The Swan, 61km, 2hrs 22 minutes
I am back in training, again – first time in five years – for the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. I don’t actually know if they’ve cashed my cheque, but I had it in to them on the day they opened registrations, so I hope I’m okay.
Bike like new
I picked up my bike from The Cyclery this evening. It’s very close to where I live, so it was but a short ride, but I could tell the bike had been totally transformed. It was a wonderful feeling.
SUV hits cyclist. Only this one has a video camera
Hah. I love the fact that this guy videos his bike rides. This time an SUV gave him a ‘love tap’ on the behind when he dared to take his lane to avoid a dooring.
I just mailed in my Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour application
I think this will be my sixth time riding the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. But it’s been five years since I rode it. I’m a little nervous. I signed up for the Cruise version of the tour, which this year clocks in at 180km each way. The longest route is 220km, the shortest is 100km.
Cold Snap
It’s been brutally cold these last few days in Ottawa. I’ve officially dialed up my biking gear to top level ridiculous to keep my face from freezing. Truth is, I’m built for comfort, not for speed.
Handy winter biking tips
Or, they could possibly be fatal. See, I’m offering advice but I’m no expert. So take these with a grain of salt. But if you want to try biking through the winter, these might help.
The low end of human life, more like
So this guy in a pickup truck overtakes a group of cyclists, slows down, and knocks over the lead rider before speeding off. And laughs all the way home. CBC reports his lawyer tells the court that his actions were the “low end of bad driving” but that he wasn’t malevolent.
Back on the bike
I biked to work today for the first time since my accident. I was very excited.
Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, 2005: Crawling the Cruise
Heat was the big story for this year’s Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. At Queen’s the dining hall was abuzz with stories of people who’d dropped out from heat exhaustion. I met one guy who didn’t mind the heat but hated the wind. “Yeah, but that’s because your brain’s been boiled and you can’t think straight.”
Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour 2004: a road too far
If I lie down for a few minutes after any form of exertion (doing the dishes, moving a chair upstairs) I’m fine. But the day after doing the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour I’m still exhausted.
Metcalfe and Montpellier
96km on Sunday, 90 hilly kilometres on Monday. Good to try the back-to-back thing.
Merrickville 145km
I broke a spoke on my way back from Champlain and Irene very kindly came to fish me out for the second time this season. Too bad. I was really starting to feel like Champlain is getting easy.
Why I hate going to the dentist
It’s not the reason you think.
Stittsville via North Gower
What a difference the weather can make. I spent most of this 122km ride flying along at 32km/hr or greater. Sunny, 18 degrees and no wind to speak of. An absolutely glorious day. I didn’t even care how many times I got lost.
Vars and the lying conniving weather network
103km out to Vars and back today. Supposedly 16C with scattered showers with slight wind. What rubbish.
