From bike to cruiser

While you may have thought I had completely abandoned blogging, I haven't. I've just been holding onto the last of the nice weather, and enjoying it all while I can. While I have lots that I've wanted to post and catch up on, I simply haven't sat down to do it. For now, I'll start with my latest adventure...


Never a dull moment.


I signed up to do the Tour de Greenbelt on Sept 25th, my last "supported" ride (we'll get to that later), another 100k. 


Having friends that have previously done this ride, it came highly recommended that we park away from the start, ride over to pick up our kits, and start ahead of the crowd.  Good call, because the first few km were on a narrow, fairly popular paved trail. Lots of walkers, dogs and young children enjoying a cool, crisp, fall morning.


We had picked up a map, which had the written directions for all 3 routes, but the map failed to show the 100k route. It didn't seem important... at the time.


The three of us rode for about 13k until the routes split... I was heading north, they continued east. My surroundings were beautiful, the colors of the leaves spectacular. Eventually, I arrived at my first rest stop, an unsuspecting girl sitting in the back of a van, seeking shelter from the wind, reading a book. I was the first to arrive, which didn't really surprise me, as we did leave early, and no one caught up or passed me. I used the porta-potty, and laughed as she thanked me for the short visit, having just seen a farmer walking a cow moments before.


I continued, making a mental note of street names on which I'd need to turn, as the wind had blown a few signs around. Turning west on Herald Road wasn't supposed to be the end of my ride...


Let me set the scene.

No... not the real sign posted, thankfully ;)

Single lane traffic, tall trees with colored leaves, some having already fallen to the ground, along with acorns. Cars speeding by, kinda scary given the lack of a shoulder on the road, and, are you ready for it? Gun shots heard nearby. Yep, gun shots. I'm a small-town-turned-city girl. Still, not sure I've ever heard a real gun-shot. While I then started feeling a few raindrops, I would not be seeking shelter in there, no matter how much rain would fall, for fear of being mistaken for a target. That, my friends, would be my luck.


I sailed down a hill, through an intersection, gun shots becoming more distant, and finally resumed pedalling with an upcoming ascent.  CRUNCH.


My chain had slipped off the gears, and suddenly,  my feet were no longer even able to push forward. I quickly unclipped and hopped off my bike, to find that my chain had gouged out a piece of my frame, while wedging itself between the frame and my crank. Tried as I might, it would go back the same way it came. A group of cyclists rode on by, courteous nod as they passed.


According to the written directions, there would be a left turn, then a rest stop.... somewhere, on that road. Again, without the 100k route map, I had no visuals to go by. 


I decided it was time to call the SAG number on the map... this was a first. After telling the person that answered that I had broken down, and my approximate location, she asked if I could walk to a rest stop. Me: "Umm, can you tell me about how far away it is from where I am?" Her: "No, I'm not sure how far it is. But there is support there, so if you can start walking, maybe someone will drive by later to pick you up"


Stunned silence.  Maybe? Later? maybe!!!


Finally, one guy stopped and asked if I was ok. He went to work on my bike, trying to free my chain. Requesting permission to flip it upside down to try again proved futile.  I told him that the silver lining in all of that it wasn't a simple task for him either, making me look like an idiot. He confirmed that I had "...done a good job" jamming it, and that the whole crank would need to be removed.  I recounted my phone conversation, he chuckled, asked him if he could let the rest stop personnel know I was stuck if he found, and stopped at the rest stop.


Cars continued to whiz by. Cyclists, too. Time to walk, I guess. It was almost 2 kilometres to the next major intersection, which doesn't seem like a long way considering.... but in cleats, on fallen sticks and acorns, it's far enough.


A female police officer opened her car door, and stepped out, as I approached. After telling my tale, she texted one of the coordinators, soon followed by a phone call, which produced the same responses... "Someone may be able to come pick her up later."  This time, both of our eyebrows raised a little. She was there directing traffic for the cyclists at the busy intersection, and was off duty in approximately 30 minutes. She offered to give me a ride back to my car, as long as I didn't hold her liable for any scratches on my bike! Ha! Who would I be to argue?


This would be my first time riding in a police car, and not even having to get into trouble! I'd be getting a ride back to my car, into the warmth, instead of waiting for a possible ride back, sometime...later.


Of course Terron's response was "Whoa, mom! What did you DO!" when I called him to tell him where I was!


I couldn't thank her enough. While I had planned to ride 100k that day, I only managed close to 57k. It worked out in the end, because it allowed me more time to get to the bike shop for the repair, and head downtown to meet a very special friend. More about that soon, and many more things going on, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I'll be catching up with you! Thanks for sticking with me!


By the way....yes, I was very lucky. This story could have had a very different ending. I think about that nearly every time I come back safely from a ride, how fortunate I am. I don't take it for granted.