Ken and Cam setting out on Day 18 Ken and Cam optimistically called it a "cooling breeze" as they set out from Regina on Day 18 - however, most would have called it a "headwind". Today would be another example to them of the value of setting correct expectations. They knew before they started that it was going to be a long day with a ride to Grenfell of 125 kms. They also knew that the wind would be in their faces as they looked out of their hotel window at the trees leaning to the west. However, as long as they knew what to expect for the day, it could be managed.
The wind was moderately strong and directly in their faces, but grew progressively stronger through the day. In conditions like this, a riding technique called "drafting" can be used to optimize the efficiency of riding. When you "draft", one rider leads, while the other rider follows closely behind, relying on the leader to block the wind, and also to create a vacuum that pulls the follower along. On today's ride, Cam and Ken each took 5 kilometre turns as the leader. Using his "cadence" feature, Cam could see scientific evidence of the value of drafting. When he was leading, he was riding at a cadence of around 85 - 90 RPMs, as this was an efficient cadence against the wind. However, when he pulled in behind Ken, he could very comfortably remain at the same speed with minimal effort and a cadence of just 65 - 70 RPMs. Using this technique, they finished a very long and difficult day still feeling relatively good.
The wind was moderately strong and directly in their faces, but grew progressively stronger through the day. In conditions like this, a riding technique called "drafting" can be used to optimize the efficiency of riding. When you "draft", one rider leads, while the other rider follows closely behind, relying on the leader to block the wind, and also to create a vacuum that pulls the follower along. On today's ride, Cam and Ken each took 5 kilometre turns as the leader. Using his "cadence" feature, Cam could see scientific evidence of the value of drafting. When he was leading, he was riding at a cadence of around 85 - 90 RPMs, as this was an efficient cadence against the wind. However, when he pulled in behind Ken, he could very comfortably remain at the same speed with minimal effort and a cadence of just 65 - 70 RPMs. Using this technique, they finished a very long and difficult day still feeling relatively good.
Friends 1 & 2 - Marc & Adeline! Day 18 was somewhat unusual in terms of meeting new friends. In the first 17 days, we have met 2 other cross-Canada cyclists. Today we met 4! We came across our first 2 friends in the town of Indian Head where we were stopping for lunch, 65 kms into our day. Marc and Adeline are from Burgundy France and set out on their journey on April 4, 2011 (!!). They have been traveling on their tandem bike for 27 months and have ridden a total distance of over 28,000 kms! On the final leg of their trip around the world, they are crossing Canada, heading down the East coast, and then through South America - planning to be home in France in the summer of 2014 after traveling for over 3 years! What an amazing adventure they are having! They are maintaining a website at http://letandemetlavie.fr/. It is in French, but you can use Google Translate to convert it to English.
Ken riding against the wind in the leader drafting position
Friend # 3 - David from Toronto We bid au revoir to our new French friends and continued towards Grenfell, once again benefiting from drafting. Soon, we could see another rider in the distance. We caught up to David about 8 kms from Grenfell. (The fact that we were able to ride faster than David, a young very athletic cyclist, was further evidence of the value of drafting, as individually, we would not have been able to catch him). David is from Toronto, and is heading into his last year of mechanical engineering at McMasters University in Hamilton. His girlfriend went to Kosovo for a couple of months, and he decided to use this time to ride across Canada. He started with the Eastern leg, riding from Toronto to Halifax, then flew to Vancouver and is currently completing the Western leg back to Toronto. He is riding for a charity that provides food to children in poverty and we are hoping to get his website by email and will post it when we have it. David had a very cool electric generator in his front wheel axle, and is able to charge all of his electronics as he rides - Ken was intrigued!
Friend # 4 - Kyle from Vancouver Island We invited David to join us for dinner and started riding towards Grenfell. Not much later, we saw another young fella standing beside a van on the side of the road. As we rode up, we started a conversation and learned that Kyle is from Vancouver Island and is riding to Newfoundland! He started the ride in May with a friend who lasted only 5 days before hopping on a bus and heading back home after having a dream about his dog and realizing that he missed his dog too much! Kyle decided to finish the tour across BC on his own, then Alberta, and having gotten that far, has decided that he will do the whole country. Of the four of us, he is the only one who rides without any technology and relies on road signs for his distances! He is carrying a guitar and earned his groceries yesterday by playing it outside of a Safeway! We invited him to join us for dinner as well.
Friends 5 & 6 - Neil and Shirley Theisen from Grenfell As we sat in the Grenfell Valley Side Cafe, a man approached the table and asked if one of us was Cam Olson! Shocked, Cam scanned his face and tried to place him. No luck. The man quickly explained that his name was Neil Theisen and he had taught with Cam's Uncle Larry Olson in Haywarden, Saskatchewan. He had gotten word of our coming to Grenfell from Larry and Irene on Facebook. He had been watching for cyclists through the afternoon and finally saw some bikes at the cafe. He was a little surprised to see four bicycles, but recognized our faces when he saw Cam and Ken sitting at the table. His wife Shirley joined us, and we had a good chat about their time in Haywarden with Larry and Irene (and Uncle and Aunt Roy and Joyce). This was a great demonstration to us of the value of social networks (ie. Facebook) to help connect people. Thanks Larry and Irene for sharing our link with Neil and Shirley!
The bike gang that invaded Grenfell We enjoyed a great meal with David and Kyle. This was the kind of day that makes this adventure so cool - seeing and meeting people, each on their own adventures and comparing notes with them. We wish all of our new friends the best as you finish your treks!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 125.6 kms
- Riding time: 7 hours 8 minutes
- Avg speed: 17.6 kms/hour
- Wind: East (moderate to strong)
- Cumulative: 1,983.2 kms
Tomorrow's Destination - Moosomin, SK - 99.2 kms.
For more ride details, see Strava and for more pictures of today's ride, see our Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 125.6 kms
- Riding time: 7 hours 8 minutes
- Avg speed: 17.6 kms/hour
- Wind: East (moderate to strong)
- Cumulative: 1,983.2 kms
Tomorrow's Destination - Moosomin, SK - 99.2 kms.
For more ride details, see Strava and for more pictures of today's ride, see our Photo Gallery.