But You Have a Tail Wind?

Monday, January 15, 2024

The Pancreatic Cancer Canada 7 Days Ride 2024 Edition

I'm raising money in support of combatting Pancreatic Cancer by participating in the epic Seven Days Ride.

Along with my team of fellow cyclists/fundraisers, I'll be riding an imperial century (160 km or 100 miles) per day for 7 consecutive days around central/eastern Ontario to raise funds and awareness

Why? Because the statistics are staggering:

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers
The 5-year relative survival rate is 10%. That means that 90% of Canadians diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will die
70% of patients do not survive past the first year
For these patients and their families, a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is traumatic and brings overwhelming day-to-day and emotional challenges
Pancreatic cancer is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Canada, yet it continues to be underfunded, overlooked, and outpaced in research

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, bike maintenance, volunteering, running, and other activities that I find myself engaging in

By making a donation, you are helping to make a difference in the lives of patients who have been diagnosed and their families

This is my 1st 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 those undergoing treatment of this horrid disease

Take care,
Dan

Help patients battling pancreatic cancer and support my fundraising goal. You can donate to my ride via Dan's donation page on the Pancreatic Cancer Canada website

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Friday, August 25, 2023

Well, It Isn't Called "Challenge" for Nothing!

Arriving in Kingston on day 2
Way before all my nonsense started

The 2023 Air Canada Vacations 401 Challenge is in the books. $220 k raised for the hospitals and kids. 21 riders completed the 3 day journey this year, down from 2022. The big milestone however was that over the 18 years of this event, the challenge has now raised a total of $3 M dollars for pediatric oncology. A big thank you to all my donors who contributed towards the milestone and also allowed me to surpass my personal fundraising goal for the 3rd time

401 Bike Challenge founder Gene Piccoli displays
the cheque representing $3 M the ride has raised
over 18 years

I approached this ride with more trepidation than the previous two that I rode in 2019 and 2022. In both the previous cases I followed a training plan of my own design that would prepare me in terms of total distance, ride length and vertical climbing. In 2019 I rode over 3000 kms prior to the event and in 2022 I was around 5800 kms. In both cases the training plan involved long rides (over 200 kms) and back to back rides around 160 kms each. This time around, even though I rode 3000 kms prior to the event, I did not follow a training plan and as such did not incorporate the same preparation in terms of ride lengths, frequency and climbing. This is largely because of a sudden fitness issue I encountered in March while training for the St Lawrence (Cornwall) half marathon. Until I was able to get medically checked out, I had to take it easy in case there might have been an underlying heart condition issue. There wasn't. I still have the fitness issue (something known as cardiac drift - which despite the name is more related to body cooling and blood circulation than heart). So although I put in the distance, I did not train with much intensity. I felt good but still wondered whether a gradual increase heart rate during long rides on potentially hot days might just cause me to have to stop cycling

Daughter Julie saw me off again this year
from Sick Kids! So grateful for family support

Day 1 (Toronto - Belleville) began as usual with a sendoff from staff, friends and family from Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. The Wednesday weather looked promising with 0% chance of precipitation in the forecast - the only day of the 3 that looked rain free. I was delighted that my daughter Julie, who lives in Toronto, was able to see me off at the start. Joey, who is the son of one of our previous riders and a leukemia survivor gave a great speech on how Sick Kids was able to successfully treat his cancer into remission and he emphasized how much the ride and riders meant to him and his family. If a child was diagnosed with leukemia in the 1960's it was basically a death sentence. With all the advances in treatment, the survival rate now is in the range of 85-90%

Shortly after 8 am, we headed off down University towards Lakeshore Blvd following our police escort that would take until Guildwood. A cyclist's dream - having all the traffic have to wait, ignoring some of the traffic lights and having the cops actually protecting cyclists for once. It might be my own bias, but my observation was that we seemed to get more cheers and encouraging honks on the whole ride than we did in 2022. At one point as we were waiting to cross Front St, a woman on the sidewalk asked: "Where are you riding to?" at which point one of the riders responded with "Montreal". Then the woman pumped her fist in the air and yelled out "F*ck Yeah!". I wish someone got it on video - it became the topic of conversation of the day

Waiting for traffic light on University

Before Pickering we split up into our groups based on speed. Each group of about 8 riders has a lead motorcycle escort and a trailing support van that contains snacks and drinks and our day bags. At the very end of the last group is the large truck and trailer that contains the mobile bike shop and storage space for all our other bags. It also has ample room to transport riders that need a break or can't continue. There were 3 groups this year - I was in group 2. Group 1 was extremely fast and group 3 was a just bit slower than my typical club ride pace

Getting out of the GTA is a pain. With our police escort now gone, we rode highway 2 (Kingston Road) which is basically rolling hills and traffic lights all the way to Bowmanville, at which point the roads become more rural in nature. Many of the riders say that day 1 is harder than day 2 because of the hills and stops, even though day 2 is 65 km longer

We continued without issue until our lunch stop at beautiful Cobourg Beach (Victoria Park). My cardiac drifting heart rate started to creep up in the last 45 minutes or so prior to lunch but it wasn't out of line with what I had observed on my club rides prior to the event. The air was cool but the sun was very hot off the road

I was starving even though I ate various things at the prior refueling stops - rice Krispy squares, jujubes, potato chips. Lunch consisted of various delicious catered sandwiches. This was a step up from the previous years' McDonald's catered lunches, as they were no longer a lead event sponsor (but kudos to them for still having donated $25k to the event!). I chomped down one. Someone was handing out energy drinks and I grabbed one. I then ate a second sandwich and had a spruce beer that Gene brought. By the time we were ready to leave, I was feeling a bit tired, but ready to go. I was wondering if my cardiac drift would be a bigger factor in the afternoon after the stop - this seemed to be the pattern I experienced on prior rides

Good form! Downhill "ready" position

Leaving Cobourg Beach is a bit of an uphill to get back on highway 2. Less than 1 km out and I saw my bpm was already in the 160s!! WTF? I haven't even warmed up yet? Okay, so I watched this closely hoping it could come down as we progressed. It came down into the 150s but then at each hill it would go up. I eventually fell back from the other 4 riders on the hills and saw it go up 170-180-190. Justin dropped back to see what was going on and I told him I had to stop. I felt fine otherwise, but this was highly abnormal

Rather than wait for the large bike van, I was able to squeeze both my bike and myself into the support van that was following group 2. From there we rode about 27 km to the next stop in Brighton. I watched my bpm the whole time while sitting in the van - it was all over the place initially but finally it settled back into my normal range. I felt somewhat jittery but otherwise fine

With my heart rate back to normal at Brighton, I felt good enough to get back on the bike with group 3 to ride the remaining 25 kilometers into Belleville. I warned everyone that I might have to quickly stop if the condition arose again. It didn't. It was like nothing ever happened. We got to the hotel, showered, had dinner all per usual. I felt fine - I wasn't even that tired

I tried to figure out what might have been the cause. It was a quite warm on the road. I was well hydrated - no issue there. I probably shouldn't have had that second sandwich and instead kept it for a later stop - too much blood dealing with digesting. An then - that stupid GURU energy drink!! I'd totally forgotten about it

I never drink these things - I swear I've had maybe 1 or 2 RedBulls in my life just to see what they taste like (gross). I have no idea why I drank it. I was more concerned about there being any artificial sweetener in it than caffeine or the myriad of other ingredients (guarana extract, echinacea). And caffeine in coffee and regular soft drinks (Coke) typically has zero effect on me

If you're concerned about heart rate increase, then uh, maybe don't drink stuff whose purpose is to increase your heart rate. And don't break the first rule of any endurance activity - never take something that you haven't already experienced during your training. I felt like a moron

On Thursday morning (Belleville - Cornwall), everyone's big concerns were weather and timing. In 2022 we finished riding day 2 in the pouring rain in dark at 8 pm. We did not want a repeat of that situation. It was scary and we were lucky that nobody crashed due to a pothole or touching another rider. The forecast showed a similar pattern to the previous year - chance of thundershowers late in the afternoon. And, it looked like our desired tail wind had turned into a more challenging cross wind coming from the due South

I decided to start the day in group 2 again. We were back up to 7 riders at the start of the day. The ride went very well through Napanee and on to Kingston. Stops were very short as we aimed to keep to schedule that would bring us in before dark in Cornwall. At Kingston, some of the riders decided to switch groups, so we're now down to 4. The section east of Gananoque is on the amazing 1000 Islands Bike Path which extends 35 kms to near Brockville. During this portion of the ride, the groups are a bit more fluid as the escort vehicles remain on the road. I was the oldest and slowest of the 4 riders in group 2 and we motored it towards lunch at Mallorytown Landing at 140 kms. I was pushing to keep up, especially on hills and definitely in need of a break, but I didn't think that I felt any worse than I had at this point on my previous two ride experiences. Oh, and no cardiac drift so far at all!!!

Group 2 on day 2. I still felt great at this point

However, I wasn't very hungry. I managed only one half of a small chicken wrap and a brownie. Looking at the coleslaw made my stomach churn so I tossed it. Because of my day 1 experience where I likely ate too much, I wasn't very concerned that I didn't eat much at lunch on day 2

We kept our stop to under 1 hour (yay!) and the 4 of us in group 2 headed out continuing our brisk pace on the remainder of the 1000 Islands Bikeway and then past Brockville. Everything was great for a while. Then I started slowing on the hills. Heart rate still awesome, but I was fading. The other 3 riders were waiting for me after the hills. I was getting slower and slower. I was bonking - my glycogen stores had been depleted and now my stomach had shut down and I couldn't intake any food to replenish. Eventually just before the 200 km mark, the support van told me to stop at the next gas station where we would regroup. I got off my bike and sat on the curb. Then I got dizzy. I'll spare the other details. Took me several minutes to set myself straight again. The other riders and support staff asked me what I wanted to do. I said I needed to get in the van. They highly agreed that that was the best answer

So, now I got to ride in the large van with the driver/mechanic and one other rider who was already there. It was raining for a good portion of the 25 km trip to Morrisburg, so I was both disappointed but also a bit relieved. Once in Morrisburg, I felt somewhat fine again and managed to rehydrate and make sure my electrolytes were good. But I still couldn't eat. Less than 40 km to go - could I make it?

I stayed with group 3 so that I'd have a better chance of handling the pace. Things went pretty good for about 32 kms and I was even able to lead for a bit. Then - yeah, I started to fade again and was now dropping off the back. We ended up regrouping towards the end because of some traffic lights leading into Cornwall so I got to finish together. I was completely spent and queasy again with leg cramps/spasms I sat mostly by myself to steady everything. Eventually I was able to gather my stuff and get in the shower. I went down for dinner with the riders and volunteers but I felt too queasy to stay, so back to the room and early bed. At about 1:30 am I felt good enough to hunt down a vending machine and drink ginger ale and eat some chips

Despite my personal fitness struggles, there were some good positives. First, no cardiac drift on day 2 for almost 240 kms! After the shenanigans in the afternoon of day 1 I was very pleased. Second, the thunderstorms held off and last, all the riders were done way before it got dark. For most of the riders, the 2023 day 2 was a much better experience than 2022, and much safer

How could I have avoided bonking on day 2? I think it's definitely a fitness issue - lack of longer rides, lack of back/back long rides, lack of practicing eating on longer rides and more hills than I was able to schedule in with my other fitness issues. Also, even though group 2 was probably going only about 2 km/hr faster than group 3 during the first part of the day on day 2, that difference is huge in terms of expended energy. Of course, I felt great in group 2 until I didn't

The day 3 leg from Cornwall to Montreal is typically considered easy (130 km) after Belleville - Cornwall. Once again the forecast looked daunting - it was originally promising rain for the whole day. That seemed to change overnight to showers only in the morning and the afternoon.

I slept okay (still better than the first night in Toronto) but was concerned about how I'd do on the "easy" day. I was able to eat a reasonably sized breakfast but my head was still a bit fuzzy and I would still get the occasional leg cramp depending on movement. Once we were outside preparing to leave, I felt better. And after we were riding for about 10 minutes, I felt great again

The ride into Montreal is always pleasant and almost like a bit of a 'party on wheels' after the long day 2. Time to catch up with everyone. I stayed with group 3 and enjoyed a very relaxed pace into John Abbott College in Ste Anne de Bellevue. There we once again picked up the police escort to ride us in. We stuck to our practice of a more rigid schedule and arrived at Children's Hospital just after 3 pm

Dan, Rob and Desa at the finish. The Brossard gang

As usual, we were greeted by friends and family, hospital officials and families whose kids are undergoing treatment. The ceremonies were held indoors this year because of the forecast, but there was very little precipitation riding in from Cornwall

We got through this year's ride with no crashes and no injuries - a testament to the volunteers who keep us safe and the riders for riding safely and keeping their bikes in good working condition. Bravo

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

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

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

The Road to the 401 Bike Challenge is Filled with Potholes

My packed bike on the train bridge over the Mad River near Middlesex VT

Hey everyone! A little cycling and adventure update since my 2022 401 Bike Challenge ride last August, as I wind down the last couple of weeks before the 2023 ride edition!

Last October, I had the privilege of riding in San Francisco and Marin County for their annual Biketoberfest event. Riding with a group who were much younger than me, I got to cross the Golden Gate bridge, zip through Sausalito and San Rafael to a town called Fairfax. Fairfax is home to Biketoberfest and the Marin Museum of Bicycling, which I plan to go back and visit on another occasion. Weather was perfect and some of the hills were absolutely brutal - including an 18% climb in a residential neighborhood that I had to walk up. On the way back to SF, I rode through The Presidio and part of Golden Gate Park

Riding crew for Biketoberfest in San Francisco

Once he weather turned cooler again, I changed my focus to winter running as I typically do. Somehow, my Sunday running group managed to talk me into signing up for a race - they were trying to get me to run the St. Lawrence marathon out of Cornwall. This race is in April and has higher likelihood of cooler weather than Ottawa Race Weekend in late May. I didn't feel up to the vigours of marathon training, so I signed up for the half marathon. My training proceeded quite well through the winter, mixing in indoor riding on a virtual reality platform called Zwift, and keeping up with the marathoners for their long sunday run distances. I felt great

Until ...

In late March I noticed that I was having trouble on the slow Sunday runs completing the distances - distances that I had far exceeded only a few weeks earlier. I figured I might be overtraining and so I cut back on the mid week workouts but the situation didn't improve. By the time race day came along I was unsure if I should even attempt it - especially since it involved a drive to Cornwall. I participated anyway and ended up with a terrible result as I needed to do run/walk intervals for the last half of the race

Clearly something had changed with my fitness. I was worried that I had some kind of heart issue, but subsequent tests showed that my heart health was stable. Further research seems to indicate that I am experiencing something called cardiac drift, which is a condition where at low level aerobic exercise levels (like long, slow runs), your heart rate gradually increases until is ends up in the anaerobic zone. Since it is doing this extra work, after a while fatigue sets in. Cardiac drift can increase as a result of hot weather, high humidity and age (crap). Your capillaries dilate to try and cool your body down and in doing so, they end up reducing the amount of blood that's delivered to your muscles. To compensate, your heart rate increases. I've never been comfortable running in hot or humid weather and now it's gotten worse

Visiting some old rocks

While I was figuring all this out, I didn't want to put too much stress on my system, so I limited myself to shorter rides and even stopped running completely for a while. As a result, my fitness level for the 401 Challenge is miles behind where it was last year, but I figure I should still be able to ride the 3 days. I will be following up with a sports medicine clinic to see what can be done to counteract the effects. I don't want to give up my long slow runs!

In May, Desa and I embarked on a cruise vacation around the UK. Starting in Southampton, the ship travelled counter clockwise around the isles with stops in Edinburgh, Inverness, Belfast, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork, Weymouth and back to Southampton. We then spent 4 nights in London. We had fabulous weather (not a drop of rain!) and did lots of walking (multiple days of 30k steps). I got to visit Stonehenge, Edinburgh Castle, Loch Ness, the Titanic Museum, the International Slavery Museum, The Cavern Club, the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, Blarney Castle & Gardens, The Tower of London, The British Museum, Camden Market and tons of other sites

Dublin Guinness Storehouse visit and tasting!

Although my cycling fitness is down from last year, I did manage to embark on a 10 day self supported bike packing tour that started in Provincetown Massachusetts, went down Cape Cod and across to Providence Rhode Island and then travelled up through central Massachusetts, through New Hampshire and ended in Burlington Vermont. About 900 km over 10 days with 50 lbs of clothing and gear. Me and my 3 fellow cyclists stayed in "cheap" motels - no camping. We had excellent weather again with only 1 day of solid rain when we travelled from White River Junction VT to Montpelier VT (that was also the big climbing day - about 1300 m). We lucked out on the timing of the ride, as the following week parts of Montpelier and roads we had travelled were completely underwater due to flooding because of torrential rains. Some of the bike path networks were spectacular - especially on Cape Cod, coming out of Providence and in New Hampshire. Many old railway lines have been converted to fine gravel bike paths

A ride though Vermont isn't complete without the
obligatory stop at the original Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop

And recently, we got to visit our daughter Claire again in San Francisco. Great weather (again, we've been so lucky this year) and had tons of fun just playing tourist and visiting sites. I can't get enough of San Francisco

My crew cycling on beautiful Angel Island State Park
north of San Francisco

As the days wind down towards the 2023 401 Bike Challenge I'm balancing getting rides in without overdoing it. It will be interesting because so far this year my longest ride has only been 120 km. The 2nd day of the 401 Challenge is 260 km. In past years, I deliberately scheduled a training ride of over 200 km as well as back/back days of 160 km (imperial century rides). I know many of the riders don't do this and still manage to make it through the 3 days, so I'm counting on what I've observed from others to get me through!

Railway caboose museum in Franklin NH

As always, I hope that you are all keeping well, staying healthy and enjoying life. Send me a quick update if we haven't connected in a while so we can catch up!

Take care,
Dan

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge 2023 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, and other random 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 3rd 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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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

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

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.

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.

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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