See “A continuation of the story” ( March 13th )
So once I made up my mind to do the ride the question was how ??.
I really didn’t want to do a solo trip lugging all my stuff around with me, I didn’t think my knees would appreciate it at this point in my life, and after all I have a limited amount of time as I do have work obligations before and after this ride and the logistics of this kind of a trip are quite time consuming. So I got on to the internet and did a search for cross Canada bike rides and very quickly came upon “ Tour du Canada “ , they were in the mists of completing there 25th year of cross Canada rides , there was a lot of information available on them and a few journals written about the trip, all were good and they sounded just like what I was looking for . I became a member to find out more and right away they sent me an introduction package which answered all my questions and that was it, they became my choice to help me accomplish my dream.
So what is Tour du Canada , well it’s a supported ride with no frills , a truck does carry our gear , but we cook for ourselves , we sleep in tents , and there is no guide.
Tour du Canada puts together a group of cyclist from all over the globe who generally meet for the first time in Vancouver, we are given a day of orientation and then off we go, it is structured so that we are a group in so much that we support and look after each other, emphasis is put on co-operation to make the journey enjoyable to all the riders, but at the same time we are able to ride as individuals covering the distances at our own pace.
On orientation day we will be given a rundown on what to expect and how everything works, we will be split into galley crews, each crew will cook once a week for the rest of the group. The route and stops are all arranged, every day we get a map of the days journey and the destination where we will be camping that night, and then it’s up to us to get there as we please , cycling in a group or pairs or solo .
It’s a 72 day trip, covering 7,658 km , 59 days are spent riding rain or shine , we have 10 rest days , 2 days are ferry crossings and there is the orientation day.
The orientation day is in Vancouver on the 26th of June and we start riding the next day eventually arriving in St Johns Newfoundland on the 5th of September.
I will be going a few days earlier ( 23rd ) to take advantage of the option of riding west out to Victoria to the mile 0 marker dipping my wheel in the pacific and then turning around to start my journey east.
This year there will be forty of us participating in this adventure this year, all of us have our reasons for doing it, I’m not sure if I can put my reason into words just yet, all I know it’s something I need to do. I am exited and apprehensive at the same time, itching to start, to feel the road under my tires, wanting to see what’s around the bend or over the hill and worried if my not so young body will carry me the distance , worried about cooking for 40 people !!!!!, trucks , thunderstorms , etc…
But for now I’ll concentrate on training, there’s three months left to get ready and then, well, and then I’ll be living a dream !!!!
Web address for Tour du Canada is : http://www.tourducanada.com/
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