The trip...

As a local author, I find myself between book releases. I’m waiting for editing, beta testing, and other nuances of the publishing process. The release date is set for November, so I have a summer to kill.

Authors are known to be eccentric and I’m no exception. I’ve decided on an ambitious cycling trip to Halifax Nova Scotia. My plan is to cross over the Saint Lawrence River at Montreal and take the French side from there on. I’ll be submitting updates throughout the summer, including scenic highlights, personal interactions, and possible funny anecdotes.

I intend to write a book about my travels, with a side note on the health benefits of cycling. The picture included here highlights my great need for these. A winter spent sitting at my computer, smoking a pack a day, and eating whatever I wanted, have come home to roust around my waist and in my lungs. The term sloth comes to mind.

I’ve been planning and training for a month. My first concern was the kit, a fully self-sustainable unit. Of course, a good bike was paramount. It needed to be both reliable and sturdy, but also light and sleek enough to make long hills bearable. I purchased a Giant escape. At six hundred dollars, it offers all the features of a more expensive bike without the sticker shock.

Next, I needed a light-weight tent. I purchased it at Canadian Tire for a hundred and fifty bucks. It’s a two man tent, but in actuality, it’s meant for one person. The full fly, small vestibule, and screen sides, make it ideal for all weather. I unwittingly tested my “summer cottage”, when I stayed in a friends side yard. At six in the morning, the lawn sprinklers treated me to a free power wash. Long story short, I stayed dry as a bone.

I borrowed a lightweight sleeping bag, along with a simple foam mat. I fastened a rack over my back tire with a water proof cycling bag, roomy enough for ample clothing and a laptop. Cycling shoes, cycling shorts, padded gloves, and a good helmet, rounded out the gear. Finally, and most importantly, I purchased a small pump and replacement tubes, in case of breakdown. In total, I spent a thousand dollars, a good investment, in my opinion.

The training did not come so easy. I started with short trips in early May and worked up to seventy five kilometres by the end of a month. Patience and a steady pace won the day. I’m sure I hacked up a lung somewhere near Saint Mary’s, although this hasn’t been medically verified. Sometimes, not knowing is better than the alternative. A kind lady offered to call me an ambulance, but I proudly declined.

In the past week, I tested my plans with a trip around Southern Ontario. I visited Sarnia, Port Stanley, and Long Point, before returning to Stratford. The scenery was incredible and the people were endearing. I stumbled across free camping, free meals, and good conversation. In all, I travelled five hundred and fifty kilometres in six days. The total cost was one hundred and fifty dollars. The pleasure derived was priceless. Cycling long distances builds physical stamina and mental fortitude. At times it is euphoric while at other times grueling, in a good way. I neglected to mention a small cycling computer I purchased as an afterthought. I’m not convinced of its worth. Sometimes I want to know how fast I’m travelling and how far I’ve gone, sometimes I don’t. The mind will play tricks.

All in all, my first month back in the saddle has been an uplifting experience. So far, I’ve lost ten pounds and gained memories for my bucket list. What the next few months portend, only time and revolutions will tell. I’ll share and write about my odyssey, both for posterity, and for those who might want to follow on my adventurous path. I’ve always been a wanderer. I can’t think of a better way to do it, than on a bicycle built for one.