Real quick - just before supper call. I'll see if I can get back on later.
Started the day with Ralph and Alida and tooled along at steady pace through some resort roads along the Indiana shore. We talked a little bit and Ralph and Alida assured me I could pop off if the opportunity arose. Pop off means that a group of fast riders in a pace line come by and invite you along. I told them I'd wait till good open roads to do so if I did. Fine and well.
About 30 k into the 130 k ride here comes Nathan Beach, Josh Neienhuis (promounced NIne-house), and Jim from New York and Nathan invites me on. OK, so here goes, I think I'm ready for craziness. Very quickly we were moving at 30 -32 then 35 k/hr when we catch Josh Krabbe and Reuben Vyn. These are too very strong young riders. Well 100 K later we got in at about 1:15. Absolutely nuts! These boys can fly. We spent most of the time riding around 37k/hr. I found it VERY arduaous to lead but Nathan assured me it was OK to just draft them. I don't believe I can do this every day, nor do I want to, but it sure is fun to move like that.
Yesterday I fell. Not much of a fall really and somewhat graceful if I do say so myself. I was riding with Ralph on a bike trail when we came up on Art Smit and Nurse Betsy walking along to check out a construction zone ahead. Ralph needed to stop so I started to turn around on the narrow trail. My front wheel slipped off the edge of the pavement and down I went. Its always the stupid little things. Now the thing is my bike did not hit the ground. My body did, in various spots and I have a quarter-size raspberry on the side of my knee, but I held up my bike and wound up on my back with the bike on top of me. Art and Betsy ran over and held up my bike as I unclipped. Falls are much discussed and much poured over on the tour and everybody has a great time ribbing you about them - especially when no one is hurt.
The ride was fine. Especially significant was a ride part of the group made to Roseland Ministries and its neighborhoods. If I remember correctly Willemina spent a time interning there. Quite something for us to see the contrast in trememndous and ostentatious wealth in the suburbs and the utter poverty of the inner city.
There is more to tell, suppers on and I will try again later.
About Me
- Pieter
- I am a Pastor in London Ontario Canada and have cycled, mostly non-seriously, from my teen years. I very much wanted to cycle on the 2005 Sea to Sea tour but I wasn't free to do that. This time I want to make sure that I get in on at least part of the ride. I will be riding from Madison Wisconsin to New Jersey, a total of 2,000 kilometers. I turned 50 this spring and this is my birthday present to myself. I am delighted to raise money for the cause of breaking the cycle of poverty. It is an important goal and a great point of connection with folks outside the church. Sponsoring ON CRC Churches: London First, East Strathroy, Strathroy Westmount
5 comments:
Aha! So you got your taste of life in the fast lane with the young bucks! I'm curious to know how you'll be feeling tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.!
I went to Cyclepath today and met Brian. I updated him on everyone and he was very happy to hear that it's going so well, that you love your new bike, and surprised to hear that C2C is already below Lake Michigan. I got you some not-boring socks so that I can pick you out in the crowd. Everyone looks so similar in biking gear, not unlike with hockey equipment!
Willemina mentioned that Mike H. stopped by, wondering if you had found anyone going to TO this weekend. . .
Jenny Schering's son died, and council is phoning people about visiting hours for Friday. I will try to get there tomorrow afternoon. There will be no funeral service.
I dropped Jonathan off at Cole's today, after getting him a few things to start off the school year.
And that's the news from Peartree Apiaries. Your 200,000 little buzzing friends say hello. They've had great weather for hunting and gathering, seems to me. Everything's as lush and green here as it was in WI, and I marvel at the height of the Filson's corn every time I leave the driveway.
Catch you later. Glad to hear you are having a great ride (when you're not laying under your bike, that is!) Brian chuckled at the story and commented that cyclists are known to protect their bikes over themselves. Thankful you weren't hurt. God bless and protect you all.
love, me
PS: Haven't seen any photos from you yet -- but then, that would involve stopping. How's the meet and greet the roses along the way going?
Zing!
Pieter, you've been zinged by your beloved. After reading your blog, and Josh's blog, I'm guessing I won't be seeing much of you. (Kidding, really!)
But then, I did find out we're in the same small group, so maybe I will.
Yeah, I saw Brian today also. I wonder who was first, Margaret or Me, as I _also_ talked to him about C2C and how far you were. I was there around 11am. He checked on my newly rebuilt back wheel, and only had to do 1 or 2 touch ups to true it. One of Brian's staff expressed some envy at the ride. (I think he liked the 9-weeks-vacation idea more than the thousands of km biking though)
However I forgot to remind him that we'll be coming through London on Thursday next. His store is a bit off our track though, so I suspect that Reynolds on Dundas might get more business out of any needy C2C Cyclists than Brian would.
blessings,
...art
In the spirit of community and because there has been a precedence set I will initiate an internal conversation. Margaret, I've been trying to call you all afternoon and the phone's been busy, I step out for supper at the Kuikens and you call me and now you're not home. I need to know when you're going to GR because you need to bring some more bags (they're out) and some other stuff for Gayle!!! CALL ME!!!
whinge whinge whinge. Sheesh.
;-)
...art
ps: Margaret, I've been trying to call you also, and your answering machine is NOT picking up. But go ahead and call HeatherF first, she seems to be more fussed. >:-)
Marg - watch out for the border. I checked the web around 9-10 am and it said a 10 minute wait. We got there at noon and had a full hour delay crossing the bridge. 15 minutes standing still on the 402 just 1km out, and then crawling over the bridge. It seemed to just be volume, which is odd, as they had a ton of customs agents open, and the cars didn't seem to take that long to be processed. Weird, as it's noon on an ordinary Friday.
Hope it goes better for you tomorrow.
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