Montreal to Ottawa and back... or Riders on the Storms

This past weekend was another big training day for PBP. Three other fellow riders and myself decided to do a specific night ride to test out how we would perform, leaving at the same time we would for the race and not stopping to sleep anywhere.

We left Montreal around 7pm on some quiet country roads on the south shore of the Ottawa River. The weather was perfect even though major lightening storms had been in the forecast. The pacing was fast for the the first 200 km... almost 35km/hr... maybe too fast, but we were all feeling good. The final rays of sun left us around 10pm. That meant about 8 hours of riding in the dark. The traffic was non existent and the roads in pretty good shape so no major concerns other than trying not to get mesmerized by the white stripe on the road.

We had arrived in Ottawa around 1:30am and were in need of supper and a rest. We all started yawning uncontrollably. Sheets of lightening started surrounding us so the need to find shelter was even more of a concern, but not easy at that time of night. An all night Pizza 73 lights were on so we quickly all piled into the air conditioned restaurant. The night sky was being lit up like it was the fourth of July. We chowed down on pizza and coke and filled up our water bottles. We were back at it again until we saw a Tim Horton's looming ahead, a good excuse to fill up on coffee before we left the city. We talked with some friendly locals who tried giving us directions on how to get downtown, but unfortunately they were a little intoxicated so they kept repeating the same thing about twenty times until we left. All in good fun though. Soon we found the trail across the river and took in the view of the Parliament lights dancing across the river. But we knew it was time to go when the lightening started up again.

Of course as soon as we left the last street light of the Ottawa suburbs the rain started falling, hard. At this point we knew we couldn't head back or wait around, so ahead we went. Luckily it was still around 20ºC, so we threw on rain jackets even though we were soaked immediately. For the next 5 hours we would ride through torrential rain and lightening storms. It wasn't easy and our spirits were a little low. The only thing keeping our minds off the storms were the thousand of frog who decided to jump all over the road for who knows what reason. Unfortunately some frogs lived, and some were caught up in our wheels. People were extremely friendly and considerate of us riding in such conditions and gave us plenty of thumbs up and nods of recognition as they passed.

Finally our savior appeared around 7:30... Tim Hortons. More coffee and a warm bagel has never felt so good. Unfortunately the air conditioning was cranked and we were colder inside the restaurant than on our bikes. Finally the clouds broke and the lightening storms subsided, so off we went.

The rest of the way into Montreal was pretty easy sailing, other than a flat tire and bit of fatigue. In the end, after about 400km we made it through the night. I hadn't slept for 36 hours, 19 of them on the bike, and I actually didn't feel too bad. As a group we felt much more confident going into the PBP after facing such epic storms in the dark. It was definitely a character building ride, with double scooped ice creams as a reward all around.

The Final 600km Qualifying Brevet

I have to admit I was pretty nervous for this last brevet. I had been training for two years for the PBP, but if I didn't make this last qualifying brevet it would mean no trip to Paris for me. I have completed many other 600km brevets before, but you never know what could go wrong. The best I could do was put everything I had into it and have a positive attitude, and of course drink lots of coffee!

Early morning starts are always the best time of day to ride. See the world waking up, have the sun warming your chilly hands and feet, listening to the birds singing their welcoming song to the new day ahead. Its days like these that I truly feel blessed to be able to explore the world around me by bike.

The first 100 kilometers were filled with rolling fields, bursting with plentiful crops and trees providing generous shade from the climbing sun. Soon we approached the base of the Appalachians, lakes and low mountains starting to appear around me. Rolling hills turned into long hot climbs. Up and down we went without a straight line in sight. It had rained the night before so the humidity was getting higher and higher, making the air feel heavy. Heat was definitely going to be a factor on this brevet. I could feel my feet starting to swell more and more. My jersey was becoming stained with white caches of salt. On these longer brevets I like to break every 75km just to take a breather and give my body a rest as I knew it would be a long day and night. The climbs started getting higher and higher. At one point around Notre-Dame de Bois (a great name for a town!) I shifted into granny gear. Its something I rarely do, but it gained a lot of altitude in such a short time. Fortunately at this point the brevet was half done so I would be slowly start heading back home, which meant the downhills would be more prevalent. Luckily throughout the day I was able to ride with various people, which always helps to pass the time much more easily.

The sun was starting to set and a large group of riders were congregating at a Tim Hortons to fill up on coffee and donuts for the long night ahead. We had been in the saddle around 14 hours, a little over half way now. We slipped on our reflective gear and turned on our lights and were back on the road again. Twilight was calm and we were making good time again with our belly's full. Luckily the roads weren't busy so we could relax a bit and not be too stressed about visibility. Darkness was falling fast and the temperatures was falling with it. Wrapping up in light layers was tricky as over sweating is always a major factor in being comfortable. Flashing red lights were seen intermittently throughout the night with other riders coming and going. I fell in with a group of four other riders and the time was ticking by fast. Our goal was to reach a town around 415 kilometers into the brevet to get some more food and possibly find a place to rest for the night. The fog started to build, which made it a little spooky. At one point we were riding in a tight group, with a car coming quickly up behind us. All of a sudden two of the guys in front yelled "PORCUPINE!!". Without a second to think we split the group in two, leaving the poor porcupine frozen in the middle with a stunned look on his face. Luckily no one was hurt, but disaster is always a factor with night rides.

Around 1:00am we were rolling into our desired destination. Some guys had reserved a room, but I had left things up to chance. I wasn't sure if I should try going further or rest up and have an early start. One of the guys piped up and said he had an extra bed in his room if I was interested. Shivering in the light of a local depanneur I couldn't resist. We had made good time up until now and a warm bed would be good to keep the spirits high tomorrow.

Before I knew the alarm was going off and it was time to roll. The short sleep had done me good, and a quick shower felt like heaven. We stopped at a greasy diner on the way out and shared a breakfast of bacon and eggs with some local older gents. With the sun rising we were off on the road again with about a 180 kilometers to go. Little towns and villages rolled by. Trains tooted their horns in encouragement as they passed. I was feeling strong, as was the rest of the group. The 5 of us were making great time.

Before we knew it the city limits were in sight. All I could think of was "I'm going to Paris!". The feeling of accomplishment was strong. Finally our last checkpoint was reached and we celebrated with ice creams and a few cheers. What an amazing feeling! We had finished in 34 hours.

Even though the qualifying brevets were over, much more training was necessary to be at the fitness level I wanted to be at. The road ahead was still going to be a long one with only 2 months to go!

Until next time, keep the rubber side down.