Day Twenty - Rest Day Regina

This morning I slept in until 7.  I would have had a little more but I had to get my laundry done before we took the cab into town to do some errands.  Arlen and I were going to pick up our bikes from yesterday.  A couple of the other guys needed to get a hair cut and one other wanted to get some post cards and see the city.

Before we got to do our errands we went to breakfast at a place around the corner from the bike shop that was recommended by the cab driver.  He took us to Mr. Breakfast that was on Albert St, the main street through Regina.  Walked in and sat down and looked over the menu.

After we had ordered a couple sat down and she noticed Arlen's Tour Du Canada jersey and asked if he had done the tour.  He explained what we were doing and she said that she had done some shorter tours.  We have met quite a few people that are familiar with the tour or have done this or other tours that Cycle Canada offers.

At the bike shop I was happy to hear my bill was only $50 for an Ultegra chain, an upgrade from my 105 chain as they didn't have any in stock.  The mechanic names Lawrence, pictured below, charged me no labour and was able to fix it quickly.  The other guys picked up some Chamois butter, a pump, tires, and some arm cooling sleeves.

Once done at the bike shop a couple guys needed a haircut and proceeded to the nearest one according to Google which was closed.  The next closest was open and both were looking more aerodynamic with there new cuts.  The guys next stop was a Superstore but I chose to go and pick up my bike and seek out a cool place to relax.

I found a Tim Horton's that had really good internet where I was able to stay cool, watch Netflix and catchup on my emails.

Lawrence the mechanic at Dutch Cycles

Mr. Breakfast a Regina original all day breakfast place

Day Nineteen - Regina

Today Arlen and I got up at 4:30 so that we could make it to the bike shop to have some repairs done.  When we woke up there was a fog that surrounded our tents.  When we got to the double lane divided highway that we needed to cross it was very difficult to see the cars and trucks.  We made it without incident.

Despite the fog and the highway having a lack of shoulder for a lot of the way we made good time.  We stopped about 30 km in because Arlen skipped breakfast in a diner that was just off the highway.  The waitress was very in hospitable but the food came quick and we were on the road again in 30 minutes.

Our next stop was Bethune where we grabbed a drink and Arlen ate a banana and an oreo ice-cream sandwich.  As I was waiting for Arlen I managed to strike up some conversations with the locals.  They told me that Bethune has a population of 400 and it rained 5 inches the other day when we got rained on.  I over heard a couple of ladies talk about a broom ball game.  One gentleman said the he had ridden from Regina to Saskatoon but that was 35 years ago.  Another said that there was a potash mine opening up soon and the town was going to grow.

We didn't stop anywhere else the rest of the way as we wanted to get there asap.  A tailwind really helped us obtain a 10 minute 5 km pace which is quite fast.  Well we took one small break when I had to fixed a flat.  I told Arlen that I could do it in 12.5 minutes and he didn't quite believe me.  I did it in 8.5 minutes and he was surprised.

We rocketed down a hill into the Qu'Appelle Valley and then slogged up the other side.  The hill was really not too bad but we had only had a 50 meter elevation gain.  It was just a reminder of what we had done in the past.  This is the prairies.  It is not completely flat but it does some hills, small ones.

At 12:30 we saw the sign for Regina and were happy with the time that it took to do the 110 km or so.  We didn't follow the cue sheets and later riders were saying that they weren't really happy with the route.  The highway turns into Albert Street and the bike shop was only a couple blocks away from it.

The shop called Dutch Cycle was very well equipped and it had everything that we were looking for. I was interested in tires, cleats, quick link, chain, and having a mechanic look at my rear derailure cable and getting my chain replaced and shifting adjusted.

Arlen was hungry but I still had 3 peanut butter sandwiches left but we still went to Mr. Sub that wasn't too far away.  We ate and then got a cab to the campground which was 8 kms away.  A lot of people are interested in going to the shop so Arlen and I plan on going to pick up our bikes at 9 and 4 others will be joining us.  More will follow on bikes a little later as they may want to sleep in.

Dinner was Mac and cheese plus which was the best meal I ever had, while in Regina in July.  Really it wasn't too bad.  Meals always taste better after a 100 + day.  In the last 5 days we have done 145, 149, 154, 119, and 124 kms.  That is 691 kms in 5 days for a grand total of 1857 km.  That is the total on the schedule but it really is about 200 km extra for the trip from Victoria to Vancouver and the side trips into towns for ice cream and cold drinks.

Everyone is in good spirits and Laura who fell a week ago rode the whole day today for the first time and she says that she is feeling good.  Tomorrow is a rest day and everyone is looking forward to relaxing and not cycling.

Early morning fog

Day Eighteen - Craik

Last night we stayed in Outlook at a campground that overlooked the Saskatchewan River.  It was a very nice spot that had no trees at all but that was ok as it wasn't too sunny.

Everyone had left camp by 8 as everyone was hopeful to get the 119 km cycling out of the way and have some time to relax or get more than 6 hours sleep.  I am in my tent now and ready for bed because tomorrow I am leaving at 5:30 with Arlen to leave to go to Regina to have our bikes looked at.  He found that his rim had a crack in it a week ago and has been using someone else's spare rim.  I need to get a new chain, a spare chain, chain brake, and a new tire or two.  If I was in Victoria I would get the shop to replace my right brake lever as it has been wrecking my shifter cables.

During the ride everyone met in Kenaston, the Blizzard Capital of Saskatchewan, and the home of the big snowman.  We also took some time to rehydrate, mostly drank chocolate milk that was on sale.  I drank a 650 ml combination ice tea and lemonade.  It sounds weird but it actually is not too bad and it   cost 99 cents.

In one part of the ride there were hundreds on dragon flies flying all around us.  Probably eating mosquitoes or horse flies.  A couple of us have gotten bitten by horse flies and it really hurts.  In some spots horse flies are flying faster than we are riding and buzzing around our heads.

Just past Davidson we saw the storm clouds forming and we knew that we were going to get wet.  On that section of road the shoulder is very narrow or non existence.  When it started to rain the cars and trucks going by sprayed a mist of water on us.  The rain wasn't too bad but I put on my cycling rain jacket for the first time and found that it wasn't as tight as it was when I first tried it on in the store.  Looks like my 72 day peanut butter and jelly sandwich and 100 km cycling per day diet is working.

Kenaston blizzard capital of Saskatchewan

Post dinner happy faces

Grain elevators

Day Seventeen - Outlook

I slept like a rock last night after a late arrival at camp due to the insane headwind and getting to bed late because I was on cooking crew. 

We were all done with clean up at camp by 8 but I was the last cyclist to get on the road.  The forecast was for a westerly tailwind but the head wind wasn't too bad. 

I was able to catchup with Matt about 20 km into the ride as he stopped to eat a sandwich.  We agreed to be on sweep together and off we rode. 

We rode into Rosetown and looked for a place to have "a proper lunch".  We rode through town looking around and noticed a bunch of familiar bicycles parked out front of the Dairy Queen. 

It is amazing how a quick stop and a cold drink in an air conditioned restaurant makes you feel so much better. 

We got on to highway 15 and found the road to be in very good condition, very flat, and very straight. In the far distance we saw a storm forming. 

With only 10 km to go it started to lightly rain. It wasn't too bad. Compared to yesterday everything is no problem. 

We arrived into camp to hear about stories of other riders that got soaked in the storm. 

While dinner was being cooked I hand washed my 2 pairs of bike shorts, jerseys, and socks as a rest day is still two days away.

Matt taking a roadside break

We watch this storm form for hours as we rode east towards it

Panorama of flatness

Day Sixteen - Kindersley

Last night I got a really good sleep last night despite sleeping in a gym with 15 other people.  The gym was air conditioned, had hot and cold running water, and a flush toilet.  Five star accommodation on a no frills tour.

I quietly packed up my gear in the near dark and put it in the truck like most mornings.  i ate my cold breakfast and left by 6:30.  The day was 149 km and the previous day there was a head wind and I wanted to get going before picked up.

Only a few kms in Kerry caught up with me and explained that he wanted to get to Kindersley ASAP because he wanted to FaceTime with his family for his granddaughters 1st birthday.He made it in time before she went to bed. 

Shortly after that Ken caught up to me and then left me in his dust too.  Along the way he was riding in front of us, stopping ahed of us, and taking some really nice pictures of us as we pass by him.

Vicky, Matt, and Duncan caught up to me and i joined their pace line to avoid the wind but I dropped out because I wasn’t fast enough to keep up.  The pace line sure does help you to go faster in the wind but I was going anaerobic and didn’t feel to good at that level.  I knew that I still had a ways to go.

At the 88 km mark I crossed into Saskatchewan.  I took a selfie and rested in the sliver of shade that the welcome to Saskatchewan sign shed.  Shade is a very underrated thing in my life normally.  In the prairies however I have come to appreciate shade and seek it out whenever I can.

At the 94 km mark I broke my chain.  ugh.  I proceeded to put it back together but I hadn’t aligned the pieces and I broke my chain brake.  The chain brake was made of brass, or some light metal, and broke where tool pushes the pin into the link.  The sun was blazing down on me and there was no shade anywhere to be found.  I knew that there was some people still behind me so I called them hoping they had a chain braker.  They did.  About an hour or so later I had it fixed and was back on the road.

Sam, Julie, and I rode the rest of the way together and drafted each other most of the way.  We made it to Kindersley in just under 10 hours.  Most had got there in much less time.  I was on kitchen duty but the food had already been prepared and eaten so I did the clean up.

Shortly after dinner I had a shower.  Yesterday in Youngstown one of the ladies gave me there keys to their jeep so I could drive 3 guys over to have a shower.  The water from a glacier would have been warmer.  Today at the campground the water was scortching hot.

Everyone is in bed as most have admitted today was a tough day.  Tomorrow we are supposed to have a tail wind but yesterday they said that. 

Through Alberta, on to Saskatchewan

Taking a break in a small bit of shade.  Shade is a scarce resource in the prairies

Lead truck told me to move into the ditch when the truck passed.  I thought she 

Day Fifteen - Youngstown

I went to bed early so I could get a head start. It didn't work out that way.

I headed out around 6:15 and headed east toward Drumheller. About 13 km in I spotted a cyclist ahead that a group of us had passed a couple of days ago. 

After I caught up with her we introduced ourselves and exchanged our stories. Her name was Lisa McKenzie from Edmonton and she is biking with her dog to St. John's. 

At that time I felt some sloppiness in my back tire and thought I might have a flat. I stopped my bike and flipped it over and found that my tire had totally come apart. 

I pulled out my phone and had no service as I was surrounded by hills. I walked to the top of the hill and proceeded to call everyone at camp to ask them if they had  a tire and if so could they bring it to me. 

The campground didn't have very good cell coverage. The location at the top of the hill had intermittent cell coverage too.  Then I got a call from an Ontario number and I picked it up. It was Duncan and he said he could go back to the truck and grab a tire for me. 

By 8:30 I had fixed the tire and was on the road. Sam and I road together until we went into Delia where I saw a bunch of tour bikes park beside Mother Mountain Tea House that looked to be closed. 

We headed in and found all the riders happily sitting down and and drinking cold drinks waiting for they pie and/or lunch. I ordered the peach pie and scarffed it down. I also filled all my water bottles with the very good water they had. 

We continued on and ended up in a five man pace line. I really appreciated being in a pace line as the wind was brutal. At top speed we were going 19 km an hour and slowest at 13 km.

We arrived at Youngstown to the gym where the very generous people of the town prepared a potluck dinner. Thanks to the good people of Youngstown. A very good end to a very tough day. 

Memorial to those riders that died during a past Tour du Canada in the hall at Youngstown AB

Lisa McKenzie just outside of Drumheller AB

Bikes lined up outside of Mother Mountain Tea House in Delia AB.  Good pie!

Day Fourteen - Rest Day Drumheller

Today I slept in until 8 because it was a rest day.  For breakfast I had my regular cheerios and banana and a large cup of tea.  In Banff I bought the GSI Fairshare mug 28 fluid oz (about 3.5 cups) that I use  as a cup to drink my tea.  One cup is normally enough.

Ken, John, and Arlen went to the golf course 3 km down the road only to find out that the cook wasn't in until 11 am but still managed to eat muffins and egg burritos.

Many people today went to the dinosaur museum 5 km away but I opted to go into town to check it out and eat some lunch.  5 others joined me and we got a cab to travel the 15 km into town.  On a rest day is a chance to do what we normally don't have time for during a regular riding day.  A couple needed hair cuts, others banking, one needed shoe repairs.

For lunch 3 of us visited a restaurant recommended by John Catuchi (not sure on the spelling) Bernie & the Boys Bistro.  It is a true burger joint and was busy as we went at noon.  We ordered our food at the counter and then sat and waited 25 minutes for our food.  It was ok but I've had better.

The couple of guys that needed a haircut were turned away because the next available appointment was in a week or so.  The shoe repair didn't go so well either.  Yesterday the cobbler said he could fix it in a hour and today he said that he needed a week because he didn't like the construction of the shoe.

While 2 of the group went to the museum 4 of us were trying to find a spot to have a drink and have lunch (not me though).  After being ignored in one establishment we went to another listed high on TripAdvisor but they were not licensed.  The waitress told us about another spot and it was closed.  On our last attempt we found a place that was air conditioned and licensed and we all had a cold drink and they ate lunch.

Pretty boring stuff.  My girlfriend said to write more exciting stuff but I can't make it up.

Ken told me a story about when he was camping and he woke up to find to skunks had chewed through his tent and were rooting through his stuff.  They left the tent shortly after his discovery and no spraying occurred.  Although that would be a good story.  His daughter from Calgary visited today with his two very cute grandsons and they also brought us donughts.  mmmmmm jelly.

A couple of us finished the day off with a quick swim followed by a shower and an ice cream from the store at the campground.  Tomorrow we are going 145 km and when we arrive the towns people are putting on a potluck for us.  Sounds like a good end to the day.

Lunch at Bernie & the Boys in Drumheller

Sunset at the campground

Drumheller water tower