Trip 1: Entry 12 - Trenton: Hometown

I was up at 4:30 (after a pretty restless night) and on the road by shortly after 5am, having consumed half a pumpkin pie for breakfast. It certainly provided more than enough carbs as I was still running an overly high glucose number after 2:20 of hard riding. Nothing a few units in the leg couldn't handle.

Good thing I had the early start: by the time I reached Stirling, 25 kms north of here, the heat and humidity was ridiculous. I glided into my hometown (born here, then grade 6 to the end of high school) and wound through the tall-treed streets I used to have two paper routes on and up the final hill that we used to toboggan near. It sure used to seem a lot bigger. I'm glad I rode from Sudbury and fit in a great visit with Ed (whose kidney issues put some perspective on my recent complaints and my freedom with diabetes). I've wanted to do the ride from here to Kingston, through scenic Prince Edward County on highway 33, for a long time and will go either tomorrow or Thursday.

Today's ride was only 125kms, with virtually no wind and an average speed of at least 30kms/hr, which is the kind of value I had hoped for. At points, the roads were some of the worst of the trip, with bone jarring frost cracks, but also some nice sections.

My throat was feeling better, but that may have been because I'd passed into the have-a-cold part of the program. It seems low grade at this point and I can taste the beer I'm having OK, so it is not a serious concern! The poison ivy appears to finally be on the way out (slowest ever healing on these drugs) and my butt has been pretty low maintenance lately (though not 'healed'), which is great.

As I said earlier, I'll come up with something a little more conclusive for this first part of the overall project/journey. One thing I'm pretty surprised about is that it seems I've lost no weight. Perhaps the access to food was much better than I had counted on and/or I'm not actually burning nearly as many calories as I would have thought. I feel like I'm pushing pretty hard most of the time I'm on the bike. Oh well. I certainly have some longer days ahead of me.

Trip 1: Entry 11 - Bancroft, ON

This will just be a short one (dial up!!) Made it to my friend, Ed's, in Bancroft by 10am Sunday. The ride across from Parry Sound was all quite nice. Lots of lakes. The weather here has gotten incredibly hot and muggy;
as a westerner, I'm just not used to it. We had an early start this morning to get him up to Barry's Bay for dialysis.

The one bumber now is that I am fighting something. My throat has been sore for the last 2.5 days and I sense it was the bus ride that might have given it to me. I don't want to really dig a hole for my 'vacation' component while down here for the wedding, so may not end up biking right to Kingston. Still, in the time I did bike I've covered 2,600kms and have certainly had a chance to firgure some things out.

I'll a write a more conclusive piece about lesons learned, etc. from a high-speed machine in a day or two. If I feel up to it, I'll ride the approx. 130 kms to my parents house in Trenton tomorrow. From there it is a very pleasant 100kms to Kingston.

Trip 1: Entry 10 - Cottage Country sunshine

Hey folks,

sorry if I sounded like a big suck the last couple of entries and thanks to those who are trying to cheer me up. Things are genrally a lot better.

From Atikokan I got to Thunder Bay, 200kms, in decent time. Yes, there were headwinds again, though not as strong, and the roads were decent and the sun was pleasant. You could really feel the cooling effects of the "big lake they call Gichigumee" (sp?) as you appoached. Had a quick conversation with a local biker, both of us in the aerobars into the wind on a wide stretch of shoulder, just before town. Nice moment.

Timing was tight there, just enough to let me wolf down a Subway sub (craving fulfilled), grab a Globe and Mail and get my bike torn down for the Greyhound folks. The bus was packed and I ended up in one of the less leg-roomy seats, but at least next to a nice person, Mellisa. The ride was long and I didn't get much sleep except from roughly 2-5 am, but did manage to sleep through someone passing out (mediacal, not booze) and being taken off the bus for an ambulance. It was quite the gong show and only needed some chickens to be a latin american experience. By the end, there were 3 people without seats. The bus driver was actualy pretty funny in dealing with the problems and making various announcements: "The next movie will be "Sweet Dreams II", so close your eyes and enjoy."

The bus didn't get in to Sudbury until 10am. It was noon by the time I had repacked, gotten some food and left town. Highway 69 had a mix of conditions from good shoulder to no-shoulder-reach-out-and-touch-transports. I also got what amounts to the only real rain of the trip, but it was not too cool and kind of felt good. With no fenders, you stay wet from the spray well after the rain stops. I went120kms south and stayed at a marina where the owner let me use his own shower and even cooked me some potato on the barbie. Nice guy. Bad black flies and mosquitos.

Today is likely the best of the trip: sunny skies, good roads, neutral winds and amazing cottage-country scenery. (For some of you westerners, cottages are a way of life out here and are NOT culturally the same as 'cabins' out there. The area I'm wandering through is one of the most exclusive areas, with cottage-mansions owned by the elite and stars.) I've been taking my time, stopping for an hour and a half at a Timmy's, with a Globe, after 1.5 hours. I'm now in Port Carling and will continue east through Bracebridge and towards Carnarvon. Tomorrow by noon I'll be at my buddy's, (Ed), place in Bancroft and will spend a full day at least.

As for my butt?? Well, again there remain issues, but I may be getting better at managing them. I found out that the meds I'm taking for my poison ivy (still a problem) could be affecting the healing of my sores. Also, as a diabtic, they may be slower to heal as well. Also, the meds are affecting my blood glucose (raising it), so all this is less than ideal. I certainly feel like the big trip can only go smoother. Eveyone is surprised to hear how much easterly winds I've had, so hopefully by late June this will have reversed somewhat and there will be fewer bugs!

Sorry not to have more photos. I'll be able to upload some more when I get to Trenton or Kingston in a few days. Better get back after it. Take it
easy.

Trip 1: Entry 9 - Atikokan afternoon

Howdy,

Ended up biking just shy of 200kms yesterday, spending the night beside a cottage-country church. The mosquitos, and especially now black flies, are savage. I did enter shield country not far out of Fort Frances and the rocks, trees and lakes are a nice change of scenery, though lots of rolling hills are also part of the recipe. I didn't come across any campgrounds, so another salty, crusty night.

This morning I started before 6am into my 5th (riding) day in a row of headwinds. So far I think of around 10 days of riding I've had only two good tailwind days. I'm feeling quite exhausted, still sore (yesterday set my backside back) , the poison ivy has spread a lot, the bugs allow no peace and the road has been rough at times (which exasperates the butt). What I guess I'm saying is I can't claim to be having a lot of fun at the moment.

Today there were no services open along the 110kms it took to get here, so with a muggy day I was very dehydrated on arrival. Getting to a doc and then getting the prescription filled (for the poison ivy) has taken a bit of time and I managed to swing a free campsite with shower for the night, so I'm going to make this a half day.

I'm really torn about how to proceed. I need to use other transport at some point anyways, so I'm thinking I will do the 190kms to Thunder Bay tomorrow and then try to catch an overnight bus either tomorrow night or the next day. If I feel OK, I may go to Sudbury and then finish the last 3 big days from there, with a stop in Bancroft to visit a friend.

With so much against me right now, I feel like I may be grinding myself down more than is necessary. Or maybe I'm being a big wimp; it's so hard to tell, especially on your own. I do think I can regroup in Calgary with different shorts, a completely healed butt and a fresh outlook. Perhaps the winds and bugs will be less of an issue in a month?? I do think more nights at pay camp sites would be helpful, so I will need to research more to know what the options are.

I have new found respect for Erik, the guy who's record it is I want to beat. Also for myself, in terms of the trip in '95. I guess age has crept up on me. My legs generally seem good (just some cramping in the evenings) and I have managed over 1,900kms in 14 days, 5.5 of which were basically spent not riding. Even with headwinds I've managed at least 24kms/hr, which is respectable.

So, I'm not throwing in the towel yet by a stretch, but may need to look at more options for the Vancouver-St. John's trip.

Trip 1: Entry 8 - Fort Frances

Hey everyone,

Made it out of Glenboro Sunday morning, somewhat reluctant to leave my adoptive family (thanks Kevin, Laurie, Paige, Mac and Syd) and the comforts of that fantastic small community. Kevin and Laurie even escorted me on bikes to the first turn off, 32kms along.

The themes for the last three days have been head/sidewinds and butt care. The winds have been very discouraging and have held me to sub 26kms/hr average speeds. I was hoping to average more like 30 overall. I've forced myself to ramp up the hours again, starting with just over 6 on Sunday and today it will likely be in the 8hr range.

The butt situation, so far, seems to have reached a steady state where it is quite uncomfortable in the latter part of the day, but is not a show stopper. My 'good' shorts are starting to fall apart and will need to be replaced in Thunder Bay. I feel there is still uncertainty about this issue and it is frustrating.

For the most part the lay of the land has been very flat since Glenboro, especially yesterday and today. I assumed I would be in Canadian Shield country coming into Fort Frances, but it hasn't quite shown up yet. Definitely more trees now, which help some with the wind. The heat today has been stifling and it is very hard to keep up the hydration. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. The 17 hours (including one night's camp) in Minnesota was somewhat stereotypical. I heard a gunshot near where I was camped last night and then today rode by a young man with no top on carrying a large wooden cross the opposite way on the highway and got a "God bless you" as I rolled by. To each their own, but I can't imagine that in Canada.

I'd better get going again. Haven't had a proper shower since Sat., so may splurge on a pay-site if one materializes in a couple of hours. Covered in salt again. Oh, and I don't think the meds took care of the poison ivy, so may need to deal with that tomorrow or the next day. Just hoping I'm getting all the bad karma now so that the big trip will go smoother. Still not sure how I'll deal with the lost days in terms of getting to Kingston on time for the wedding.

Trip 1: Entry 7 - Sores and more

Got some time on my hands here in Glenboro, so thought I would fill in some areas of info:

OK, a few of you have made it clear that you'd like less butt talk, which I can appreciate. BELIEVE ME, I wish the topic had never come up. (After absolutely no problems during more than 10,000 kms in '95, I used to brag that I had a butt of steel. It seems to have turned to butter.) However, my guess is that some of you may not know exactly what saddle sores are.

More cushioning is not the solution! Unlike bed sores, where that helps, saddle sores are more typically a combination of pressure, friction and some bacterial build-up due to the sweaty activity. Boils can appear that are very sensative and if they get too roughed up and infected, then things can become very serious, all the way up to surgery. Shorts selection, saddle fit/firmness and riding techniques are all important. I hope to use some new lessons to minimize the chance of another set of problems, but may have to face buying more shorts and yet another saddle.

I've also been pretty vague on the gear I'm using. The bike is actually a cyclecross one, which is a bizarre sport that combines what looks like a road bike with racing on dirt and lifting the bike over obtacles and up steep inclines. What makes it well suited for what I'm trying to do is that it is faster than a touring bike with its lighter weight and more road oriented gearing, yet tougher than a road bike. There are also the bolt eyelets ('braze-ons') for the rack near the rear wheel axel which most road bikes don't have. I am using skinny 23mm tires pumped to over 100 psi.

The aerobars attached to the handlebars allow a very low wind profile and are mostly used heading into headwinds. Their use can add 2-3 kms/hr speed and offer a change in riding position for comfort, but they make steering more sensative so are poor in gusty conditions and also require a much more heads down stance which makes them most enjoyable on wide, paved shoulders where you can see well ahead every few moments and can then tuck back down again. They do not make for good scenery watching. Most of the times I ride with my hands wrapped around the brake 'hoods'.

I've tried to keep the rest of my gear light, but have already learned I can be much lighter next ride. My tent is very strong, but heavy at just over 5 lbs. I am hoping to use a Black Diamond prototype solo tent next trip which will weigh less than 3 lbs, I believe. The stove I have, a JetsBoil (not available in Canada), is very small and efficient, but is not good for actually cooking in, so I mostly add the hot water to noodles or oatmeal in a 4-cup measuring cup. I am normally able to eat fruit and veggies each day. I also have multi-vitamins and a Calcium-Magnesium supplement. You loose a lot of bone mass doing all this non weight bearing exercise.

I'm also trying to get lots of protein and fat through nuts, tuna, sardines and meats. Again, under such endurance conditions, your body will burn all 3 sources and simply eating sugary things all day would not be sufficient (or healthy). You need the protein for recovery as well.

Clothing wise I am fairly lean as well: a synthetic insulation jacket for warmth, a tuque, thin long underwear, trail running shorts, cotton boxers, cotton t-shirt, a pair of nylon pants, 1 pair long socks and two short for riding, super light foam saddles, two pairs bike shorts, a long sleve riding jersey, a short sleve synthetic shirt, a super-light weight rain shell, a bandana and a small travel towel. I am hoping to ditch the jacket, boxers and maybe long underwear for the next trip.

It is Sat. afternoon and I have had a relaxing day here. No Globe and Mail, though :( Things have healed up considerably and I will set out again tomorrow morning, heading south a bit, and then east on hwy 23. I am pretty anxious about this. If the sores come back to the point of being a problem again, despite all the new preventative meassures, then I'll be in a bit more of a quandary.

However, I'm quite optomisitc and may try to force myself to start back in with shortish days and take more time to heal/clean up. I'll try to get another update done in a day or two. Hope you are enjoying the long weekend.

ciao

Trip 1: Entry 6 - Glenboro Media

While visiting the doctor yesterday, we chatted a bit and he thought the local paper might be interested in my 'story'. So, at the presentation for the class this morning a freelance reporter was present. I wasn't going to worry about the media too much on this first trip, but will certainly take any attention the cause can get. The kids were very attentive and a pleasure to speak to.

I am now armed with literally close to 3 pounds of various creams, etc. to try. Things seem to be clearing up fairly well, but I may stay over until Sunday to be certain. (I've been invited to stay with the school principal's family, which is really great.) Some online research seems to indacate that plain old vaseline is a very recommended lubricant for bike shorts, so I may go with that and then use some of these others in the evenings. It may also help to try and get the biking for the day done sooner, so that there is more time in the evening to wash up and let some
healing occur.

When it rains it pours: also discovered this afternoon that I have poison
ivy, which I have a bad history with. Once again the doc saw me very quickly and prescribed pills and creams. Basically I have become a pharmacy on two wheels.

I'm trying not to let the delays get to me. The start date from Vancouver is quite flexible, ultimately, so I have room to maneuvre. I still intend to go the southern route through Fort Frances to Thunder Bay. Going through/around Winnipeg is a bit of effort anyways and I've seen it before.

Trip 1: Entry 5 - Glenboro, MB 15:45 (CDT)

Just another quick update since internet is free and easy. People here are incredibly friendly. I am camped at the fair grounds at the edge of the small town. There is a decent size groccery store, a pharmacy and I have a doctor's appointment for 16:15. The librarian will let me borrow some stuff to read and then drop it of in the post office mail drop since they don't have one at the library. Since I have some time to kill I dropped by the K-12 school and offered to show slides (I brought a USB memory key) from South America. The prinicpal is a biker too and has set up a presentation for a gr. 7 social studies class tomorrow morning. He even offered me the use of their shower and to do my laundry!!

Despite my fast pace, I should say that I still have some great moments where I interact with locals. Over one coffee in nowhere Saskatchewan, the store clerk told me about her father's bad diabetic lows and how she had to keep the car keys from him. Yesterday in Brandon a tattooed, BMX riding hard-life young guy chatted with me for a bit outside the Super Store. Many people have honked and waved too. All good stuff.

Better head to the Doc's for a little show and tell. Hopefully I can get some high powered drugs to clear this up pronto.

Trip 1: Entry 4 - Glenboro, MB

After my last post, I was able to continue on to just 10kms short of the manitoba border. A 305 km day. Yesterday was not so great, with gusty side/head winds in the afternoon, shoulderless highways, my second flat and more butt pain.

At the turn off (from the Trans-Canada) for Carberry, I decided to stop fighting the winds and took a right south on hwy 5 towards a park area. My thinking is/was that I might even look at the option of taking hwy 11 south of Lake of the Woods rather than 17, which is all I've ever taken. This would add miles, but I would get to see some new land. It would also mean cutting through the US for about 60kms, but I have my birthcertificate and driver's license, so this is feasible. I was also sick of being on the trans-canada with so much traffic coming so close in already gusty conditions.

However, as I limped my last few kms, even with a tailwind, I realized my butt really needs more time without me on it. This morning I slept in (glorious) and rode the last few kms to this hamlet (40kms south of TC). The timing with the long weekend isn't great, but I may stay somewhere close to here for a few days and let this stuff clear up. I'll worry about how to recover from this in terms of a June 3rd wedding I need to attend later. I see some Greyhound time in my future.

While this is extremely frustrating (my legs and their recovery are excellent), there is still plenty of time for this to all work out. If I can get past the butt issues, then I'm quite confident the rest of me can meet the challenge.

I'll let you know how things go.

Trip 1: Entry 3 - Whitewood, SK

Udderly Incredible!! No spelling mistake.

I woke at 4:05 to beat the forecast heat. First thing I did was strip my bottoms, grab a hand mirror and had a look at my aft end. What a hell of a way to start the day. Things looked a bit better and felt quite a bit better, though I was far from 'healed'. I slapped on a bunch of 'Chamois' cream and even tried using a Dr. Scholls foot callus 'donut' protector around the worst offender.

Packed things up and went to the Tim Horton's across from the (pay) campground to take the edge off. Off towards Regina into a slight headwind. Can't say that things felt so great and 2.5hrs later, by the time I reached the east end of the city, I was well past the point of having much hope. I walked into a mall bath room and had another look. Definitely redder.

I figured my dwindling supplies of the biker specific cream were not cutting it, so I went big with a cream I had stumbled across the previous day.

"Utterly Smooth"
This is very similar to Bag Balm that some of you may be familiar with. The product is actually intended to sooth cow udders. Well, I get on the bike and start riding with this stuff slopped on and instantly things seem bearable. A few minutes later I exchange my defective radio and then head out of town on fresh tailwinds. Life is good!

I've now ridden for 7:25 today for almost 250kms. I haven't taken another look, but things still seem pretty decent. Maybe there is just an anesthetic in this stuff and I am destroying my ass!? I don't think I'm out of the woods yet and will have to continue to pamper it, but hopefully the combo of the cream and the new saddle will see me through.

A barn burner today: upper 20s. I arrived at this library completely coated in salt and was shocked (after looking in a mirror) that people hadn't looked at me more strangely. I have managed to stay well hydrated. So long as I feel good, I think I'll continue for more tailwind kms, though I need to take the time later to clean up very well. I should make it close to the border. Hopefully I haven't blown it by going out of the gates too hard, but such is my nature. Time will tell.

Need to go find some ice cream...

ciao

Trip 1: Entry 2 - Moose Jaw, SK

About 720kms so far.

Belated Happy Mother's Day. I left Swift Current with a nagging feeling my butt was getting sore. By that evening it was obvious problems had developed and on Sunday the 120kms to Moose Jaw were quite uncomfortable. I have decided it is best to hang out here a couple of days, apply various ointments and buy a different saddle. Hopefully this will work. History repeats itself: I was held up here in 1995 (on my cross-Canada ride) due to a bout with giardia. I left here very strong and hope the same will be true this time.

Otherwise, I have felt great. The weather has been very sunny and so far I've had 2 days of headwinds and two of mostly tailwinds. The longest day on the saddle was 8:15 and that got me 245kms. Other than my butt problems, I feel like I could average 30kms/hr for at least 8 hrs a day. There is still lots of time to get past this hiccup and build to longer days towards the end. Unseasonably warm weather will be good training.

It is only as you near Moose Jaw that the prairie becomes much flatter. On a bike you feel every little hill to that point. The grass is green and many birds can be seen and heard as you ride. The roads were excellent in Alberta, but have deteriorated somewhat in Saskatchewan. It is the trips into towns that are the greatest concern in terms of flats and sharp pot holes that could wreck the wheels. I had one flat on the open highway Sat. morning. The mosquitoes are out and vicious, so this precludes long breaks on the road.

I usually stop at a gas station first thing for coffee and other needs. I have started a habit of a mid-day meal of the 'double cheeseburger value meal', with extra salt on the fries. Oddly I haven't felt overly hungry and suspect I'm loosing some of the pre-trip extra weight.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'll try to leave early tomorrow morning.

Trip 1: First Entry - Swift Current, SK

Hi everyone!

It is Saturday afternoon, about ten to three Alberta time, I'm in Swift Current, SK.

So far the trip has been a little bit of everthing. The first day I left Calgary late - around 3:30, and that put me right into rush hour, but once I was clear it wasn't too bad. About 20 mins after Strathmore however, my rear rack suddenly gave out - the bracket that holds the upper part to the frame gave way and the whole load swing backwards onto the tire!

Fortunately I looked on the side of the road a little bit and found some string and have lashed the frame and the rack together - and it seems to be holding quite well. Other than being exceptionally dehydrated (must work on that) Yesterday was a fairly good day - I put in over 8 hrs and made over 240kms. I was in Brooks for a little while looking for some medical supplies I forgot, but I'm all set up now.

There was a bit of lightning and rain last night on the way out of Medicine Hat and I spent the night just on the inside of the Alberta border. Today has been much nicer, mostly suunny, pretty good tail winds. I've already gone around 190kms and after a little bit of break here I imagine I'll ride another 2 or 3 hrs... we'll see how that goes... mostly things have been good and my blood glucose #'s have been really good...

So Long and Thanks

We'll I'm a little behind my own schedule, but at least I'll be leaving Calgary this afternoon and hitting the open road at last. As usual it has been a mad dash to get last minute errands done. I have a new digital point-and-shoot and will need to take the manual with me since I've had no time to play with it. Also bought a slick little Sony AM/FM radio for some stimulous. I am definitely going heavier this trip than I will for the record attempt. Luxuries include extra batteries, a pair of tights for the cold mornings, a 460 page book and an extra fuel canister. I am also hoping to have a much lighter tent for next time. I'm excited to see how I do, how the gear works out and to simply slip silently through big sky country.

Many thanks to some of the folks who have recently helped me out in getting ready for this. Steffi and Travis as training parnters, medical advisors, and for selling me the bike I'm using. To Bruce and Christine and Rob and Tracy for putting up with me in your homes and letting me spread my stuff all over the place. Thanks to John and the crew at Bow Cycle for getting me all set for trip #1. A special thanks to Chris, Jared and the others at BaseCorp for designing and running this web page and for your support.

See you on the road.

Preparation and Timelines

Jan 10 - April 5: 2,800km bicycling and hiking trip in Patagonia; decision made to pursue record ride

April 10 - Present: seeking support/sponsorship, web URL purchased, training and gear selection ongoing

May 10 - June 6: 3,600km training ride from Calgary to Kingston, ON to attend a wedding; final gear testing

June 6 - June 9: return to Calgary so that Bow Cycle can refit bike for record attempt

approx. June 10: depart Vancouver

approx. July 6: arrive St. John's (7,100 kms later)

Route

Later, a map will show updates of my position during the record attempt.

Vancouver Kamploops Lake Louise Calgary Winnipeg Thunder Bay Sault Ste. Marie Ottawa Quebec Moncton Sydney Port aux Basque St. John's

approx. 7,100kms

To do this in 25 days will require riding 284 kms/day.