Day 36 - Penetang to Toronto

Penetang to Toronto
138 km, Sunny
Windy – 15-20 km/h, cool wind, mainly headwind, some crosswind

I was expecting to ride 200 k today. Since I am staying at my “little” cousin Shawn's place, just on the outskirts of Toronto, it's a very short day. I guess when I transfer to Anna's and Andrew's place tomorrow, I'll have to do a good 50 k. If I bike that much, it is considered a rest day or a light day?

The kids wake up at six in the morning, so they can be out of the house by 7 am. Crazy. Poorane. I got up to spend some time with them, and then returned to bed for another 90 minutes before getting ready to head out. As always, whenever I stay at family or friend's place, I tend to leave a bit later than planned.

I checked the weather network this morning to see what kind of winds to expect. Not the best news – expected headwind all the way. Luckily, they were advertising 10-20 km/h winds, nothing major, but just consistant.

On the ride to Barrie, I saw more wildlife: giraffe, anteloppes, those one-hump camels, and some deer. Canadian animals at it's best.

I remember biking to Barrie, 50 km away, was a big accomplishment. This time around, it seemed quite short and very feasable. I think I am finally getting close to being into shape. I should start training a bit more since I have a race in just over a week.

I zig-zagged a bit in Barrie to find some back roads out of the city to stay off the main roads heading towards Toronto. I was able to find a nice road and ride it to the end, before being dumped onto Hwy 11 near Bradford. That's where the traffic started. Tons of traffic. Luckily, there was a decent shoulder to ride on, and the drivers are fine.

Near Aurora, I was on top of a hill, where I saw a nice little view of “Taranna”. I could see the CN Tower, and some big buildings. I'm probably a good 30-40 k away from the downtown core (that's a guess, I could be wrong, it could only be 20 k or so). Still, it's far, and I can see the CN Tower – that puppy is big. Apparently, it can be seen from Hamilton on a clear day.

I am currently in the lobby of Shawn's appartment building. He's playing baseball until 10. This place seems pretty posh for a little hunter boy from Manitouwadge.

So, nothing major to report today, except that I am still alive, had a relatively easy (short) ride, and that I will have a “rest” day tomorrow checking out a few things. On the menu – drop off the bike at Andrew/Anna's place, head downtown to go up the CN Tower, maybe go for a tour at a micro-brewery (Amsterdam breweries is the most probable choice, maybe Steamwhistle, maybe both!?!).

One last note about Dizzie – she was a good versatile bike. She was used for racing, for training, converted to a fast touring bike. She did it all. From now on, the bikes I will have can not do it all. I'll have a nice little puppy strictly for road riding (training), but can't be used for touring. The current bike I have will probably only be for touring (with a bit of road riding for the rest of the year). That's all I wanted to say about her for tonight.

So, another few days until I am in Ottawa for a little rest. It'll be really nice to try to see a bunch of you guys, do some mountain biking, start my house hunting, rest up a bit, and get ready for the race week-end.

So, here's to another few days. Get the beer ready, I need to pack on a few pounds. If I base myself on the scales at my mom's place compared to the one when I did the bungee jump, I lost a max of 13 lbs (8-10 lbs I'd say is pretty accurate).

A tres bientot,

p2