I hit some trails through Wittier Park today for a nice 28km ride in a balmy +2°

What may not be apparent from the photo on the left is that in the distance, there is a curve in the track, and you really can’s see anything coming. We’re getting serious about getting some great shots, there are tripods in play and we’re right into the bridge structure. We’re concentrating, and perhaps not paying too much attention to our situation and the potential pitfalls of our activities.

And then it happens, we hear a faint rumbling, and look up to see a locomotive coming quite quickly down the track. No warning whistle, why would there be, this is not a railroad crossing, and we’re not supposed to be there.

We scramble to pick up our camera bags, tripods etc. and hustle to get off the track. Moments later this freight train barrels past us and the engineer shoots us a less that friendly look.

Moral of the story, be aware of your location and don’t get overly involved in your pursuits. Either that or stay away from railroad tracks!

The hard pack snow and ice on some of the road sections were a little tricky, but the trails on the river banks were good for riding with packed and semi-packed snow covered trails. The section through Whittier Park was just as much fun as it is in the summer, but I did slow down quite a bit for some of the tighter corners. I didn’t go down, but the bike did on an icy section in The Forks. As I felt the bike start to go, instincts took over and I clipped out and stepped off the bike landing on my feet. Not bad reaction time for a first ride on ice.

The sun came out for a while and it was quite warm even for -5°C. From The Forks it was down Lyndale Drive and Des Meurons to the bike path that parallels Fermor and back to the house for a 24km, 1:17 ride.

We took a late afternoon walk at St. Vital Park just as the sun was going down. There were very few people around this normally popular weekend destination. Could it be the coolness of the day? 

It seems strange that we’re complaining about how cold it is at -12°C and in a few months, we’ll think this is a warm and balmy day and spring must just be around the corner. Unfortunately, at this point, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  

Then the city created a dedicates lane on Assiniboine Ave. which caused a lot of controversy and in my opinion was a waste of money. Assiniboine was a low traffic street in the first place and bicycling on it was no problem.

Then one day a few weeks ago a bike lane shows up on St. Mary Ave.! Initially, this seems like a great thing, in fact just the day before I rode up the middle of two lanes of traffic and thought to my self “that was a little crazy”. And then there it was, my own dedicated lane, and for a day or two things were good.

Then things changed. St Mary has parking in the curb lane before 9am and lots of drivers cruise up the curb lane, encounter a parked car, and lane change with no regard to the bike lane or the bicyclist in the lane, that would be me! To top it off they frequently rounded the parked cars and then crossed over the bike lane again with no regard for the cyclist, to make a right hand turn onto a one way street.

I don’t think that bike lanes really help the cyclist all that much and I’d just as soon not have the false sense of security. Cycling on the road with cars, it’s always be ready for the unexpected.

By ride time at 9 a.m. however it was a little blustery with some very dark clouds on the western horizon. Sure enough, 20 minutes or so into the ride, we encountered light showers for a short time, and then it cleared off for a very pleasant morning.

The ride was quick with a +35km/h to Lockport, a no stop roll through, and the usual sprint to the Selkirk town line. After a brief stop in Selkirk it was on to the “Big Bridge” and again a brief slowdown and re-group after the bridge and then back on pace to rejoining Hwy 44. Here there is some discussion about going to Cooks Creek vs the usual Birds Hill Park via Hwy 206. No clear decision, so we move on. At the 206 junction 4 of the 22 rides opt for Cooks Creak and for some crazy reason I’m one of them. The distance is not that much further as it adds about 8-10km to the ride but with just 4 riders, you’re on the front a lot and have to work a lot harder. We quickly settle into a nice pace line taking short pulls at the front and keeping a 36-38km/h speed. Shortly before we re-join 206, I’m “cooked” and need to slow down. Thankfully, the guys wait for me and once back on 206 I’m feeling better and able to keep with the group.

Once in Birds Hill we learn that the main group is about 10 minutes ahead of us and come to the conclusion that we won’t be catching them. I think prior to this we’d thought we might be able to do the extra distance and a pace that would allow us to catch them, but it’s clear now that it’s not happening. We follow the usual route back to town and my ride is 106km with an average speed of just over 33km/hr. Another good ride is in the log book.

The May long weekend is the traditional weekend to open the cottage at beautiful Lake of the Woods and this year was no exception. After driving down Friday night we a relaxed and enjoyed the quiteness of the lake compared to the city and the sounds of the waves on the lake. Saturday mornings first order of business was to get the water running. Things went fairly smoothly except a part that I bought to repair the water line from a mishap last fall was the wrong size. No problem however, because there is always a way given the number of spare parts the cottage has acquired over almost 30 years. But the intake line did look a littel funny with a 90° elbow in the normally straight line. Oh well, something to fix another day. the pump primed the first time and there were no leaks or breaks in the system, so we were up and running. Time for a coffee break and some breakfast. It rained off and on most of the day but even a rainy day at the lake is better that any day in the city.  The rest of the day was spent completing a multitude of opening activities like getting the septic system operational, hooking up all the outside hoses, taking 2 kayaks down to the dock, rolling over the aluminium boat an putting on the outboard as well as launching the swim platform out to its anchorage. All that and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff and we’re open for the season!

Sunday was a little more relaxed, at least in the morning with a little sleeping in, and several cups of coffee before entertaining any additional work projects. Shirley’s brother Roy & wife Meryl are coming over for a visit and I’m sure I can tackle a something before they arrive. The project is to replace the retaining wall at the top of the driveway. We’d used untreated timber just about 30 years go and nature had reclaimed her own. All of the timbers had disintegrated and many roots had grown along the path of the timbers, and some even inside the timbers, so they all had to go.

During the dig I made the Tic Tac discovery. Probably doesn’t seem like much to you but it brought back memories for me. My Dad had been a smoker for a lot of years. He’d tried a couple of time to stop, but relapsed. When he finally was successful in stopping, a major part of the success was Tic Tacs. Instead of reaching for the cigarette pack, he’d reach for the Tic Tacs. Only person I’ve ever know who bought them by the case. The Grandkids benefited as well, as there were always a handy treat that he’d dole out on a moments notice. My Dad and I spent a lot of time together building the cottage, so when my shovel unearthed the empty Tic Tac container, it was a bit of a “moment”.

After the visit with company, it was back to some more little projects that always seem to be waiting for some attention. This one was fixing the umbrella for the patio set we have at the dock. Late last year the string that cranks it up & down snapped and I’d bought some nice nylon cord for the repair a while back so into the shop it goes. I’m sure that when they put these things together in the factory it’s way easier to get that rope threaded up the tube etc. but it took a little creativity to get the old stuff out an the new one in but I got it in there and all back together. While I was working on the repair the umbrella was open so I could get access the the various parts, so to get it out the door and down to the dock I’d need to wind it down to close it up. So cranking away, I was very satisfied with my repair as the umbrella began to close, and then, to my horror, when it was half way down, it started to open again! The proverbial lightbulb goes on and I realize I’ve made the rope too short! Not to mention that when I cut it to length with the umbrella open, the remaining piece was now also too short. After taking the thing apart again, and tying the two pieces together, something I hated to do, and reassembling the whole thing again, we have an operational umbrella. I think I’ll be replacing that cord again in the near future.

Monday involves even more sleeping it. It’s a little cloudy and I’m thinking about going cycling, but at 7am after assessing the weather, I decide another few minutes in bed are in order. Well at about 10:30, it seems like the weather is a little better and I roll out of bed and my lovely wife has prepared an awesome breakfast. Eventually, the biking gear gets put on and I’m out for the first Ride Around Kenora of the year.

My route is counter clockwise around Kenora on the Hwy 17A Bypass and back on Hwy 17 with a stop at 57km for the Starbucks where I meet up with my duck buddies playing by the docks. After the Grande, it’s off for the final leg othe ride back to the cottage all the while looming in the back of my head is the Col du Branch Road #3. This Hors Catégorie  climb assents from the bottom of the swamp the the pinacle of Branch road #3 complete with a brief reprieve half way up that lulls you into a false sense of security. As it approaches I summon my “inner Lance” and begin the climb. I’m feeling burn but I’m not letting this mountain get the better of me. Even after a brief wheel spin on some leftover winter sand, I forge on up, victorious! Actually, by the time I’m back at the cottage after 75km, I’m a little spent so a shower and a snack are in order.

After putting stuff away at the dock and loading the truck, the weekend is over and we’re on our way back to Winnipeg, but not without the traditional stop at DQ for a little reward. Good weekend, thanks cottage.

The Muddy Waters is the largest cycling event in Manitoba with hundereds of riders participating in this 25km, 60km, 100km, or the 100 mile historic century ride. I’ve ridden a few of them over the last couple of years and it’s always a good time. Lots of fun trying to keep up with the fast crowd, and after that’s over with, lots of fun trying to finish with a good time. Last years ride was just over 5 hours, so that will be the time to beat, 100 miles in under 5 hours. Do you think I can do it?

If you’d like to support me, and Habitat for Humanity please make a tax deductible donation, it’s much appreciated.

For me, the cycling season has officially begun. Last Saturday was the first official FOG club ride of the 2011 season. A crew of about 16 showed up for the 10am departure. the standard course was modified to bypass River Road to avoid the flood activities any yielded a distance of 70.42km for those who did the extra lap of Birds Hill Park. At a time of 2:14:49,  average speed of 31.34 km/hr, average cadence of 86 and a top speed of 42.17 km/hr. It was a good first ride. According to the heart rate monitor an average rate of 153 bpm and a max of 192 burned off some 2,218 calories.

The rest of the week was cycle commuting to work for 5 straight days at about 20km per day. Monday was fairly warm in the morning at +5C, but Tuesday fell to -8C and I went with a light glove for some reason and just about froze my hands off. The rest of the week was cooler that seasonal, but dry, except for Friday evening when the snow came back!

To mark the start of the season, I’ve noted the odometer on both the bikes. The Kuota has 5,027 km after 2 years of riding and the 2000 Specialized Rock Hopper Pro, with a new frame this year, has 14,823 km. Both road and mountain bikes are missing some mileage. I rode Scott’s Guru for a couple of years before getting the Kuota, and the Rock Hopper has had periods of broken cycling computers and not to mention the couple of months I rode Eric’s Trek while the frame was getting investigated.

Looking forward to some good mileage in 2011, happy cycling!

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