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