Fruit in a Bathtub

It's nice to be home. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the Accu-Chek Cyclebetes ride. The scenery between Halifax and Montreal was superb, and the people I met along the way were terrific. Despite the hurricane, the road construction, and the detours, part of me wishes that I had been able to go all the way across Canada, but another part of me is thankful to have the time now to devote to my preparations for Japan. I feel like I have a million-and-one things to do and not enough time to complete everything.

Here are 3 photos of things I liked about riding through Quebec on the backroads:

1. Happy Corn

2. Happy Beer

3. Happy Pastoral Landscapes

Into Montreal

I did it...conquered my fear of riding in traffic. From the idyll Trois Rivieres and into the congested concrete blocks of Montreal. The most trafficked riding I've ever done (especially compared to Franktown!). It was great. And now I'm done. There's a picnic and media event this afternoon, and then I'm done. :) I'll be back to Reno on Sunday.

And Suddenly...

...I'm in Quebec at a campsite cooking steaks on piddly little disposable grills and having a fantastic time doing it. :)

Since the hurricane, cycling has been great (it was pretty great during the hurricane, too, but I was too scared to really enjoy it much). It's the fifth day of the ride across Canada, and tomorrow I get off this crazy bus in Montreal.

Quebec is great. We're going down back roads and we're seeing a lot of churches, pastoral landscapes, and the great St. Lawrence seaway rears its head from time-to-time. Yesterday, while I was doing my shift on the tandem, my partner (who, incidentally, is an olympian) and I spotted a seal. Today, my partner (who is from Whitehorse and whose wife was a Canadian custom's agent in Stewart 13-odd years ago) and I seriously nearly bit it on one of those grated bridges were saved by the fact that he's also an avid mountain biker. So it's been an interesting few days of riding. I love it. I just may go with the team all the way across Canada next year.

Hurricane Bill Slams Nova Scotia

Yep...Hurricane Bill slams Nova Scotia and I was out riding a freaking bike in it.  My partner Willie and I put in 50 km (about 30 miles) on the tandem in a maelstrom.  It was the most fun and the least fun I've had on a bike.  Ever.  (Plus, this is the first time I've been on a tandem as well.)  And I'd do it again.  Now I'm dry and safe in the motor home and Heath and Jim are outside giving it their best. 

I love it.

And thanks to Ken for letting me take his cycling shoes because they fit Jim who's using them right now.  In a hurricane.  :)

On the Road

Hurricane not in yet. Tandem is on the road. I am sitting in one of the support vans riding in front of the cyclists having a great time. Wish us luck!

Ready to Roll

I made the rest of my journey to Halifax without incident yesterday, thankfully. I spent yesterday with Heath and Jim and Heath's prents tracking down a few last minute items we needed (which was great because I was able to catch up with the both of them). We're supposed to be ready to roll by 5:30 am, which it almost is. The hope is to beat the hurricane out of town. It's not raining outside yet, so we may be outta here soon.

And it begins (we hope).

Reason why I love Canada #434: little packets of peanut butter for toast. Love it.

Cyclebetes: Hitch One

Ugh. I'm stuck in Boston. My flight to Halifax was cancelled so I'm having to spend the night. Not so happy about that. My already thin budget is totally stretched out now. However, I'd much rather spend the night in a bed than on the airport floor (which I would do if I had to, but I'd much rather have a comfy bed). I don't think this is Bill related as flights to Toronto and Montreal have been cancelled as well. Of course, better safe in a hotel room than on an unnecessarily harrowing flight, but what a spot of bother!

I've been rebooked for 8:20 am....hopefully no more issues!

Hurricane Bill: A Significant Weather Event

From the news:

Hurricane Bill expected to pound Atlantic Canada with heavy rain, winds Sunday

Hurricane Bill to blow through Atlantic Canada

N. S. enjoying summer heat wave

Time to Ride!

Bright and early tomorrow morning I leave for Halifax. On Saturday, I'll get in a little bit of practise time on the tandem, and on Sunday....the ride begins! I'm pretty excited...just as long as Hurricane Bill doesn't sweep along the Nova Scotia coast I'll be good (everybody, please, keep your fingers crossed!).

Many, many thanks to all of the donors who are supporting me. So far, I've raised $1310 CDN. I've had donations from the US, Canada, Japan, Kosovo, and Scotland, and people have given between $10 and $200. Also, many thanks to those who have given me blessings and words of encouragement. I appreciate it all. (If you'd like to sponsor me and donate to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, click here.)

If I can find free wifi on the road, I will be able to update with my new iPod touch (the whole reason I bought it was because it's able to pick up wifi and I don't need any kind of subscription). Unfortunately, the thing doesn't take pictures and doesn't have a card reader, so photos will have to wait. I'll be sure to take lots of photos, though (of course!).

Again, thanks to everyone for your support.....It's time to ride!

Cyclebetes Cross Training

I've been so diligent. Three or four times per week I've been getting on my bicycle and riding. What a difference a month has made in my comfort and confidence in riding! Granted, I won't be approaching anything close to a century ride any time soon (a 100 mile ride), but knocking out 20 miles is doable. I've started using clip-in shoes, too (these are shoes that attach to special pedals and offer increased efficiency over the running shoe/regular pedal combo). In 2.5 weeks I'll be off to Halifax and I'm very, very excited. When I first signed on to participate in the Cyclebetes ride, I had serious second thoughts about it. However, now that I've spent some time on the bike and am feeling much better about my abilities, I am really looking forward to it.

So looking forward to it, in fact, that I'll be spending the next four days cross training (by cross training, I mean backpacking). The weather is supposed to be unseasonably funky over the next few days. I'm preparing for cold nights, thunderstorms, and possibly snow (snow!). Luckily, Skeena (wild dog of the Sierra) carries her own fur coat, so I won't have to pack anything extra for her. Lucky dog.

Additionally, I'd like to give many thanks to those of you who have supported my endeavors by giving a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund via my sponsorship page. I genuinely appreciate it.

Cyclebetes Training: Day 8

Now that I'm getting more comfortable on a bike, I'm loving it. I did a variation of the Franktown loop this morning, and I think I'm ready to move up to something a little longer and with a little more up and down. They key to all this love and joy and happiness about biking, though, is mainly due to a really nice pair of cycling shorts. Sugoi, a company specializing in biking, triathelete, and running clothing, is a sponsor for the Cyclebetes ride. All team members received a jersey and short set, and the padding in the shorts is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. (Thanks Sugoi!)

Cyclebetes Training: Day 5

Choosing cycling over hiking is difficult for me. I chose hiking for Saturday and Sunday, a rest day yesterday, and I went for a bike ride today. I went down to the west side of Washoe Valley, parked just off the old highway, pulled out the bike, grabbed my helmet, and promptly locked my keys in the car. Ugh.

I wasn't willing to abort my ride just because I'd locked my keys inside the 4Runner. I had the two most important pieces of equipment out of the vehicle: the bike and the helmet. There was no reason not to ride. Plus, I really, really, really need the practise. Not to be deterred, I rode over to the Davis Creek Park ranger station to find a phone to use. A ranger offered up his cell phone (which I thought was really nice) and I called my mom.

"Can you come rescue me?" I said. "Of course, honey," she replied. Sometimes it's really good to have a mom. This was definitely one of those times. She agreed to come and get me in about 90 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to bike myself around. I finished with plenty of time to spare. Once I arrived back at the vehicle, I started to think about how I could get myself back inside of it without breaking any windows.

First, I checked the wheelwells to make sure there wasn't a key hidden anywhere. There wasn't. Second, I tried all the doors again, but all were locked. Then I tried the windows. My vehicle has two sets of windows that slide open and close, and luckily, one of the windows wasn't completely latched. I was able to jiggle it open, reach through, and unlock the door. Easy peasy. I packed everything back in and waited for my mom to arrive (this would have been a perfect time to have a cell phone so I could have told her not to come). When she did, we laughed and went back to her place for lunch.

The ride itself was good, easier than on Friday (less wind). Tomorrow I'll hike, but on Thursday, I'll be back out there riding around. The Franktown area is great for me because there is very little traffic. I like that.

Cyclebetes Training: Day 4

On Friday, Coach Ken and I headed down to Washoe Valley to ride around in Franktown. It was a great day, a bit windy, but a good choice for my first real road experience. (I'm actually riding a mountain bike, but being on a bike is being on a bike regardless of its intended purpose.) We left early to beat the midday heat, but didn't end up actually starting the ride until after noon due to really thin tubes in my tires that kept snagging on the inner rims of my wheels. This meant that no matter how many patches were put on the tubes or how much air was pumped into 'em, the tires kept going flat. First we tried lining the rims with electrical tape (see photo), but eventually we ended up just buying new tubes and tires from a bike shop in Carson City.

Here I am in the parking lot of SaveMor in Carson City wrapping electrical tape around the outside of the wheels.

Tomorrow I'm going to do the ride by myself. The entire loop was only 16.5 miles, but it was enough to wear me out a bit. It took about an hour to do the whole thing. I have work to do. There's only about 6 weeks left.

Cyclebetes Training: Day 2

Yesterday was the second day of training. It entailed riding around the neighborhood and taking a spin through Rancho San Rafael park. Nothing too exciting, but I'm getting used to the whole gear-switching thing. Next week I'd like to try to ride down thorugh Franktown (parallel to the US 395 corridor through Washoe Valley). ...Are Captain and Tenille still living down there? Heh.

Total time: about 30 minutes. My legs are a bit sore this morning, but I'm going to start going out for longer ride times. I need to be able to stay on for about 3 hours.

Cyclebetes Training: Day 1

Now that I'm back in Reno, I need to concentrate on getting myself in cycling shape for the end of August for the Cyclebetes ride across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. As a member of the Nova Scotia & New Brunswick provincial team (an official member....heh), I have been sent an official outfit (thanks to Sugoi) to wear: spandex shorts (with generous padding) and a jersey. I tried it on yesterday and felt like a sausage. I've never worn spandex, and it's a lot like sausage casing. The outfits are nice-looking, though. The color scheme is red, black, and white. As I am able to do longer rides, I won't need to buy any other cycling clothing because I already have something I can use (and when the shorts and jersey are running about $200, I really don't want to spend the cash on purchasing anything else).

Yesterday was my first day of training. Riding a bike makes me nervous. I can ride a bicycle, but being out with cars makes me distinctly uncomfortable. Also, I'm not so adept with the whole concept of bicycle gears and how to use them effectively. Luckily, I have a coach who understands my needs. Enter Ken, who is probably the most patient person on earth. He's agreed to help whip me into shape (and at this point in time, we have less than 7 weeks to get me ready). Yesterday, we went on a 30 minute ride around the neighborhood. He explained the shifting mechanisms to me and kept repeating which shifters went with which gears (right-back and left-front....left is for big changes and right is for small changes). It was good, but even after only 30 minutes I was feeling tiredness in muscles I never use.

I am going to conquer my fear of the bicycle and love every minute of it!

Click to go to my donation page.

Cyclebetes Change

As many of you know, I signed on to participate in a fundraising tandem bike relay across Newfoundland to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. Due to logistical issues, I am now part of the Nova Scotia & New Brunswick team instead. Newfoundland has been dropped, and the ride will start in Halifax, NS. This change is good, I think. Originally, we were going to be cycling through the night. Now, the plan is to bike during the day and camp at night. Definitely more my speed (I soooo didn't relish the thought of biking from 1am to 6am). I'm still pretty excited about participating in this, especially because I am not very confident on a bicycle (challenge!). Once I return to Reno in July, I'm going to start a training program to get me cycling ready.

I've already received several generous donations that have boosted me to 41% of my goal of raising $2500 CAD for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (all monies raised go to JDRF). If you'd like to donate, please click to go to my donation page.

Thank you for your support!

Cyclebetes Me!

At the end of last week, a friend of mine sent me an email asking me for a donation for a bike ride he's doing in Canada at the end of August. Not only did he get money out of me, but I actually signed up to be on his team.

Cyclebetes. To be more exact, I signed on to participate in the 2009 Accu-Check Cyclebetes Provincial Relay. My team and I will be taking turns riding one tandem bike across the province of Newfoundland. After we hand the bike off to the Nova Scotia team, this tandem bike will be ridden by provincial teams all across Canada. We will start in St. John's, Newfoundland and the ride will end once the bike reaches Victoria, BC.

This is going to be an absolute blast. So far, there are four members on the team. There's Heath who is from Australia. I worked with him during my last stint in Japan. I love Heath (he's rocking fun at karaoke). I also love Jim, who's an American like me. He works in Japan, too. The other member so far is Heath's sister Megan. I think that Megan is actually in charge of the whole Cyclebetes logistics thing. It's more than just the tandem ride across Canada. There are all sorts of other events that take place. As for the relay ride, each provincial team has space for 10 riders.

The aim of the ride is to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a foundation that supports worldwide research for juvenile diabetes. This is an issue I care about. My mom was diagnosed with this type of diabetes (aka Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes) in her fifties. She must stick herself at least 10 times per day, either with a needle in the midsection or with a little machine to check her blood sugar. She's lucky. She has competent health care and access to education. As for diabetics in Kosovo...I've tried to find organizations actively working to diagnose type 1 diabetes in Kosovo, but I haven't come up with anything yet. Without proper management, it can be deadly and there is no cure.

So even though I'm complete crap at riding a bicycle and even though I could never really use the tandem bike I had years ago because my upper body strength at the time was too weak, I figure that I can try to raise $2500 Canadian (approx $1950 USD) and I can be part of the team that spends three days riding a tandem bicycle across a small part of one of the smaller provinces of Canada. All the money I raise will go directly to the JDRF and not just the proceeds (ie. money left over after the operating costs have been taken out). The ride starts August 23rd.

If you're interested in supporting my participation, check out my donation page. I'm so excited about doing the relay. I've never been further east than Quebec City and I've always wanted to go to Newfoundland (I wonder if it'll give me any insight to Newfie jokes...). Plus, I'll get to be on a tandem bike! Followed by a support team in an RV! How could that not be fun? Especially if there's even the slightest possibility of throwing karaoke into the mix!