monkeymartian

* Note:  this post has been in the can for a while.  My schedule has been very busy and I haven’t been doing much riding at all.  Anyway, here’s the highlight of my cycling year.

-Andrew

 

After enjoying myself last year in the Tour de Greenbelt, I was really looking forward to the 2009 edition.  The Newmarket ride gave riders the choice of 25, 50 and 100km loops.  I signed up for the 100km route.

In the week leading up to the ride, I had been suffering from a cold.  I figured I would ride to the start as a kind of shakedown to see how I felt before deciding to carry through with the full 100km route.  I left the house with lots of  time to cycle  20km to the Newmarket Farmer’s Market, where the ride began.  The weather report called for rain in the afternoon, and cool temperatures.  I made sure to pack rain gear and some warm things to wear in my saddle bag. 

Last year I rode with Bill, and I reconnected on Facebook with him several weeks before the ride.  On my way through Aurora, I bumped into Bill on his way to Newmarket.  He was in his truck.  I met him a few minutes later at the Farmer’s Market.  I was feeling pretty strong so I decided to make good on completing the 100km.  After some eats and cup of coffee, things got going with the obligatory warm-up, and then the whole group was off.

The first part of the ride was a bit chaotic, as all the riders need to funnel down a narrow MUP until Green Lane.  Still, once the riders got strung out a little bit it was nice to chat with Bill for a while.  The 100km group only shared a small section of the ride with the 50 and 25km folks.  When we got to Warden, a sign indicated that the long route riders were to turn north, so we did.  Bill and I were able to hook up with a group of riders and get a nice draft.  I’m normally a solo rider, so I stayed at the back.  The group was travelling just a little faster than I wanted to owing to me weakened state (or at least that’s what I told myself!), so I got dropped off the back a few times.  I didn’t really want to lose touch, so I upped the effort and reattached to the train. 

The first rest stop was placed perfectly, about half way to the Briars.  Goodies like granola bars, apples and bagels were available, as well as gatorade and water.  Bill and I spent a few minutes there reloading, and then we were off west towards the lake.   The route followed the same streets of last year, and the stretch that follows the lake around the Briars is great.  There wasn’t too much wind coming off the lake this year, which was a welcome relief.

 The second rest stop was at the Briars itself.   I ate a bagel, apple, granola bar and several cups of gatorade.  Bottles were refilled.  I think some folks were expecting the same BBQ setup as last year, or something a little more substantial to eat.  Some peanut butter (or even plain butter) for the bagels would have been welcome.  We chatted with a couple of a tandem  that seemed to be having a great time.  They were friendly and answered all my questions about operating such a bicycle.  We also met Rebecca, a newcomer to the Toronto area.  We took a longer break here and then we were off.

 

The route followed the lake around to Sibbald’s point, and then went south.  A traverese east brought us to Kennedy Road.  The route was a good one, by and large.  The signage didn’t seem to be quite as good as last year, particularly on the return leg.  I don’t know if the signs had been maliciously removed or not placed there at all.  I had my map/cue sheet on my handlebars, and Bill had a GPS unit, so finding our way wasn’t very difficult.  The roads selected were mostly quiet traffic wise and a pleasure to pedal.  The only really unpleasant stretch was southbound on Kennedy Road.  The road surface had recently been chip sealed, and it was uncomfortable to ride on.  The addition of a strong headwind made it a little worse.  By this time I was feeling the effects of being sick the previous week.  Bill was a machine and pulled most of the way back.  We also hooked up with Rebecca again and climbed up one pretty steep hill at Kennedy and Harold Road.

The third rest stop was located about 10 km from end of the ride.  This meant a stretch of about 40 km from the previous rest stop.  I found this to be a little long, as I nearly ran out of water (I was nursing my last bottle for a while), and my back teeth were floating, necessetating a quick pit stop in the bushes before we got there.  My riding partners had lots of water, so I don’t think I would have dried out had I run out (I guess I drink more water than most?). 

A quick spin on some busy streets brought us back to the Tom Taylor trail, and then back to the Farmer’s Market where a BBQ was waiting for us.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, fresh local corn and gallons of gatorade were welcomed.  After chatting with Bill and Rebecca for a while, I headed off to visit a friend who lives around the corner from the Market.  My reward for a long day in the saddle was a couple of well deserved cold beers.  Thanks Phil & Lisa!

The route map was all on one sheet, which was easier to handle than the multiples sheets used last year.  I would have prefered the cue sheet side to be formatted in a similar way to a Randonneur’s Ontario sheet, showing direction, turns and distance.  This would have allowed me to know exactly where the final rest stop was (assuming of course the location had been determined.  I know that finding someone that will let you use their front yard as a rest stop could be a challenge).  The Excellent, friendly volunteers at the registration area and at the rest stops made the ride logistics smooth.  Good work.