ride for africycle day one (part two)

peterborough to presquille provincial park 110 km (part two)

pulling away from city hall i felt a strange mixture of elation and sadness.

you know, there's my wife waving goodbye.

my son and my daughter at home.

my friends.

but then the idea of riding on a bicycle for ten days with very very few responsibilities is so appealing!!

here we are making our way down george street in downtown peterborough.

we made our way through to the southeast end of the city riding along quiet early friday morning streets.

it's very cool to ride with a group of people all wearing the same jerseys, all with the same goal in mind, all trying to get to know each other quickly.

we rode by my school - i was so proud at that moment because my work in that school had very much helped me arrive at this point in my life where i can give back in a very big and very real way to the world.

so i was thankful as i went by.

we quickly left behind the city limits and were in open country, crossing the otonabee river one more time.

then moving east of the city we got into the big rolling hills left behind by the glaciers.

early in the day, a hill is the best way to split a group up.

however, we stuck together as best as we could and the support and cohesion within

the team was evident right from the start as we slowed up to encourage the riders who needed more time and maybe a snack or to suck water.

at the top of one of the hills was this little green church. i liked it so you can have a look-see.

eventually the hills gave way to long sweeping downhills through wide open fields

and sometimes my most favourite of all - thickly wooded avenues - that allowed us to race

into the little town of port hope

where we stopped for lunch in a park.

lunches on this trip were always simply amazing events - bread, cold meat, cheese, mayo, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, fruit, granola bars, and whatever goodies dave barber the wonder driver could score on his way to the meeting place.

i'll tell you more about dave another time.

ride for africycle day one (part one)

peterborough to presquille provincial park 110 km (part one)

packing what i need - or think i need - into a tote bin. an interesting process. what do you need for ten days of camping and cycling? how can you know what the weather will be like with any degree of certainty? (that's actually a good play on words isn't it!) how can you know what's necessary?

well the short answer to those questions is you can't. so you think about clothes and objects that can serve several purposes thereby covering your butt - literally - as well as providing warmth, or coolness and chuck the whole "looking good" thing right out the window.

every rider got the use of a tote bin. the idea is to fill it up with your stuff.

here's my tote the night before.

you shouldn't care or really even be interested and i probably shouldn't waste your time but for real diehards, here's what i stuffed inside my bin that i figured i'd need or want.

inside it you'll find: a sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, towel, toothpaste, anti-perspirant, shaver, toothbrush, soap/shampoo, sunscreen, insect repellant, cliff blok shots / cliff energy bars / powerbar recovery bar / gum, shorts (2), long sleeved t X1, short sleeved t X2, swim shorts, bike jersey - long sleeved X1 short sleeved X1, rain pants, underwear (3), socks (5), long pants, running shoes, helmet, hat, camera x2, batteries for flashlight/camera, book, notebook, pen, passport, gatorade crystals, sunglasses / rainglasses, and a mini first aid kit.

yes i had to stand on the box to close it!

yes i'd take some different stuff next time.

the tent, self-inflating mattress and a folding camp chair (!) travelled separately.

the big day!!

i couldn't sleep.

i couldn't eat.

i had to go to the washroom a handful of times.

pumped. totally pumped!!

this day represents the beginning of a dream i've held for as long as i can remember to bike a very long distance with other people. see, i usually ride alone. i like it a lot. but i also know that it's not entirely healthy and that there's a world of good in riding with other people.

so a winter's training. a spring's hard riding and here i am.

~

we met at peterborough city hall at 7:55 a.m. and bit-by-bit, person-by-person

everyone and everything arrived.

some well-wishers came to see us off.

the mayor was supposed to say goodbye but he didn't make it.

here's me and the africycle bus.

behind the smile is a totally stoked, totally dazed and nervous person wondering what he's trying to prove!

here's a picture of the bus.

the bus has nothing to prove.

i learned from it!

back home

it's sunday - i rode 120 km today leaving at a fairly early time in order to get back to see the world cup final.

i'm exhausted, ecstatic, drinking beer, emotional, proud, stunned, and i smell really really bad.

a canadian is in third place on the tour de france. absolutely freakin' awesome!!!

so i'm going to take my beer with me to the shower. get some clean clothes on. see if my family can forgive me for smelling the house up and move on from there.

blogs covering the trip - 1100 km through the hottest summer weather of the last nine years - will start to appear in the next couple of days. thanks for the supportive comments.

steven