from Montreal. They are both doing fine now - Madison was at the arrival in Montreal and gave an absolutely wonderful speech telling us a bit about herself and thanking us! Talia, I found out, is a friend of one of the riders whose son also is a survivor. She is doing well and will be starting grade 7 shortly!

Riding for Madison and Talia

Once we were finally moving, a police escort led us down University to Lakeshore and then east. What an experience riding this way - no need to stop at any lights and people cheering and honking the whole way. Lots of obstacles still, so we absolutely needed to focus on riding safely.

Under the Gardiner Expressway with police escort,
being led by Justin with me just behind

The police escort led us out for approximately 30 kilometers, by which time we were just past Scarborough. At that point, we were to get into 3 riding groups based on speed. Each group would be preceded by a safety motorcycle and followed by a support van, giving us a "shell" of protection. I selected group 2 as I had done a prior training ride with some of the group 1 riders and knew I couldn't keep up with them.

I can't believe the job the front motorcycle has to do. Basically, he races ahead of us to the next intersection and controls whether we need to stop or not. The riding group should go through (or not) together. That means if a light is green turning yellow, he blocks the intersection to prevent oncoming drivers turning left into us and drivers turning right into us from the right. All the riders go through, even if the light turns red. It's strange because I'm usually very careful at lights, but in this case you can't just look at the light and traffic - you need to follow the motorcyclist's instructions and go through because if you slow down suddenly when everyone else is rolling you can cause a crash.

The motorcyclist also has to act as a lane blocker to ensure cars behind us don't pass at the wrong time. He'll hold cars off from the back and then check the front oncoming passing lane and signal to the driver when it's okay to pass us without coming into our lane. He takes his share of driver abuse just like cyclists do. But the amount of concentration required to do this job is incredible.

Once we were past Oshawa, things got easier as the city turned to country and the number of lights and intersections dropped significantly. Here is where the real riding began - the route basically follows highway 2, which in many areas is known as Kingston Road. We rolled on all the way to Belleville with a lunch stop in Port Hope.

Day 2 was what everyone feared and anticipated - 260 kms from Belleville to Cornwall. In some ways it's easier than the 190 kms on Day 1 because it's all on rural roads, so you're rolling most of the time except through the towns. It's just a long day in the saddle. Unlike Day 1, we were on the road at 7 am. The planned stops were Napanee, Kingston, Thousand Islands National Park (Mallorytown Landing), Brockville, Morrisburg and then finally Cornwall. The park lunch split was at 143 kms, which is nice because mentally you're "over the hump" when you drag yourself back onto the bike after lunch.

Skipped the full dip at Thousand Islands National Park on day 2
for a simple foot soak

We made good progress in the afternoon and group 2 arrived at the Cornwall hotel at around 6:15 pm. For reference, the fastest rider arrived at 3:15 pm. Three fricken hours earlier! Ridiculous. I am humbled.

Just short of 260 km averaging 30.5 km/hr for 8.5 hours
on day 2. We had a great tailwind and some fine group
rotation

For fun, I posted to Facebook everything I ate and drank on Day 2:

1 bagel with peanut butter
1 bowl of raisin brand w/milk
2 vanilla yogurts with oatmeal
2 coffees w/cream
2 glasses of apple juice
1 cup scrambled eggs
1 fruit leather
3 Cokes
2 Gatorades
1 small bag Lays chips
2 packs Welch fruit gummies
2 quarter pounders with cheese (lunches sponsored by McDonald's)
1 caesar salad
1 Apple pie
1 blueberry/cheese turnover (if you've never had one of these at McD's, you haven't lived!)
2 beers
1 glass of white wine
1 cup penne pasta
2 pieces salmon with cream sauce
garden salad
10 Wedge fries
1 piece of strawberry/vanilla cake
god knows how much water

The only thing that felt "excessive" in retrospect, was the 2nd QP w/cheeze. Urp. I should have skipped it but felt no ill effects (unlike some others - one rider threw up his lunch on both Wednesday and Thursday 🤢).

The last hour into Cornwall was challenging. The road was not very good, the shoulder was narrow and we were yelled at be several drivers to get off the road. I thought of the kids. People were starting to "pulse" because their rear ends were sore. By pulsing, I mean that they would pedal a few strokes, and then stand up to get some temporary butt soreness relief, and then sit down and pedal again. This is not good, because what happens is that when you stop pedaling for a moment, you slow down. So your speed is pulsing and when you're riding in a tight group, the person behind you has to be really aware because they might need to suddenly hit their brakes - which can then cause a dangerous chain reaction.

At one point, two of the riders touched tires as a result of this pulsing. Luckily, neither one went down although they were both quite shaken as the result could have been very bad. Nerves were a bit frayed and we were all quite tired. Our motorcyclists kept encouraging us by frequently telling us how much further we had to go. We finally arrived safely. What a fabulous day!

Day 3 started out a bit stuttered as we were now 4 riding groups to accommodate the riders who were doing only the Cornwall to Montreal leg. I was now in a smaller group 2 and just after we left, one of the riders couldn't clip into his pedals. So we waited while the mechanic replaced the pedals and dealt with his shoe cleats. As we were getting going again, I had the only "mechanical" issue I faced in the whole 3 days. Highway 2 at this point includes a "rumble strip" to alert drivers if they are edging off the road. A good safety measure for cars. Problem is that some of the paved shoulder contained debris or bad pavement which means that if you're on a bike, you end up having to move from the paved shoulder to the road and back occasionally. So you get the "brrrrrr" and some handlebar vibration when going over it. My bike frame and fork were built for riding on "pavé" (cobblestones), which can handle the rumble strip quite comfortably. But it turns out that the mount for my Polar GPS device is not all metal like I thought. There's a plastic ring that holds the device via a twist lock mount. The plastic failed and my GPS went absolutely flying over my right shoulder. I turned to see it bounce multiple times behind me with the white protective rubber case flying off. I thought it was toast. I stopped and ran back to get it. Behind me was the now stopped mechanic's truck, which amazingly didn't run over it. I picked it up and it was still tracking! I couldn't mount it, so I just put it in my rear shirt pocket for the remainder of the ride. I could still see my speed on my bike because I also have the old school trip computer that works by counting wheel turns using a magnet on one of the spokes. Backup systems work! Otherwise, my bike performed like a complete charm - all my prep maintenance paid off.

We continued along at a good clip - averaging around 36 km/hr for the 45 minutes once we got beyond the town limit. I got to do some good pulls on the front which felt great! We stopped in Coteau-du-Lac, about 60 km east of Cornwall. At this point, group 2 arrived before group 1 (the fast group) because group 1 made a detour to visit the mom of one of the riders who lived in the area. She made us all these amazing oatmeal cookies. I had 2 at the stop and one more later at the lunch stop. I heard one of the other riders say that he had eaten 7!

We made some jokes to the group 1 guys about leaving before them so we could "stay ahead of them". Instead, since we were smaller groups than the previous day, one of them suggested that we all ride together. I mentioned to my fellow Ottawa rider, Matt - "let's see how long this lasts 😁".

The group 1 riders stayed on the front in a nice tight formation and we averaged 38 km/hr, which means that we were doing 40-42 km/hr for periods within this. After 30 minutes of this, I was starting to feel that I couldn't keep up and was falling off the wheel of the rider in front of me. Then I heard from behind me: "Minus 1!". That's cycling speak for "you lost a rider off the back". I looked around briefly to see who it was and it turned out to be Matt. At that point I figured that if I tried to keep up, I'd be a total wreck once we reached the lunch stop at John Abbott college, so I let up and yelled "Minus 2!". The pace formation kept going and slowly disappeared into the distance. Usually it's a badge of shame to be dropped, but I feel honored that I could ride for a while with these really strong riders. My whole training for this ride was about endurance - not pace. So, I really enjoyed the opportunity.

Matt, Steve and I rolled into John Abbott not too long after the group 1 riders for lunch. The remainder of the ride from here would be another controlled speed police escort, which we would do as one big group for the last 30 km to Children's Hospital.

Arrival at John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

3 of the riders in the event are fathers of survivor kids. This year, the event organizers decided it would be special if the survivor kids could lead us into the hospital So we stopped about 2 km before the hospital so they could join and lead us from the front. What a great reception when Georgie and Joey rolled into the hospital service road, followed by all the riders. Many families were there to greet us.

Andre and his son Georgie lead the ride into
Montreal Children's Hospital

After refreshments and ad hoc pictures, we settled in for some ceremony and speeches. We got to hear more about how funds would be used and Madison gave her great speech. Finally, we got to see the end tally of the fundraising for the event - $205,496, which exceeded the goal of $200 k! During the ride I got a notification that I also exceeded my personal fundraising goal thanks to all of my sponsor donations - in the end this event is all about the donors and kids, the rest of us are just enablers. There were many thank yous for everyone involved. This event requires a huge amount of coordination and effort. The riders get much of the attention, but nothing happens without getting corporate sponsors, booking hotels, finding mechanics, motorcyclists, van drivers, dealing with media, organizing food, ride logistics, training and many more activities I'm not even aware of.

Fundraising target exceeded! $205,496 raised this year

Everyone completed the ride and everyone got to Montreal safely. With an event like this there are sure to be some minor mishaps, but there were no major ones. Kudos to the organizing committee for doing everything they could to ensure the safety of the participants.

Just before leaving Cornwall. 2nd row seated, far right

I am honored that I was able to help out a great cause, make new friends and share lasting memories and experiences with them. Bring on 2020!.

Take care,
Dan

Help kids with cancer at both Toronto SickKids and Montreal Children's hospitals and support my fundraising goal. You can donate to my ride via Dan's donation page at the Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge website. 100% of your tax deductible donation goes to the hospitals

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Thursday, August 15, 2019

Toronto to Montreal in 2.5 days - Bring it On!

At Narrows Locks on Big Rideau Lake with fellow KNBC riders Terry, Tony and Neil

Less than 6 days until the big ride for ACV 401 Bike Challenge for Children's Hospitals and I'm READY. Clocked over 3000 kms of riding since early June most of it with the Kanata Nepean Bicycle Club. The weather has been mostly fantastic although there were a few hot and humid days in late July. Very little rain, although I did get in a rain ride last week, just to be prepared.

I feel like I've ridden every cyclable road in Eastern Ontario 😀. West to Renfrew, North to Buckingham Quebec, East to Hawkesbury and South to Portland.

In July, I had the great opportunity to ride with some of my 401 Challenge colleagues in upper New York state on a route called the Lyon Mountain loop. It was a great chance to meet some of the Montreal based riders beforehand and it was also a good hill workout with 1200m of ascent. The rural roads in upper New York state are so great for cycling - smooth and very little traffic. First time I've crossed the border on my bike! So weird that Canada Customs officials ask you if you are bringing back any cannabis 🙄. "Yeah I have some stuffed in my seat tube...."

A week and a half later, I did my peak training distance ride - 228 kms from Barrhaven, to Perth, around Big Rideau Lake and then back. Started at 6 am and ended at 7:15 pm, but the lunch stop was like 90 minutes (too) long. I met up with KNBC riders in Perth for the loop portion. The point of this was mostly psychological - had to convince myself that I could do the middle day portion of the 3 day Toronto-Montreal ride which is 260 kms (Belleville to Cornwall). It worked. I now feel confident that I can handle it - bring it on!

33% of this is on stone dust railway beds. Ouch my arms. And butt.

3 days later, I conquered back to back (almost) century rides. An (imperial) century ride is 100 miles or 160 kms. On the 2nd day I met up with fellow 401 riders who live in Ottawa and we tackled Cantley, Val-des-Monts, Buckingham just north of Gatineau. What a hill workout! Not including the fun of going off course and ending up on some dirt cottage roads which caused Gustavo to have a flat.

Century ride with fellow 401 Challenge riders Matt and Gustavo

On the fundraising front, I'm at 85% of my goal of raising $3500, which is kinda in line with the overall event fundraising which is also at 85% of raising $200 k from combined sponsors and riders. So I'm going to do a final fundraising push this weekend.

For updates during the ride I will primarily use my Facebook account for posting. For anyone who is interested in following my live progress, send me an email or FB message and I'll send you a Google maps tracking link at the start of the event.

Now let's hope for some great weather! And a tailwind!

Take care,
Dan

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Fake Backwards Triathlon Training

Obligatory salt encrusted post race posing

Okay, it's all fake. I'm not training for a triathlon (no swimming!) and there's no such thing as a backward triathlon anyway (that would be run bike swim - kinda dangerous 😀). I did a couple of triathlons back in early 2000's and they were fun but you have to train twice a day on most days, which is really a pain. And swimming was at 6 AM. Too much dedication required.

In late May, I completed the Ottawa half marathon that I had been training for since January. I had a really fun time with my new running friends from the Stittsville Running Room who helped energize me for what was a terrible winter for run training. In the days leading up to the event, I watched the weather and knew I was doomed for achieving my goal time, when I saw the overnight low being 15 C and the humidity being 100%. I knew I was really doomed when I woke up on the Sunday morning and my opened house windows were completely fogged. My personal best in a half marathon was at 3 C and ice pellets. My PB for a 10k was in February at -17 C (wind chill -27 C). Needless to say, my finish time is primarily determined by not hot/humid weather.

Half Marathon Grant Crossing Running Room Team!

I did okay for the first 10 km and was still kinda on goal pace. After 16 km I was off pace but still looking for a decent finish time. And it all fell apart in the last 5 km - too much walking. Oh well, I finished upright and smiling, as they say and had Desa and friends out on the course cheering me on.

But no time for commiseration - I had to get on my bike and start getting in some distance. This spring in Ottawa was quite cold and wet, and road cycling started pretty late for everyone. Much of the most used cycling paths (and some roads) in the region were flooded. So it's not like I could have gotten in a lot of riding in April/May even if I wasn't focused on running.

KNBC early May ride to Fitzroy Harbour. Ferry to Quebec closed due to flooding

To help me out, I joined the Kanata-Nepean Bicycle Club (or KNBC for short). They offered up rides of different speeds and distances pretty much every Saturday and Wednesdays and some Sundays. So after buying some new running friends in January, I bought some new riding friends in April.

After all day breakfast in North Gower. Urp.

I also joined something called the Ottawa Bicycle Club Advanced Skills Clinic, based on recommendation from my friend Bill. Despite the onerous and super serious sounding name, I characterize this as "bike rodeo for grownups". When the kids were in primary school I used to take them to something called bike rodeo which was doing stuff like riding through a cone course layout. The skills clinic emphasized bike handling (agility) and safe and proper riding in a group. It was really really fun - I learned stuff like how to bunny hop over obstacles, how to crash (really), how to turn and brake properly (not obvious), how to balance at a full stop without un-clipping (still working on that one) and how to ride in a rotating 2 line echelon like you see in the Euro tour races on TV.

KNBC Pakenham Burnstown Loop - lunch at Neat Cafe

Meanwhile, I need to get in 2000-3000 kms in the saddle before my 401 charity ride for children's hospitals from Toronto to Montreal in late August. Besides logging that total distance, it means I need to also log a single training ride of over 200 kms (that's like 8+ hours of riding) as well as logging 2 day back to back century rides (a century ride is is 100 miles or 160 kms). So I have a plan.

Oh my

I get to do a training ride with the 401 challenge team in late July in Vermont. Looking forward to that. So far everything is going well. No injuries, feeling comfortable and getting stronger. Now the distances get real. Tomorrow it's Gatineau Park. Saturday, I finally get to use the Fitzroy/Quyon ferry that was flooded back in May for a trip to Norway Bay in Pontiac region.

Until next time, happy cycling!

Take care,
Dan