Tag RLCT

I remember the first time I did the Rideau Lakes Cycle tour in 2001. When I got home my hands were so stiff from holding the handle bars it took both of them to turn the key in my apartment building's lock. I'm doing much better now.

That's all it is. So why am I always so nervous before doing the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour? Well - just think about all the stuff that can break on a bike. Spokes. Inner tubes. Derailleur cables. And my road bike is no spring chicken, let me tell you.

So that went well. Mostly. I rode off at 6:40am and got in by 2pm. Maybe I am slowing down in my old age or maybe I need the speed monitor. See it wasn't working for most of the day. It was driving me nuts. And maybe I need the numbers to push me along.

Tomorrow morning really early I'm getting up to ride to Kingston as part of the 41st running of the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. I'm quite excited. I would just like to take this moment to proclaim my undying love for my partner Irene and to express my most heartfelt thanks to her for the gift of letting me do this ride (and all the other training rides).

Three hours and fifteen minutes of my three and a half hour ride today were doused with rain. I would prefer to not bike in the rain, but this morning was the time I'd set aside and there was no changing it. I reckoned it was part of the attitude training also required for Rideau Lakes. After all, if it's raining next weekend they're not going to delay it. You just have to go do it.