Leg 2 - The Prairies
Final family breakfast before 50 days on the road. Cam's first day of Leg 2, The Prairies, started a little earlier than Ken's as today was payback for Monday, when Ken had to ride an extra 27 kms home after dropping Cam safely at his house on the west side of Calgary. Cam was up by about 6:45AM and was sent off with a wonderful breakfast with his family. Thanks Sue and Kids for giving Cam an awesome rest day!
He was then treated to a coffee by his good friend Gordon Johnson at the local Tim's. As Cam cycled off, Gordon left him with the blessing "May the wind be at your back". How timely this was. While Leg 1 through the mountains was about climbing and elevation gain, Leg 2 across the Canadian prairies is going to be about the wind. We are sure that you will learn this quickly in the coming days.
He was then treated to a coffee by his good friend Gordon Johnson at the local Tim's. As Cam cycled off, Gordon left him with the blessing "May the wind be at your back". How timely this was. While Leg 1 through the mountains was about climbing and elevation gain, Leg 2 across the Canadian prairies is going to be about the wind. We are sure that you will learn this quickly in the coming days.
Goodbye from Reagan, Sully and Elaine. Meanwhile, across town.... Ken and Elaine were monitoring Cam`s progress on the "Find My Friends" app from their cozy, king-size bed. "Ah, it looks like Cam stopped at Tim Horton's" Ken suggested as he rolled over for a few more minutes of shut-eye. Cam raced to meet his target of 9:15AM at the Schultz's place, but was slowed by many reflections and memories as his ride took him down memory lane riding directly past the house he grew up in (Acadia), the house down the street from Ken's where they first met (Riverbend) and the house that Cam moved from in April. His sentimentalism cost him about 15 minutes and he rode up at 9:30AM.
Ken was also treated to a fantastic breakfast with his family, minus Zac who is traveling for work. Our good friend and Emergency Logistics Coordinator for the X-Canada Adventure, Joanne Lavallee came bearing balloons, chocolate rice crispy squares and a "God Speed Cam and Ken" sign to see them off. (For more info on this crucial role see our FAQ's) After heartfelt goodbyes, Ken and Cam were delighted to see the now-released balloons drift to the north-east indicating a wind that might help them this morning. After a fantastic rest day with his family, Ken admitted to Cam shortly after leaving that he was feeling somewhat emotional this morning. Cam awkwardly took on the female role and asked if he wanted to share why (secretly hoping the answer was "no"). Ken said that it was because he was now going to be away from Elaine and his family for 50 days. He had never been away from them for so long and it was going to be very difficult for all of them. [Cam then made a farting noise and asked when the Stanley Cup final was starting...]
Ken was also treated to a fantastic breakfast with his family, minus Zac who is traveling for work. Our good friend and Emergency Logistics Coordinator for the X-Canada Adventure, Joanne Lavallee came bearing balloons, chocolate rice crispy squares and a "God Speed Cam and Ken" sign to see them off. (For more info on this crucial role see our FAQ's) After heartfelt goodbyes, Ken and Cam were delighted to see the now-released balloons drift to the north-east indicating a wind that might help them this morning. After a fantastic rest day with his family, Ken admitted to Cam shortly after leaving that he was feeling somewhat emotional this morning. Cam awkwardly took on the female role and asked if he wanted to share why (secretly hoping the answer was "no"). Ken said that it was because he was now going to be away from Elaine and his family for 50 days. He had never been away from them for so long and it was going to be very difficult for all of them. [Cam then made a farting noise and asked when the Stanley Cup final was starting...]
The boys quickly learned that The Prairies were going to require a new kind of mental toughness. They made quick miles for about 90 kms, which took them to about 18 kms from their planned lunch stop in the hamlet of Gleichen. However, at 90 kms, the wind turned and started to come directly from the south at a very strong pace. Although they had been averaging about 22 kms/hour up to this point, the side-wind was dragging their pace down to about 16 - 18 kms/hour. They arrived in Gleichen tired from battling the wind and eager to have lunch in a cozy little diner or cafe. Unfortunately, they were very disappointed to see that Main Street Gleichen is home to multiple boarded up buildings and the only remaining businesses are a liquor store and the Gleichen Grocery. Fortunately, the grocery store had an excellent food counter and the boys enjoyed a very satisfying lunch in the Albert Beaupre Park under the Water Tower.
The Prairies gots hills! Back on the road, the strong side-wind continued and they maintained a very slow pace until about 130 kms. It was around 120 kms, during a break from the wind that they made a startling discovery that will forever change the X-Canada Adventure..... music! With very wide shoulders and long sightlines on the prairie highways, Ken pulled out his iPod (do they still make those?) and decided to listen to some music. Cam followed his cue and before they knew what hit them, they had ridden 20 kms. "Why didn't we try this before!" Cam yelled to be sure that Ken could hear him over top of his Ozzy Ozbourne compilation. (Actually it was Jesus Culture with Martin Smith Live at Nassau County Coliseum) Both Ken and Cam found the distraction of the music did great wonders to take their mind away from the wind and challenging conditions. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) this may reduce the opportunities to share their emotions on the road in the future...
71 year old Otsikawa from Japan As they rounded the final corner on the TransCanada and started to fight the south wind directly for the final 5 kms to Bassano, they spotted a lone cyclist whom they were rapidly gaining on. Ken pulled up beside him, and said "Hey pardner" - at which point the cyclist jerked his head to the left while cranking his handlebars to the right and headed directly towards the ditch. Turns out that Ken completely surprised him despite the mirror on his handlebars. Fortunately, the 71 year old "Otsikawa" from Japan didn't crash and will be able to resume cycling his way from Vancouver to Toronto. We shared our stories and were blown away that this 71 year old man had made it through the mountains, although Otsikawa didn't ride the Coquihalla - our masculinity preserved...
Downtown Bassano
We booked a room in the historic Imperial Hotel (above left) and had dinner in "Harry's Place" (above right). Bassano is a nice little town, but it confirmed our earlier observations that small town Canada is deteriorating with the move to urban locations and the growth of highway-side businesses. We have really enjoyed both of these inner-town businesses and were honoured with a visit to our table by "Harry" himself, a colourful character who is preserving small town life.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 162.9 kms (from Cam's house. 27 kms less from Ken's house)
- Riding time: 7 hrs, 50 minutes (Cam)
- Average speed: 20.8 kms
- Climbing: Not relevant
- Wind: South
This ride was Cam's second longest ever...
For more ride details, see Strava and see more photos in the Photo Gallery. Note that Cam started Strava late and so it did not capture the full ride from Cam's house.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 162.9 kms (from Cam's house. 27 kms less from Ken's house)
- Riding time: 7 hrs, 50 minutes (Cam)
- Average speed: 20.8 kms
- Climbing: Not relevant
- Wind: South
This ride was Cam's second longest ever...
For more ride details, see Strava and see more photos in the Photo Gallery. Note that Cam started Strava late and so it did not capture the full ride from Cam's house.