Day 2 – New Glasgow to Antigonish

I kicked my own ass a few times today. I’ll get to that in a minute.

First, though, I realized that I forgot the customary starting odometer reading yesterday so here it is.

Yes, on August 12th I reached 10,000 kms in 2021, and half of that has been doing volunteer food deliveries. Therefore, I’ll pin the blame for these absurd numbers squarely on the Bike Brigade. I mean, if you give me a really good reason to do what I love doing most, I don’t really have the ability to resist, right?

While we’re on this topic, how crazy is it that some evil genius decides to set up a pedal powered, volunteer based community assistance organization in my neighbourhood, which just so happens to coincide with a time in my life where I am able to consistently spend half a work week or more being involved? Pretty crazy, I’d say.

Anyway, back to the whooping. Based on the numbers above you’ll forgive me if I feel pretty confident in my cycling ability and endurance. So today when faced with the choice of a potentially beautiful if hilly 40 km extension to an otherwise flat and easy 100 km ride of course I took it. And then another hilly option in favour of a flat but slightly longer route home. Ditto.

Well, those choices added about 4 hours of riding and a lot of 7 kph climbing. For sure there were some nice views on the eastern side of the map below but I was mostly too spent to notice.

It’s pretty rare that I run out of steam, but inexplicably I did today. Partially because there was nothing (chocolate ice cream) to break the ride up. I passed exactly 3 businesses in 100 km and they weren’t timed right so I stopped at none of them. But I learned 2 important lessons.

1. Ice cream time is always when you pass an ice cream shop. Full stop.
2. In the absence of ice cream or some other form of sugar high, the totally spent cyclist has another secret weapon.

I’m a little reluctant to share this tip, dear reader, but because I know you’ll keep it between us, here goes.

When you think you have nothing left to give, when you just can’t imagine making up that last hill, when you just don’t know if you can keep pedaling, you always have this:

If The Bee Gees don’t compel you to move, check your pulse. Seriously.

So today was 9 hours and 130+ kms. I have to assume I did a around a couple thousand feet of elevation. I hope so anyway, because if it was less I’m screwed!

Home for the night is a private RV park in the city. It’s kind of like an encampment in Toronto except with a lot of money and no police brutality. So I guess it’s not at all like an encampment.

Tomorrow will be about 100 km and some of it on a trail. No diversions for me thank you very much and I will absolutely find ice cream. That I am 0 for 2 on soft serve is criminal.