We’re heading back to do the Oka/Hudson/St Anne de Bellevue ride and Ann decides to join us. So we’re on the train chatting over a cup of coffee and instead of telling reassuring stories about how once you fall off your bike then it never happens again, Ann spends the whole journey regaling us with stories of how often she’s fallen off due to cleat issues. You can seriously go off somebody!
Unfortunately, I like to drink an extra large coffee, and when we get off the train at Deux Montagnes the station toilet is locked. No worries, I’ll just nip into the bushes. Big mistake! It’s Canada. It’s May. It’s warm and still. I’m no more than 30 secs, but that’s too long. When I get back on my bike I realise there is something terribly wrong. As soon as we pass a gas station I nip inside to the bathroom to discover 4 mosquitoes down my shorts. I can’t begin to imagine the discomfort that lies ahead!
However, the day gets better and the ride is wonderful . The weather looks threatening, but Stuart points out that the skies are clearing in the direction we are headed. (until later!)
It makes a real change to cycle behind someone other than Stuart. Ann is a bit of a roadie and even cycles in pacelines (a long line of cyclists, with the lead cyclist setting the pace). In order to cycle in a paceline it’s important to give lots of hand signals to the cyclist behind you. I’m fascinated by all the signals that Ann is making and find that I am keeping up just to discover what will be signed next (pot holes, obstacles, road humps, railway tracks). In fact I even request a new hand signal, which Stuart and Ann demonstrate below. It means “there’s a puppy to pat up ahead”
It’s a great day, and we have another lovely lunch at Herbs.
On the way home, we are running a bit late, Ann needs to meet up with Nathaniel before the evening meal. Stuart suggests that he heads off with Ann down the bike path as fast as they can, and he will point her in the right direction for the guest house once they get back to old port. He’ll then wait for me to catch up and we’ll head home more slowly. They head off like a rocket. Just for fun I stick behind them to see how long I’ll last. Very surprisingly, when they arrive at the old port I’m right behind them. They come to a stop and are surprised to hear me call, well what are we waiting for?! They call me a fraud for slacking earlier, but I don’t care! I kept up and my average speed for the day was 18.9km/hr!
That evening, we head out to a restaurant for a meal with Nathaniel’s random collection of friends that he picks up at the major bike events. As we are walking home from the restaurant the heaven’s open. I don’t think I have ever been so completely soaked (until tomorrow!)
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