Thursday Night Time Trial: Revenge!

After suffering the pains of terrible cramps and the indignity of being told my time was not taken as it did not appear I was actually racing, I went back last night to try again. Conditions were excellent with very little wind and after my lengthy warm-up I hit the course. Unfortunately, things started out badly with a mechanical issue as my chain jumped to the small ring and stayed there! I fumbled a bit and was seriously considering jumping off and pulling it back on when it slid back of its own volition. Of course, I was spinning so fast that my speed immediately jumped to 47 km/h! My heart rate was 172 bpm and stayed there for most of the course. Max was 181.

I passed my 30-second man not far before the turnaround (big deal--he appeared to be riding a mountain bike!) and found that I could keep my speed around 38-40 km/h on the leg back. No sign of cramps until I got to the last 400 m when they began to return but at this point nothing was going to hold me back.

Final result: a new Personal Best of 22:43, which gives me an average speed of 39.6 km/h. I need to knock off 13 seconds next Thursday to finally get to the magic average of 40 km/h. I think the prospects are good: except for disaster last week, I have improved my speed at every time trial this year. I am once again ahead of 71-year old Hermann the German (barely).

The season will not last much longer. By the time the 80 riders finished and we got our results it was already become dark. We have two tts left at this rate.

Gateau Gatineau: Another Slice for Me!

Pink Lake, which is green

Determined to take advantage of the superb weather, I headed back out to Gatineau Park at 8:30 this morning. After 25 km, I found myself at the parking lot on Meech Lake Road, waiting for the others. The roads were closed, but only until 10 am but a huge number of cross-country skiers were out enjoying the asphalt on their wheeled skis. Some of them came downhill impressively fast.

Skiers in September

Bob and Daryl from the Oakville Bicycle Club soon arrived and we set off along the Gatineau Parkway, turning right onto Camp Fortune Road and enjoying a nice steady climb. A powerful-looking woman rode past us and we were debating reeling her in but she looked pretty serious and was probably not even trying very hard, so we just cruised at our own speed. Although the roads were now open to traffic, there was not much of it at this end of the park. However, I noticed that as we headed south, many of the small parking lots were filled to overflowing and we actually came upon some cars. An NSX passed us, swerving by without enough room, and then he immediately had to sit on the bumper of a slower car ahead.

Me, Daryl and Bob at the Champlain Lookout

A right turn at the top and we rode the brief interval to Champlain Lookout, and then turned around to enjoy the downhill recovery stage as we headed back to the parking lot. Lap 2 was turning left towards Camp Fortune itself and although we were happy that the road was paved, the ski resort was only a short distance up the road. So back up towards Champlain Lookout we went, but turning left onto the Gatineau Parkway.

At this point I bid adieu to Bob and Daryl and with some soreness in my legs I headed back downhill towards Hull and once more across the Alexandra Bridge, with its excellent view of the Houses of Parliament, the Chateau Laurier Hotel and the impressive series of locks that mark the end (or beginning) of the Rideau Canal. Once I arrived at home, I took my trainer's advice and went running for ten minutes. It was pretty painful and I will definitely have some work to do before the duathlon in ensuring fast transitions.

So today was a good day: good company, a great ride, superb weather. 1504 vertical meters in 91.4 kms of riding.

Cycling in Canada!

Not so flat around here...

Taking advantage of the beautiful Autumn weather, I made my first long ride today. I had planned to join a group from the Oakville Bicycle Club riding in Ottawa with a club member who had recently moved, but I was just too involved with things at home for an early start. I finally got the Tarmac out at noon and headed through the Byward Market and then across the wooden slats of the Alexandra Bridge to Hull, Quebec. A left turn and soon I was "enjoying" the brutal potholes of La Tache Boulevard. It is clearly not election year in Quebec as the road was in terrible condition and I was worried about my lovely Shimano wheels. But after riding 5 kms or so, I saw the entrance to Gatineau Park, and turned right. At this point the road becomes as smooth as glass and you know that you are in the Pride and Joy of the National Capital Region.

The park is only fifteen minutes from downtown Ottawa but is a beautiful wild area of some 360 square kms, encompassing a number of lakes and some nice hills. There is an interesting collection of Canadian wildlife, and in July a cougar was sighted in the Park.

It is a popular place to ride and I was there to ride up to Champlain Lookout, the highest point in the park. The weather was exceptional, although it was a bit windy, and I made good time. I rode by Pink Lake, where I had my one triathlon experience, and continued along the parkway. The road continually rises and descends and I enjoyed the challenging little climbs and the trees, which are just beginning to change colour. I passed the summer estate of former Prime Minister Mackenzie King, which is open to the public and where tea is served, before I made the left hand turn as the road pitched up to Champlain Lookout, 12 kms ahead.

When I reached the Lookout, I stopped to admire the view and discovered the group from the Oakville Bicycle Club was there. We will ride tomorrow since a number of the roads in Gatineau Park are closed to cars on Sunday. They headed back towards Chelsea while I rolled back down the hill and went to a meeting with the coach who will give me some advice about my upcoming duathlon.

My actual ride time was a relaxed 2 1/2 hours, and I covered 62 kms, with a surprising altitude gain of nearly 1000 m, with the steepest grade 13.5 per cent. Tomorrow I will bring my camera so that I can capture the first of the Fall colours.