Day 10 - Final Ride! Earle Rowe Provincial Park to Toronto 83.13km

 

Finish line!

Strava Record of today's ride Earle Rowe to Toronto, 83.13km, 23 km/hr

Team leaving Earle Rowe Campground

Testing out my bike this morning I realized I couldn't shift back into my big ring once I shifted out of it, and I still had no 2nd or 3rd gear. This meant I would have to do the whole ride in my middle chain ring (too slow for me), or try to manage in the big ring and hope there weren't any hills requiring me to shift down. 

The very first big hill was too steep and I had to drop down to my middle ring to get up it, which meant I was stuck in that ring. I quickly lost the group as I couldn't keep up with the gears I had available. I evenutally stopped and manually threaded my chain back on the big ring, but by that time I was well behind the pack and riding on my own.

At the next SAG stop, a few riders stayed back with me to make sure my mechanical issues didn't get worse. Fortunately the remaininng hills were fine in my big ring, and although not having my second or third gear available, we all made good time to the lunch stop.

We had one final meet-up point after lunch to make sure we all rolled into Queen's Park as a group. I didn't want my mechanical issues to hold things up, so I took off on my own ahead of the group. It didn't end up being an issue, I was at the last meet up point well in advance of the group and we all rolled into Queen's Park together, as planned. 

Team riding in to Whitney Block at Queen's Park

Relaxing at Whitney Block, Queen's Park

In total, I covered 1410km in ten days, including 13,221meters of ascent (like climbing Everest 1.5 times). I rode with a group (at least partly) for five of the ten days. I still prefer the solitude of cycling alone, but I'm glad I got to experience riding with a group in different situations along the way.

Time to start cashing in all that banked recovery time and sleep for a few days. 

Day 9 Owen Sound to Earle Rowe Provinicial Park: 141.49km

 

Getting breakfast and packing up before our second last ride

Strava record of today's ride - Owen Sound to Earle Rowe Provincial Park. 141.49km, 21.4km/hr

At this point my body is running out of steam. It would usually take me several weeks into a bike tour to work up to these daily totals without taking any days off. I've been managing okay, but I can feel my body isn't recoverying, so each day is more difficult than the last. Fortunately there are only two days left. 

To add to my physical issues, Dolores is starting to fall apart as well. Her chain is stretched to the point where it's unpredictable whether I'll be able shift gears, stay in gear, or skip off the gears entirely. I was lucky enough to pick up a new chain from a fellow rider last night, but it didn't solve the problem. The new chain wasn't aligned with the worn out gears so I had difficulty shifting into my big ring, and didn't have access to my second or third gear at all. 

I was lucky enough to have a fellow rider take pity on me and let me draft behind him for big chunks of the ride today.

I limped into camp on fumes. one more to go!

Day 8 Manitoulin Green Acres Campground to Owen Sound: 171.62km

 

Chi-Cheemaun Ferry

Strava record of today's ride Manitoulin Green Acres Campground to South Baymouth. 53.53km, 24.7km/hr

Tobermory to Owen Sound - 118.09km. 25.5km/hr

Today's ride was broken into two parts, separated by a 2 hour ferry ride on the Chi-Cheemaun from South Baymouth to Tobermory. 

Riding towards the morning sun 

I thought the 2 hour break would be a blessing, but it was quite the opposite. 

I've been dealing with an inflammed left achilles for a few days, but it's been manageable with a tensor bandage, and letting it settle down overnight before hitting the road again. My problem today was the two hour ferry ride was enough time for my ankle to cool down and swell up, but not enough time for it to settle down before I started riding again. Needless to say, the ride from Tobermory to Owen Sound was painful.

Ian installing a much needed new chain on Dolores

Day 7 Blind River to Manitoulin Green Acres Campground: 157.22km

 

Breaking down camp and getting breakfast

Strava record of today's ride Blind River to Manitoulin Green Acres Campground 157.22km, 26km/hr

Today's ride was hot and full of hills. It was difficult to stay hydrated but the SAG vehicles did a great job spacing out the stops so we stayed hydrated and fueled. 

My body is feeling the need for a day off, but I know we have to keep going. I took a dip in Georgian Bay to get some relief, then crashed for the night. 

Day 6 Sault Ste. Marie to Blind River: 147.8km

the big Loony

Strava record of today's ride - Sault Ste. Marie to Blind River (minus the ride to Algoma Market). 147.8km, 26.2km/hr

We started the day with a ride to Harvest Algoma to see how our United Way donations are being put to use. Their mission is to confront for insecurity head-on. They empower individuals and nurture skills in agriculture and food production. 

Getting a tour of Harvest Algoma

Today I found myself back riding in a pack. With various construction delays along the route, we found ourselves bunched up in places and naturally found a comfortable pace with each other. 

group riding along Blind River

The overcast weather and brief instances of rain were a good break from the instense heat of the past two days. By the end, we were pretty much in one big group riding into Blind River, which was fun to experience.

Unloading the gear in Blind River

Blind River Mayor Sally Hagman greeting us and handing out pins 

Day 5 Agawa Bay to Sault Ste. Marie: 128 km

Strava record of today's ride - Agawa Bay to Sault Ste, Marie. 128km, 21.7km/hr

Today was another hot one. The ride wasn't as long as yesterday, but the hills at the beginning and end were intense. Maybe not so much on their own, but after a full day under the intense sun, and the accumulation of five days and over 700kms, I was beat. 

Leaving Agawa Bay

I'll note that I've been deciding along the way whether I want to ride with a group or solo. It's clear there are riders that are faster and slower than me, so finding a group isn't too difficult, but I'm still not entirely comfortable with a group. Day 1 I rode with a group, and it didn't appear we were all on the same page in terms of speed or rotating into lead position, which I found stressful. Day 2 I was forced to ride on my own due to wheel issues. Day 3 I rode on my own out of preference, and Day 4 I rode with one other rider to mix things up. Today I was back to riding on my own.

Delicious chicken wings for dinner

Relaxing by the fire after a long day

As a treat, we had an RMT come to the campsite and work on all our aches and pains. I certainly took advantage of that. 

Day 4 White River to Agawa Bay: 180km

Leaving White River at 8am

Strava record of today's ride: White River to Agawa Bay. 180km, 25.3km/hr

I started the day with a nagging pain in my knee, but it felt like a previous injury so I was pretty sure I could manage it. Fortunately that turned out to be the case.

I was nervous about the distance, so I took off early to buy myself some time, but it meant I missed the change in lunch locations which added time and extra kms, but nothing crazy.

Lunch at the big goose 

For the afternoon portion, I rode with another rider which made the intense climbs more bearable.

Me and JL refuelling

We had our first really warm day so the sun drained a lot of energy, and 1455m elevation gain didn't help, but overall a great ride. I'm feeling stronger on the inclines, and better pace overall.

As an added bonus, I took a relaxing swim in Agawa Bay at our campsite, which wasn't a cold as I was expecting. Looking forward to Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow.

Sunset over Agawa Bay

Day 3 Neys to White River: 117km

 

White River statue of Winnie the Pooh

Strava record of today's ride - Neys to White River. 117.59km, 23.6km/hr.

Today started perfectly with a delicious breakfast of French toast, bacon and sausage. 

After yesterday's brutal ride, we had a manageable 117km to go from Neys to White River. I'm happy to say that my bike repair held up perfectly! 

While technically uphill on average, it felt like a comfortable straightaway with the long gradual inclines followed by steeper declines. 

Morning ride out of Neys

We ended up in White River early which meant we could relax, do laundry, eat like kings and queens before a long 177km day tomorrow. 

Time to rest up!

Entering Marathon

Lunch with the crew

Amazing dinner 

My tent is seeing her last tour, but I'm confident she'll keep me protected for a few more days

Day 2 Nipigon to Neys: 163km

Nipigon River in the morning

Strava record of today's ride - Nipigon to Neys. 164.68km, 20.8km/hr

Today did not start well. We all knew it was going to be a tough day. It would start out packing up camp in freezing temperatures before the sun rose, followed by 153km of riding through almost 2000km of elevation. For me, it would be even worse. 

First thing I did in the morning was check on my bike. While checking the pressure in the rear tire, I noticed something concerning. The rim was ripped apart in several sections.

This certainly meant my bike tour was over. There was no way to fix this, and I didn't bring an extra wheel. Rather than accept the inevitable, I stupidly decided to ride it until it was unrideable. I didn't tell anyone about it because I didn't want to be told I couldn't go on, but I would later regret that decision. 

Knowing this was my last ride of the trip, I decided to make the best of it, even as my rear wheel continued to degrade and deform beneath me. I felt like Sisyphus on every hill of that 2000 meters of elevation, pushing a boulder that just kept getting heavier as my wheel stopped functioning. 

morning ride out of Nipigon

Somehow I made it the whole distance. When I got to camp I tracked down our resident mechanic and had him take a look at my wheel, fully expecting him to pull the plug on my trip. After expressing astonishment at the severity of the damage, he said they have another wheel they can swap in for me. Easy as that. If I had spoken to him in the morning I could've saved myself eight hours of grueling hell on the road. Lesson learned.

Ian fixing my bike!

Happy that I get to ride tomorrow

Day 1 Thunder Bay to Nipigon. 117 km

Sleeping Giant

Strava record of today's ride - Thunder Bay to Nipigon. 117kms, avg speed: 22.2km

Today went pretty much as I expected. We covered 117km from Thunder Bay to Nipigon and it was a challenge. I'm rusty and my cardio isn't great. Also, I knew I would have issues learning how to ride with a group. 

Group leaving Thunder Bay

I'm used to stopping frequently to take pictures, or take breaks whenever I feel like it, but this is difficult to do with a group, particularly when there's a schedule to keep. 

On top of this, the wind was brutal today so if I lost the wheel of the rider of rider in front of me, it was incredibly difficult to work my way back into the group. On a similar note, being at the front of a group made me anxious that I was either going too slow or too fast, on top of the effort creating draft for the group.

It was a difficult ride although I seemed to be mraginally faster riding in a group. Dinner was homemade pizza, pasta, and baked desserts - just what we all needed!

Nipigon river, along our campsite

Tomorrow has some vicious hills and an extra 40km than today. Hopefully I can recover and find a better rhythm with the team.