No elevators at the Piapot Saloon! Although Cam and Ken had to share a double bed for the first time on their Cross-Canada Adventure, they both slept well - in spite of the constant trains through the night on the CPR line just across the street. As they prepared for the day, they both agreed that their visit to Piapot would be a very memorable highlight of the trip.
Getting ready for the day generally takes about 30 - 45 minutes as everything that got unpacked the night before needs to be carefully re-packed into the panniers. At the Piapot Guesthouse and Saloon, it took a little longer than normal as Ken and Cam had to navigate the narrow halls and stairs to get their bikes outside. By 9AM, they were ready to go, without breakfast, given that there was no continental breakfast in the Saloon. In fact there was no other signs of life at all!
Only one word is needed to describe today's ride...."Tailwind"! Once again, the wind was roaring from the West which made the short trip north to the TransCanada Highway a very tough challenge. The boys were very thankful that they were heading East as every other direction would be extremely tough with this wind. About 45 minutes later, they had already cycled 24 kms to Tompkins and decided to continue another 25 kms and have breakfast at Gull Lake, taking advantage of the "tailwind of epic proportions" while it lasted... During this stretch, they officially passed the 25% mark and are now over one-quarter of the way through the trip!
Getting ready for the day generally takes about 30 - 45 minutes as everything that got unpacked the night before needs to be carefully re-packed into the panniers. At the Piapot Guesthouse and Saloon, it took a little longer than normal as Ken and Cam had to navigate the narrow halls and stairs to get their bikes outside. By 9AM, they were ready to go, without breakfast, given that there was no continental breakfast in the Saloon. In fact there was no other signs of life at all!
Only one word is needed to describe today's ride...."Tailwind"! Once again, the wind was roaring from the West which made the short trip north to the TransCanada Highway a very tough challenge. The boys were very thankful that they were heading East as every other direction would be extremely tough with this wind. About 45 minutes later, they had already cycled 24 kms to Tompkins and decided to continue another 25 kms and have breakfast at Gull Lake, taking advantage of the "tailwind of epic proportions" while it lasted... During this stretch, they officially passed the 25% mark and are now over one-quarter of the way through the trip!
 Flats: Cam 3 Ken 0 | Unfortunately, about 5 minutes from Gull Lake, Cam had his 3rd flat tire costing them about 30 minutes... About the same time, Cam realized that the "twwaannng" sound that he heard the day before was a broken spoke on his back wheel! |  Flats: Cam 4 Ken 0 ?!?! What's with that? |
Rolling into Gull Lake for a late breakfast. During a hearty - but very late - breakfast at the Gull Lake Diner, the boys agreed that they would ride hard to Swift Current so that Cam could get his rear wheel fixed properly. Ken sent an email to Joanne Lavallee, their ELC (Emergency Logistics Coordinator) and asked her to research bike shops in Swift Current where they could take the bike. Not long later, she advised them that the Cloud 9 Bike Shop on Central Avenue would be happy to help them out, providing we could get there before they close at 5:00 P.M.
With the plans in place, they checked Cam's tire and got on their way. However, within about 10 minutes, Cam was back on his rear changing another flat. Although he had carefully checked the tire for problems after the first flat, it had been very cloudy and windy and he didn't find anything. However, this time with the sun shining, he was able to spot a small metal sliver that he removed - all of this was "deja vu" from Day 2 where the same storyline had played out over the day....
With the plans in place, they checked Cam's tire and got on their way. However, within about 10 minutes, Cam was back on his rear changing another flat. Although he had carefully checked the tire for problems after the first flat, it had been very cloudy and windy and he didn't find anything. However, this time with the sun shining, he was able to spot a small metal sliver that he removed - all of this was "deja vu" from Day 2 where the same storyline had played out over the day....
Dan went over and above to help us out! With the tailwind helping them along, the remaining 50 km ride to Swift Current (aka Speedy Creek) went very quickly and they arrived at Cloud 9 Cyclery just after 3:00PM. The owner, Dan, was an fantastic help and fit Cam's bike into his very busy spring-time schedule. In no time, Cam's bike was ready to go, including a new chain. While Dan gave Ken's bike an adjustment, Cam chatted with Jorin about numbness that had been impacting his right hand pinky and ring fingers. Jorin, a long-distance cyclist and cycling coach quickly re-taped Cam's handlebars, inserting gel pads to help cushion the nerves in the hands. At the same time, he gave Cam and Ken some cycling tips to help optimize their riding. Dan and Jorin did all of this without charging for any labour, saying that " they loved to help touring cyclists". Cloud 9 Cyclery is hereby named our Heros of the Day! Thanks Dan and Jorin for your awesome help!
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals! Having dealt with the bike issues, they headed out to find Uncle Vern's place about 7 or 8 blocks away. They were delighted to find that they were staying in the most luxurious accommodations of the trips so far - and enjoyed game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals in style! They want to say thank-you to Uncle Vern once again for his generosity!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 111.1 kms
- Riding Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
- Average Speed: 27.2 kms/hour
- Wind: West (super strong)
Tomorrow's Destination: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - 175 kilometers away! This will be our longest ride of the trip so far! A tailwind would be an excellent Father's Day present! (We have decided to go to Moose Jaw tomorrow and take our rest day there on Monday, rather than having it in Regina which was the original plan. We have it on good authority that the mineral spa at the Temple Gardens is going to be very therapeutic for us, and that we can't miss the Moose Jaw Tunnels...)
For more ride details see Strava and check out more ride pictures in the Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 111.1 kms
- Riding Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
- Average Speed: 27.2 kms/hour
- Wind: West (super strong)
Tomorrow's Destination: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - 175 kilometers away! This will be our longest ride of the trip so far! A tailwind would be an excellent Father's Day present! (We have decided to go to Moose Jaw tomorrow and take our rest day there on Monday, rather than having it in Regina which was the original plan. We have it on good authority that the mineral spa at the Temple Gardens is going to be very therapeutic for us, and that we can't miss the Moose Jaw Tunnels...)
For more ride details see Strava and check out more ride pictures in the Photo Gallery.