I Won the Sweepstakes

Very soon is the MS Bike Tour which I've been training for.  Not as a fundraiser on a bike but as a marshal on a bike. Every chance I could in the last several weeks, I've been on my bike - doing especially long rides two days in a row on the weekends.

I noticed with all my riding that there was a persistent creaking sound with every pedal stroke. So it was off to shop where I tightened the seat onto its post, used a pedal wrench on the pedals,oiled the chain and tested out the front derailleur from where the sound seemed to be coming. After quite some scrutiny, I discovered that one of my rear cogs was loose and by simply screwing the locking ring down, the creaking disappeared.

A marshal's job is to ensure the safety of the participants over the two day tour and also to hustle the riders along so that everyone can finish in time for the banquet the first evening. My friend Roy can attest to how slowly I pedal so I happily accepted the volunteer position of sweeper. Sweeping is done at the tail end of a group of cyclists. The sweeper position can be unenviable in that most of the marshals will book it as fast as they can to get to the day's finish - leaving the sweeper to encourage the slowest riders to move along.  You can imagine that some of those slow riders are travelling so slowly because their bikes are in poor repair. As a marshal told me once "The first day is all about broken bikes and the second day is all about broken bodies!"

On previous MS Tours, I'd seen marshals; their panniers filled with equipment and a tall floor pump poking out of one of the saddlebags. Faced with the prospect of having to pump up some of those tires, I now understood why the marshals didn't rely on compact hand pumps. Two full days of pumping tires would be hard work.

With only days left, I've been busy reading through first aid materials and checking my tools and first aid kit. Everything looks in order and I must remember to pack along my tall floor pump.

My Art Ride

How not to do a Public Art Ride:

1. Leave late
2. Guess at the route the ride will take
3. Don't phone someone on the ride to find out where they are

Here is what I missed:

The Public Art Ride

A mural they enjoyed

Art at Borden Park

This is what I found on my own ride:

My mural

An empty Borden Park

All was not lost though. On my way downtown, cutting through the Legislature grounds, I realized I was present as history was being made - Rachel Notley was being sworn in on the front steps as the new premier of our province.

A One Night Stand

You have decided to go for a lengthy bike ride and then camp out overnight. Living in the city, there are still places where one can set up a tent and enjoy the camping experience without leaving the city limits.

I found just a place this afternoon and it offered me everything I require in a camping place. Privacy is important and this spot was near a fence that would separate me from others. Some of that separation came from the plentiful trees on the property.  Only the evergreens had any substantial growth on their branches with this still being a cold spring.

There was a perfectly flat spot to pitch the tent.  I dutifully laid down on the ground first to feel if I wanted to sleep there.  I had learned this from reading Ray Jardine's book (I first heard of his ultra lightweight camping methods in the movie and book "Wild") and it made perfect sense. Why I had not been doing this for the last ten summers of camping?  Making a grass angel?

Not far from the tent was a building that housed the washrooms, showers and facilities for washing up dishes.  There would be no stinky pit toilet to contend with.  Near the tent - but not too close was the firepit.  I hadn't planned on cooking over the fire but a blaze is always a cheery companion.  My joy increased when I saw that there was a plentiful supply of firewood.

After sundown, I bunked down in my tent and tried out my new Lamina 20 sleeping bag which is rated for 7 degrees.  By 2 am it was only 1 degree. I couldn't take the cold anymore so I got up and went into the building with all the facilities and climbed into my own bed.

Riding in the Center of the Universe

During a lunch break in Ottawa, I thought it would be a good idea to rent a bike and go for a short ride.  While working near the Rideau Canal, I was sure I had seen a bike rental sign.  My hope was that the rental place would be open at this time of year.

Success!

My hopes were boosted when I discovered a couple of signs pointing to a space underneath an elegant bridge.  Climbing down, I could see what looked like a tunnel with hundreds of bikes stacked around its curving walls.  The operator of the rental shop near the tunnel was munching on a ham sandwich clasped in his greasy, bike mechanic hands.  The place had that distinctive bike shop smell - rubber, oil and dirt mixed together,

The tunnel

It surprised me that the mechanic asked me what hotel I was staying at while he filled out the rental agreement.  How did he know I was an out-of-towner?  Then I remembered that Ottawa, like most capital cities is also a tourist town.  He warmed up a little when I explained to him that I'm a bike mechanic at my city's community bike shop and in minutes he had me riding out of the tunnel on a GIANT bike.  Although it appeared to me to be a normal size.

A Giant bike

Riding along the Rideau Canal should be a pleasant experience.  A decent spring afternoon, an empty bike path, a nice enough bike.  But there was a pair of eyes that stared right at me.  In fact, followed my every move.  Right out of a cheesy horror movie.

Scary eyes

The bike path along the canal is very organized and interesting.  I say organized because the city has, for your convenience, place strategic signs to help you on your way.  For example, the signs show you how to get to a bank. (To pay for renting a bike)?

Thanks!

In the canal itself was a pair of ducks, three seagulls, a car tire, one rusted shopping cart and a shelf of crusty snow lining the south bank.  There must be woodpeckers in the vicinity as evidenced by a tree so peppered with holes that it was a wonder it could still stand.

Woodpecker machine gun action

The thing that most impressed me about the Rideau Canal bike path is that it is for everyone except pedestrians.  Apparently, walking on the path is prohibited and fine - able.

When I peeled up to the rental shack I didn't need to visit the bank.  I had the ten - spot right there in my wallet.

What the ****?

City slogan

Our city has just announced that two meetings will be held next week to discuss what kind of bike lanes are to be installed at two different parts of the city.  What surprises me is that a bike lane is to be installed on 102 Avenue.  At the last bike lane meeting I joined, the city planners admitted that 103 Avenue was a better bike route.

For ten years I have been commuting to and from work on 102 Avenue but since attending that bike lane meeting, I have ridden on 103 Avenue and have to agree with the city that it is a much better route.  My choice of 103rd was also prompted by the demolition of the 100 year old bridge across the Groat Ravine.  With the bridge gone for 15 months while a new one was being installed another way to work had to be chosen - hence the 103 Avenue choice.

Bye bye bridge

But I'm going to miss the two meeting next week since my work is taking me to the center of the universe (Ottawa).  A producer and I are going to film our city's soccer club playing for the Amway Cup.  Amway Cup?  I thought Amway only dealt with toilet paper and other household goods.  Who knew?

It is for real

Every time I travel, my intention is to grab ahold of a bike and ride around my destination.  I see on the interweb that Ottawa has many bike lanes.  In fact Ottawa appears to be quite progressive in building bike lanes.  In fact, our capital city has been cited as:

OBLP RECIPIENT OF 2014 RGD SO(CIAL) GOOD DESIGN AWARD

To translate: Since 2012, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) has invited submissions of projects created under the theme of communication design for social good. The So(cial) Good Design Awards celebrates work with the power to incite action and make meaningful change in the way we live our lives.

Even though I will miss giving my input to the city's cycling planners, I hope to have the pleasure of cycling on Good Designed bike lanes and who knows?, maybe my city's soccer team will bring home the Amway Cup.

"Like"

On Facebook, a number of my friends have "liked" the fact that I'm going to the "Bike to the Symphony" event on June 12th.  My hope is that all those friends will join me in what has always been a fun bike ride.

Wigged Out

In the above photo, I'm the guy in the suit with the silver helmet.  If you look carefully, you'll see a GoPro camera mounted on my head.  My old friend Bruce Wiggins from CTV2 had shown up with a producer and they needed to find someone to wear a camera during the ride.  As soon as Wiggy spotted me, they knew they had their man.

A dressing down

After getting chain oil on my suit, I decided last year to dress down a bit and just wear a tweed jacket and jeans.  I was especially delighted to ride my Root Beer Raleigh 20" folding bike that my friend  The Raving Bike Fiend had found for me.  Someone snagged the above picture while we rode along the bike path near Railtown and I was eager to try taking my own pictures while pedaling.  Something I'd seen Coreen from "Breaking Chains and Taking Lanes" do many times.

The Bike Riding Photographer herself

My photographic efforts weren't worth publishing however, I did manage to get a photo of William Eddins, the Edmonton Symphony conductor who happened to lead all of us through downtown.  He then rode right into the concert hall on his bike.  Something we all liked.

Incision Indecision

Just recently I found myself laying on my back in a hospital bed; knocked out by a general anesthetic and feeling completely helpless.  The farthest thing on my mind was riding my bike.  Driving along the same route I bicycle commute to work, I just could not imagine how I could ride that distance almost every day.  Coupled with the fact that my departure from the house is usually before six o'clock in the morning.

Yet last night working in the garage, a little visual tableau helped me to consider the task.  Maybe it was seeing all my bikes hanging up in the garage.  There are 15 bikes in there.  11 of them mine.  The rest belong to my daughter, her boyfriend and my son. There are 2 more behind the woodshed, one against the outside garage wall and one more at work.

Perhaps the little nudge I felt was my body telling me that I'm healing and it will soon be time to climb back into the saddle and ride.  As an experiment, I ventured across the High Level Bridge to attend a meeting at the university.  Thick pea gravel from the melted snow and ice littered the riding surface making my first ride since the surgery rather dicey.

Now that spring is officially here, I 've seen way more cyclists on the road and now that I have survived a practice ride, I'll be joining them again soon.