Beautiful Day, Terrible Decisions

The Thanksgiving long weekend gave me one more chance to get in a long ride before hockey starts to dominate every weekend. Saturday wasn't the kind of day that I wanted to spend on a long ride weather wise but Sunday was a beauty.

My first mistake was not eating. I've done a lot of two hour 50km rides this year on nothing but a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. My original plan was to load up Lael with all of the frame bags, a camera and lunch to catch some fall colours. For some reason when the time came it was Sophia that emerged from the basement. I headed out towards Westfort, down Broadway and through Whitewater. When I hit 130 I was planning on cutting back to Rosslyn Road, then 17 to the second overpass and back in on Poleline and Oliver. Sophia turned left on 130 and headed south. 

I ended up going west on Candy Mountain Road, climbed for a bit as I got close to the actual mountain and stopped to get rid of some clothes as the temperature rose. I crested the hill and found another but this one was loose gravel and wet mud. Sophia's skinny 100 psi tires are not a good choice but turning around seemed a bad idea. I checked my gps and it appeared I would be back on the pavement at Barrie Drive in no time. I heard a car coming and a family asked if I knew where Gammondale Farms was. I punched it into the phone and handed it to them, without my glasses I didn't trust my eyes for giving directions. They turned around and headed back, I should have followed.

The condition of the road wasn't great and going down the back of the hill was harder since I had to hold the brakes to keep from building up too much speed on the loose rock. I came to Aspen Road and turned towards Barrie but this one was freshly graded and the rock was so loose I had to ride in the mud on the 8 inch wide edge. Sophia has never seen rain let alone mud. 

I finally got back to the pavement on Barrie Drive and felt like I was flying back towards town. Down through the Kam River Valley and up the hill to Whitewater where I started feeling the bonk. My quick two hour ride had turned into a three hour grind and my body was hungry. No solution but to keep on pedaling. Lesson learned, again.

I finished 64km in three hours with over 2000 feet of climbing. Looking at the schedule for the coming week I might be able to get in another ride Sunday but I doubt the weather will be as nice. This time we're packing a lunch.

from Victor St. just off Broadway

 

Playoffs?

This video is classic Rick Mercer. I just hope that the Jays didn't take their foot off the gas too early. I'll give them the second game of the doubleheader after clinching the east, but to put out the B squad again the following day and then try and get Buehrle his 200 innings after two days rest was not the best move in my mind. They have a far better home record and might have taken the advantage right to the end. Let's hope they don't face the Royals in game 7 in Kansas City.