Reverse Gear Blog

Friday, June 12, 2009
 Aaron and I drove to Naksup Hot Springsand set up the trailer. The boys cycled 45 km from the Monashee Summit to the Needles ferry on Arrow Lake. When everyone arrived we went to the hot springs. It was so relaxing.

Saturday, June 13, 2009
Aaron and I rode today. Len woke us at 6 am and took us up to the Monashee Summit so we could do the same  45 km  on the single trikes as they did yesterday on the tandem. It was a spectacular ride but we unfortunately had a fierce head-wind so we had to work to enjoy the thrills. We then packed up and drove to Golden BC. Dinner was BC Coho Salmon at the Golden Rim Inn where we watched the sun set behind the mountains. Highlight: the 50+ motorcyclists who were raising money for Kids with Cancer and delivering teddy bears to “Kids with Cancer”.

Sunday, June 14, 2009
Richard and Aaron rode 103 km to Radium Hot Springs.

Len and I rode the single trikes to Yoho National Park. I stopped to take too many photos so it was 2:30 when we arrived. The cycle back was more downhill than uphill so we arrived back in Golden at 4:15 pm. The 6km downhill at Kicking Horse was terrifying. My fastest speed was 49 km as I was afraid to go much faster on the twisty windy roads. The highlight was the Bighorn sheep. The watermelon Anna had waiting for all of us was sweet. Dinner of spinach salad, bbq chicken and herbed potatoes were equally welcome. Highlight: the Bighorn sheep and meeting another cross-country cycle tour raising money for Kids with Cancer.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
While the boys did a 100 km ride from Summerland to Osoyoos (which I understand was un-eventful), I did my first solo long-distance ride of 76 km from Summerland to Okanagan Falls and back to Penticton on Lake Okanagan. The last uphill was to Le Frenz winery owned by an Australian vintner for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for dinner and a bottle of great Muscat for after-dinner. The scenery was spectacular. The ride was exhilarating. And - I met some interesting people: the young cyclists from www.otesha.cawho were cycling from Calgary to Vancouver and doing plays on sustainability at schools as they go; the drifter who was taking his leather jacket to the flea market so he could sell it for $20 to buy a pedal boat;and the young fellow at the park who was enjoying a bottle of wine at the bottom of the lake and asked if I could put some of my sun-screen on his back and and give him some money for a hoagie because someone stole his back-pack last night. This may be the only time I had to pay to give someone else a massage. Coming home I missed the exit to the service road so decided to ride through about 2-3 feet of ditch off the highway. Wrong ditch! Rode like a “bat outta hell” to get to the campsite and watch all three tires deflate. I picked up spiky thorns and Len had to put three new tubes and tires on my trike after a dinner of pasta with ground turkey, sliced fresh cucumbers with local merlot vinegar and calabrese salad (bocconcini cheese and fresh tomatoes with a local Italian dressing) - with the Le Frenz Sauvignon Blanc of course.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
Every day has provided an “event” - broken converter, flat tires, etc. But today’s “event” brought the trip to a halt until it could be solved. The support vehicle would not start. The BCAA came out and took the vehicle to Summerland (where the fuel pump was replaced) and the boys headed out on the road.  Their adventure for the day was riding on the trike on the back of a pick-up truck for 7 km through a construction area. The view was wonderful and they didn’t even have to pedal. All arrived safely in Kelowna for lunch. After a few mechanical adjustments to the gears, the boys cycled all the way to Vernon BC. We camped at Swan Lake. The boys deserved the beer they drank on arrival - a local called Pils. Len also enjoyed his dark called Okanangan Spring - Pale Ale. Dinner was fresh snapper, basmati rice, garden salad and Sonora Ranch Sauvignon Blanc.Post dinner was carrot cake and Masala Chai tea beside Swan Lake - after the mosquitoes abated.

Day 8 - June 7, 2009

Rose at 5 am to get ferry to Victoria BC. Started at Mile 0 on Trans Canada Highway beside the Terry Fox statue with local TV cameras rolling. Humorous moment: Len lost a screw in his SPD sandal so we couldn’t start the ride because his sandal was stuck in the pedal. Three people struggled to get it off. The boys finally got going to cheers from the team and a few tourists and cycled 30 km to ferry.

Day 9 - June 8, 2009

The boys left early to cycle 88 km from Abbotsford to Hope BC. After getting the electrical problem in the trailer solved (temporarily) we settled in a beautiful campground between  Mt Hope and the Fraser River. Met the boys in Hope. Dinner was bbq pork, rice and Greek Salad. Everybody slept well, especially the “boys”. Highlights: the local strawberry lady who donated a pint of the best strawberries the boys have ever ate (riding euphoria); the bald eagle, and the big yellow butterflies.

Day 1 – May 31, 2009

Sunday was departure day and it took all day to get going…

Packing the vehicles took all morning. After lunch we headed to Chatham ON to pick up the trailer that would be home for the next 110 days. I left getting lessons on how to stabilize the jacks and wheels and empty the septic tank to the boys and spent the afternoon playing ball and hide and seek with the owner’s 3-year old daughter. Someone had to do it.  First stop was Port Huron MI across the border from Sarnia ON. We had a late dinner of chicken in a panini. And we all crashed for our first peaceful sleep in new beds.

Day 2 – June 1, 2009

In the morning we trundled over to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for gigantic American breakfasts and all compared our aches and pains from sleeping on poor mattresses. Except Aaron. I guess at age 20 – nothing aches – yet.

The drive was going well until we noticed that we had lost a vent on the side of the trailer. The detour to a Camping World for parts and a trip to Walmart in the resort town of Houghton Lake took more time than expected. The day ended with Anna’s great bbq ribs and a bottle of red wine in a campground by Lake Michigan, just past St. Ignace MI.

Day 3 – June 2, 2009

Needed to make up some time, so we had a very long day of driving through some very pretty country along Hwy 2 on south side of Lake Michigan. Just past Deer River MI, and 15 km off Hwy 2, we found a 64 year old fishing lodge with an RV hook-up for the night. Dinner was leftover ribs and potato salad. We ate inside the trailer where we still had to fight off hundreds of mosquitoes. Unfortunately we didn’t get them all and at least one found Judi’s forehead so she looks like she ran into a rake handle (again).

Day 4 – June 3, 2009

Woke up to the sun shining which deceptively hid the fact that it was few degrees above freezing. Got one last glance at the very scenic Tamarack fishing lodge before we hit the road - which would be a long open flat boring drive across the USA prairies of Minnesota and North Dakota. This gave Judi time to load the Canada maps into the GPS before we start cycling. With several crashes and slow download speeds that took most of the day. Dinner was sandwiches on the shoulder of Hwy 52 because there was no place else to stop after Minot ND.

Crossed border at Portal ND. Judi got her bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin for summer G&Ts. She expects to reward herself at the end of the tough hill-climbing days. Arrived in Estevan SK at about 11pm EDST (9 pm CST). The day ended with a beautiful prairie sunset. (It would appear that Saskatchewan does not move to DST.)

Day 5 – June 4, 2009

We went north from Estevan to Moose Jaw to pick up supplies and new walkie talkies so convoy could communicate better. After quick lunch at Smitty’s headed for the Trans Canada Highway. Highlight of day was seeing potash (or salt) blowing in the wind. It looked like clouds of smoke rising from the earth for miles. Dinner was snacks in car. Arrived at 11:30 pm and stayed in Campground overlooking Olympic Park in Calgary AB.

Day 6 – June 5. 2009

Had brunch in Canmore AB and drove to Kamloops BC. Beautiful mountain driving. Dinner was BBQ steak, baked potato and salad.

Day 7 – June 6, 2009

Arrived in Vancouver at about 3 pm and had lunch with Richard’s cousin. Camped in Delta BC and had snacks for dinner after the trailer developed an electrical problem and we ran out of gas so no cooking ability.

If any of you have ever felt the sting of nettles you know how uncomfortable it can be. So if you were out on a training ride, you probably wouldn’t ride into a thicket of nettles - right? Well I didn’t  intend to, but…

As I approached a very short steep hill in the wrong gear, I really didn’t think that was where I would end up. Wrong gear meant my legs wouldn’t take me up - so I rolled back to try again. You can do that on a trike. Then suddenly “ouch” - I had rolled off the path backwards - into the nettles.

The good news is that I didn’t sit in them (like the ant hill) and the sting went away before I finished the 94 km training ride .

It was a great ride with Mary and Louise (who are riding to Conquer Cancer in a few weeks time).  I cycled for 6 hrs 11 minutes and averaged15.15 kmph. I think that I have proven to myself that I can manage about 100 km a day in average terrain. Feeling confident that I can have some reasonable days on the cross-Canada tour.

Stopped on my way home to buy a new blue rack bag and new red panniers to match my red & blue trike. That should be all of the shopping for now. Both me and the trike will ‘look good’. Even if we don’t go FAST!

So I think I will be ready to go at the end of the week (May 30th).

I know that we are about to ride more than 8500 km and that I should be training to get my mind and body ready for the Blind Guy Biking.  But since I am not athletically-inclined, I can find a zillion reasons for not doing it - “it” being the dreaded “training” word. And here are some recent ones:

1. On Thursday, we were putting new bookcases in the office so I convinced myself that all of the heavy-lifting of boxes of files would qualify as weight training that day. (It does - right?)
2. On Friday, I took my trike in for a tune-up. Doing a long training ride right after to make sure it was well-tuned would have been a good idea. But I thought it was a better idea to go shopping for some new fuchsia gloves and socks to match my fuchsia and black REVERSE Gear warm weather outfit (jersey, camisole and shorts) and red gloves and socks to go with my new RG jersey. And so I convinced myself that the short, fast ride from Urbane Cycle to MEC was “sprint training”.
3. On Saturday, it was raining.  Len said that I will need to ride even if it is raining on the trip, so it is good for me to ”train” in the rain.  My response: “Exactly - so why would I subject myself to it now when I don’t have to”.  So I stayed inside and worked on the route and maps instead.
4. On Sunday, it was cold. Since I have previously been in the Rockies in early June and know it can snow there at that time of year, I felt that I should prepare myself for it, but…  then again maybe it won’t snow this year so I won’t need to train for “cold weather”.  Besides, I rode to the St. Lawrence Market all winter so I already know I can do “cold”!!!
5. On Monday, I had two excuses - my grand-daughter and my music.  I think taking my grand-daughter to the swimming pool is a good substitute for cycling.   I was using my legs as I flutter-boarded across the pool.  Tomorrow when I get around to really “training” those leg muscles, they should be nice and supple (I hope). 
6. This afternoon, I am loading my new iPod.  While it may not be training, it is an essential part of the preparationfor the trip.  I cannot imagine being out there for 3 months without all of my jazz and country favourites.  Not to mention my classical music to go to sleep to.   Hmm, maybe after pedaling for 5-7 hours a day I may not have much trouble falling asleep - just maybe?

Well stay posted to hear more about our “training”, I do intend to start sometime before we leave next week…

When I was younger, my mother used to say I had “ants in my pants” to describe my high level of energy and activity. But yesterday while doing a  training ride for the Blind Guy Biking tour - I actually did have “ants in my pants”.  And boy did they hurt. I do not know what made me ride home faster - the ant bites or the fact that it was “raining cats and dogs”.

So you are probably wondering - how did the ants get there?

Because it is not summer, many of the toilets in the parks along the bike trails are not yet open. Having drunk copious amounts of water, and being in need of relief, I raced back to one that I knew was open along the trail. Ooops, we missed the sign-posts and were now several minutes past it. I did not want to go back up the big hill so I decided the bush would just have to do. (Practice for the many times crossing Canada this summer where I will be between towns etc.)

As I walked back to the trike I felt a sharp prick. Thinking that I must have  picked up a twig in the soft fleece of my REVERSE Gear tights  I reached inside to remove it. What I pulled out was a big black ant. Suddenly - ouch - another prick on my hamstring.  And out came another. Two ants - but six big painfully itchy welts when I came home.

I could not wait to get into the whirlpool to soothe my cold, soggy, itchy body. Not surprising, I had done only 43 km rather than the 60 -80 that was my goal when I woke up in the morning.

Also not surprising, I decided that I would rather stay at the computer on Sunday and work on the route plans and the media kits for the cross-Canada ride than cycle in the chilling 6 -12 C that greeted us on this sunny Mother’s Day.

Greeting to all of the mothers out there, including my friends, sisters and daughters. Hope all of you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I certainly had a productive one - at home! No ants - just me and a warm cuppa tea this afternoon.

We leave to cycle cross-Canada on May 27 as part of the Blind-Guy Biking campaign to raise funds for Special Olympics, etc. Richard Holloway is the ”Blind-Guy” and Len will be his captain for much of the ride.

Richard and Len start training on Lakeshore

For them the ride involves getting the tandem recumbent tricycle ready (which only arrived mid-April from Greenspeed in Australia and was put together by Urbane Cycle in Toronto) and of course planning the logistics of the trip. They are also trying to get as many training rides in as possible before we go - like the one in High Park last Saturday to break-in the brakes and the one this Saturday to work through the gears on a few hills in Caledon.

I decided to join them on this adventurous ride - for my personal health and happiness. And since I will be going along for the ride I will obviously be contributing as part of the team. So when not riding (or completely exhausted from chasing the tandem up and down hills), I hope to help with PR and cooking etc.

I suppose I should train also if I am going to try to “keep up” with them on the road. But my preparation for the ride mostly involves visiting as many of my  friends and family before I leave and maybe catch up with a few while I am on the road too. So this weekend was busy with friends visiting on Friday night and grand-kids visiting from Kitchener. It was a perfect weekend - time at the park, a few swims, and even an early morning jaunt to Fort York to watch their mom and dad finish the Sporting Life 10 km race in excellent time. It may be my last visit with them until September and had to make it a good one.

So I really haven’t had time to ride my trike. But I’m still confident that once we get out there on the ride that I will get in shape quickly. I am such an optimist…

I’ve just come back from High Park where I chased Len and Richard up and down a few hills for 29.6 km. It was fun, especially when they bought me an ice-cream (which I deserved of course).

But the best part was the escort that Blind-Guy Biking got when about a dozen kids in the park followed them and asked Richard a zillion questions about his cool trike and his blindness and the reason for the x-Canada ride. I think this is probably a sample of what will be happening everywhere we go. But the best part of all was the fact that the kids wanted to make a donation to the cause so we got our first $4 in loonies.

The training ride actually raised a total of $8 because we also received a couple of toonies from two young ladies who talked to Richard while I was eating my ice-cream.

So my first training ride was fun and great weather and profitable for Richard.

Len is cycling across Canada this summer with Blind-Guy Biking, to raise funds for a program that Richard created called Pedal for Medals. They have been planning this trip for many months and Len has been helping Richard acquire a customized Greenspeed tandem for the trip. Not sure how many x-country trips have ever been done in Canada on a tandem trike but this one will certainly be unique. The tandem arrived this week.

I was envious because I love to travel (the gypsy in me), love to cycle, and love meeting people. And they were going to be doing that for 3 months without me.  

But now - they are not - going without me, that is! Last weekend, I decided to join them. I still haven’t figured out all the details (leave from work, who will water the plants, etc.) - but those are only details. The decision to go was the “big ticket”. And I am so happy that I have made it. Life is too short to not being doing the things that I want to do.

There are two reasons why the decision was easy to make - besides the “fun” that I will have cycling/travelling some 10,000 km. The first one is that I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. It’s genetic and I should be able prevent it from becoming diabetes through diet and exercise. But I was still shocked to learn that in spite of all the “right-living” I was already doing, that this was happening to me. So I need to do more “right-living” if I am going to stay healthy and this cycle-trip is one of those things that I can do for myself.

The other motivator was the recent passing of a friend. She retired on January 1st and by end of February she was dead. It was a shock to everyone. When I saw her in November we talked about how much she was looking forward to a new relaxed life with her grand-son (born in December) and doing some renovations. I was so sad, especially for her family. (My heart goes out to them.)

Today, I know I am blessed with an opportunity - this gift - to join Len and Richard and Anna and the team. While I hope to  contribute to the goals of Blind-Guy Biking, I am really doing this for Numero Uno - ME. And I am so happy that I have made the BIG decision to go…  

<< more to come on our adventure - they say that I have to start “training” today because we leave in a month - training yuch!!! I just do this for FUN!>>