 |
Victoria to St Johns on 2 Wheels |
|
Welcome to my trip journal - what I hope will be a description of my mad adventure, traveling on "My Bike" from Victoria, BC to St Johns, Newfoundland. I won't be alone! I will be with a large group of about 38 riders leaving Mile 0 in Victoria on 20 June 2008 with an ETA of 30 Aug for St Johns. That's 72 days - 62 on the bike plus rest days, an orientation day and 2 ferry days.
I've been training for this trip since last fall, first on my mountain bike and, since February, on my new Marinoni. It's a custom built bike made in Montreal with Italian Columbus chromalloy tubing with carbon fibre forks and seat post. I love it! I have christened it, "My Bike". There should be a picture somewhere. It is a cyclocross bike, quicker than a touring bike but not as fast as a road bike. It is a compromise of comfort and speed. I won't be the fastest but I shouldn't be the slowest either! I have been reminded on numerous occasions that this is a tour, not a race. Hummm! I shall have to keep reminding myself of that!
I know that this is going to be a tough trip. The average daily distance is 130Ks. The shortest day is 66Ks and the longest is 178Ks. The challenge will be as much a mental one as physical, especially on those cold, wet, windy, hilly rides. There are 4 of us from Victoria and we have been riding and training regularly together. We provide a great deal of mutual support for each other and it will be great to have them along. I know that there will be an element of fun and excitement in this trip. This is a wonderful country and I look forward to experiencing it from the saddle of a bike.
I hope to visit some of you along the way - I will need all the encouragement I can get! We stop for a full day's rest about every 5 or 6 days and I know where those places are. I'll post them with dates on a later entry. I'll be sending this blog to those friends and family who have agreed to receive it. Thank you for your interest! I believe you will have the option of sending emails to me at this site. Please feel free to do so as I would love to hear from you. But please understand if I can't reply to each, individual email. I will update this blog at each rest stop, providing I can find a terminal. This is the first time I've attempted to "blog" and I'm sure there will be errors. Please be patient!
Thanks for joining me on this crazy, mad adventure!
I've been training for this trip since last fall, first on my mountain bike and, since February, on my new Marinoni. It's a custom built bike made in Montreal with Italian Columbus chromalloy tubing with carbon fibre forks and seat post. I love it! I have christened it, "My Bike". There should be a picture somewhere. It is a cyclocross bike, quicker than a touring bike but not as fast as a road bike. It is a compromise of comfort and speed. I won't be the fastest but I shouldn't be the slowest either! I have been reminded on numerous occasions that this is a tour, not a race. Hummm! I shall have to keep reminding myself of that!
I know that this is going to be a tough trip. The average daily distance is 130Ks. The shortest day is 66Ks and the longest is 178Ks. The challenge will be as much a mental one as physical, especially on those cold, wet, windy, hilly rides. There are 4 of us from Victoria and we have been riding and training regularly together. We provide a great deal of mutual support for each other and it will be great to have them along. I know that there will be an element of fun and excitement in this trip. This is a wonderful country and I look forward to experiencing it from the saddle of a bike.
I hope to visit some of you along the way - I will need all the encouragement I can get! We stop for a full day's rest about every 5 or 6 days and I know where those places are. I'll post them with dates on a later entry. I'll be sending this blog to those friends and family who have agreed to receive it. Thank you for your interest! I believe you will have the option of sending emails to me at this site. Please feel free to do so as I would love to hear from you. But please understand if I can't reply to each, individual email. I will update this blog at each rest stop, providing I can find a terminal. This is the first time I've attempted to "blog" and I'm sure there will be errors. Please be patient!
Thanks for joining me on this crazy, mad adventure!
|
Order: oldest at top ( reverse ) |
