Cleating up

Saturday morning and we decide to tackle Camillion Houde again! Not that I particularly enjoy this challenge, but the weather forecast indicates there is very little wind, so hopefully I will be able to film the opening shot for the fund raising video.

I find the ride up the hill as hard as last time, I’m discouraged to see a couple who set off walking at the same time as me arrive at the first viewing spot before I do. Technically I was cycling faster than they walked, but I needed to get off and rest about 1/3 of the way up. Bon Courage they cheerfully cried as they walked past whilst I was slumped over the handlebars. However, on the plus side, it was my only rest stop on the way up the hill, although perhaps it was quite a lengthy break!

I happen to believe that I am the Director and Editor of the fund raising video, Stuart seems to think that when he is behind the camera he aquires some Directorial rights. He doesn’t, and is told so. (I have no idea why he puts up with me!)




Heading back down the hill, we see one of the first signs of Spring (and about time too!) Sanguinaire du Canada (Bloodroot).



After a detour to the Jewish General Hospital to film a couple more outdoor shots, we head off to Atwater so that we can pick up Lachine Canal and try out the new cleats

Since this is my first time using cleats outdoors, the new pedals aren’t attached to my bike until we are on the bike path and away from traffic!



These aren’t in fact brand new pedals, those ones get attached to Stuart’s bike, and I am given his 15 yrs old, many miles ridden, old pedals, for which I am very grateful. The old cleats plus the old pedals mean that unclipping when you come to a stop is relatively easy. There were only a couple of oo er moments, but thankfully the first ride with cleats passed without incident.


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In these shoes?

I return home from work to find that Stuart has bought me some new shoes!!
Proper cycling shoes with cleats. Part of the go faster strategy apparently



Stuart fits some of his old cleats onto my shoes. He says he’s using old ones so that they are a bit looser to avoid an incident. Huh?



He then says that for the next trip out we will need to find a grassy path to cycle along in case of an incident. Am getting a little nervous now! Apparently, cleats are quite hard to get used to and it’s not always easy to unclip the cycling shoes from the pedals fast enough to avoid the incident.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll just use them in the Spinning classes!

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Back to Pointe Claire

We decide to do the 60km route to Pointe Claire again. I desperately need to increase my average speed. Last time I averaged 10km / hour which was quite pitiful. We decide to aim for 15km / hour. Although Stuart announces that the man who has just run the marathon actually runs faster than I cycle – not helping!
It’s zero degrees, but this is the best weather we’ve had for a while, so we’ve got to go for it. The plan is to depart at 8am, and with a 1 hour stop at the Boulangerie, we should in theory be home by 1pm. I decide that I need a reward system to get me cycling. I promise myself that we will have afternoon tea at the Ritz, if we are in fact home by 1pm!



After the usually faffing we finally depart at 8.15. No messing, no photos, just cycling and here I am at the Boulangerie sporting my new look – COLD!




We arrive at 10.20, not bad! After a 55 minute break we’re heading home again. A slightly quicker run back and we make it by 1.10pm! I’m really pleased that my average speed has increased to probably almost the target 15km/hr. However, it’s after 1pm, so no afternoon tea at the Ritz for me. I guess I really ought to finish those tax returns!





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The Bixis are back!

Finally, the Bixis return, I can now start cycling to work!



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I blame the weather

Weekend of 6/7 April temperatures plunge to -10. Not funny, and I’m not cycling in that! We take the opportunity to hire a car and head to Baie de Febvre to see the snow geese. I could almost claim it as part of the training plan, as it’s pretty close to Trois Riviere the overnight camping spot for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Let’s pretend we’re checking out the route and have a weekend off cycling! This video clip has absolutely nothing to do with the training, but we did see an absolutely amazing amount of geese suddenly take flight. For the record it was a light aircraft that set them off – not me!




The following weekend it snows on the Friday, enough to wipe out any outdoor cycling plans!

However, I’m still spinning a couple of times per week, so all is not lost! The Spinning classes remind me of a short story that I read last year. During those dark days, my lovely UK boss sent some books over for Stuart to read. One of them was called Cycling’s Greatest Misadventures, and there was a particularly funny story about a Spinning Class, which made us both laugh, no easy task last year.
I dug the book out and re-read it, it still makes me laugh, so I’m sharing it here. Probably only for those of you who have been to a spinning class! (You'll need to zoom in to read!  Pages go down, then across.)

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.....and he's the coach?

The day after my rather epic ride to Pointe Claire, Stuart does the same ride again. This time with his recently returned from Florida cycling buddies.
He’s there and back in two hours (B**t**d!)



Later that week, we’re at spinning class, it’s an early class and I’m struggling. There is a watt meter on the bike and I usually average just over 100 watts (I believe Bradley Wiggins is about 500, but that’s just not normal). Anyway, this morning I can’t get the meter to even reach 100, never mind average above it. Meter was broken on the bike I tell Stuart as I head off to get paper towels to wipe down the bikes. I return to find Stuart on my bike peddling like crazy, watt meter showing 300. Nope the meters not broken he cheerfully announces! (B**t**d!)




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