Day Twenty Three - Minnedosa

Last night I woke up numerous times to the sound of rain on my tent. A wet 136 km day is not too much fun. My group was on galley duty so it was up early in the rain to prepare pancakes for the group.

Even though we lost a hour, because we are in the central time zone, we had all left by 8:45. The rain was still coming down and we had a headwind for the first coupe of kms.  Once we turned south, Sam and I, made really good time. 

We stopped in Birtle at a store for a hot drink and to warm up out of the wind and rain. Just when we arrived all the riders that were ahead of us were leaving. We spent 20 minutes getting warm and headed uphill out of town. 

Our second stop was for lunch where we met everyone again at the local hotel in Shoal Lake where there was a restaurant attached.  When the bills were being paid Matt explained to the waitress that he had a "cheese toastie".  He was referring to the grill cheese that he had for lunch. I really enjoy hearing how the English have different words for everyday things. 

Just before Minnedosa I saw a van that had pulled over and notice bikes on the back on being a Cervelo TT bike. I asked him if we could buy any tubes off of him and he gave me two free. Tyler and his wife AJ, from New Westminster BC, were on there way back home from vacation.

Tyler had an Ironman sticker on his bike and asked about it. He explained he had completed the Ironman in Whistler BC in 2014. It was the same race that I completed in preparation for this tour. I can't believe that I met an Ironman in the middle of nowhere and I was lucky enough to get some tubes from him. Thanks Tyler and family. See pic below. 

The rest of the day was about getting to camp to dry out our gear and refuel. Once at camp there was a nice wind and some sun that was able to dry out all our wet gear. A very nice end to a day that started out very wet and cold. 

Arlen using a Safeway bag to keep his helmet dry.

Prairie storm clouds moving toward us.

Tyler and AJ to the rescue with bike tubes.

Day Twenty Two - Binscarth

Last night the rain fell periodically on my tent. Not nearly as hard than it did during diner when we were under the tent shelter with the walls on (the walls have never been used until this point).  Every so often I would have to use the end of a broom to remove the pooling water in the roof before it clasped the shelter. 

After a very good sleep out of the rain I got up a little late at 6 because today we were only going 126 km. I know that sounds ridiculous but we have already done two days over 170 km back so 126 is "easy".

The cue sheet today said that the route was mainly flat with a couple of climbs out of the Qu'Appelle valley and out of the Asineboine river valley. Both valleys were very beautiful and peaceful. The were very green and most people would not recognize these areas as Saskatchewan. 

I was lucky enough to ride with Arlen today. He is a very strong cyclist and he has a lot of stories to tell about his life of 68 years. People can learn a lot from him if they listen. He is also very positive and has a lot of knowledge about the tour as this is his second time doing the tour. 

There was an option for an alternate route to avoid some rough road. We chose the rough road to avoid doing the extra 40 km. That rough road also cost me a PBJ that dropped from my bag when I hit a bump. Also one tube that has a slow leak that I still haven't changed as I was on galley duty and had to cook dinner once I finished my ride. 

The perogie and salad that we ate was good. It even made it better to have cake as dessert because we celebrated the leaving of another province. We are in Manitoba now. Three done and more than I want to think about to go. 

As John says most days when he rides into camp "Day 22 in the books".

Saskatchewan complete.  What a terrible road to get here!

Potash mine

Beautiful Qu'Appelle valley

Day Twenty One - Crooked Lake

The day started with me repairing a flat on my front tire just after breakfast.  I pulled the tube out and filled it with air to put under water to determine where the tube had been punctured.  Knowing that I reference the position of the stem on the tube and checked the tire for any foregin bodies.  I found what i hadn’t in the two previous tube changes, a small piece of wire.

Sam and I left the camp around 7:15 and about 20 km down the road I got another flat on my back tire this time.  This tire was brand new and I didn’t expect a flat this soon.  When I checked the tire this time I easily found what cause the puncture.  It’s what looked to be a tooth.  It turned out to be a piece of skunk bone.  The skunk was road kill that was spread out along the side of the road.

Others in the group had tire issues.  Kate had 2 flats on her front and one on the back.  Chris her husband had one.  They both use Continental Hard Shell tires with a special liner to prevent punctures.  The liner also was punctured.

Our first rest stop was in Indian Head, see pic below, to visit a bakery that previous Tour members had said to visit.  Sam and I found a number of our cyclists already there eating baked goods and soup and sandwiches.  I had packed 6 PBJs so I had a cookie and a cold drink.  The day wasn’t too hot but a cold drink always is a good thing.

Before we left the trans canada highway we stopped at an ESSO to fill up on water and I ate another sandwich.  There were no services for the next 50 km so we wanted to be prepared.  Chris and Kate also stopped there and we went in to the nearby information centre to sign the guest book and talk to the ladies named Doreen and Bertie that were attending it.  See pic below.

Not too far into the 50 km we descended into the Qu’Appelle valley for the second time on this tour.  It was beautiful compare to the rest of the days scenery.  We could feel the barometric pressure falling and I could tell that it would be raining soon.  I planned to set my tent up ASAP when I got to camp.

Once in camp I set my tent up and 5 minutes later it was raining.  The wind was blowing and there was thunder, and lightening.  After a quick dinner of sausage and salad I had a shower and got into my tent to relax and rest my legs.  

One more day complete.  50 tp go.

Indian head in Indian Head SK

Gerti and Doreen at the tourist info in Grenfell 

About to descend into the Qu'Appelle valley

Tents pitched before the rain

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