As a regular view of the Global Cycling Network, I was interested to learn about a global challenge ride that was sponsored by Shimano and called Rebound. This is in reference to Unbound, the high-profile gravel bicycle race held in Kansas, attracting over 5,000 riders, including pro racers, for different distances, with the longest version being 320 kms. As the GCN video indicates, Rebound is an alternative for those unable or unwilling to make the trip to Kansas, but requires participants to ride on the same day, which in 2024 was June 1st.
To participate in the event I went online to register at Rebound.cc and checked the rules. There was also a Strava challenge noted. It seemed pretty simple: at least 15 kms of gravel riding, self-supported and with two rest stops. I felt that I could ignore the 6 a.m. start time (the same time that Unbound begins in Kansas) but also planned to do a lot more than 15 kms.
The route I picked would be the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail, a converted railway right-of-way, that ran from the village of Hammond, Ontario, eastwards to St-Eugene, near the Quebec border. My plan was to ride from Ottawa, joining a link to the trail proper, and go as far as Vankleek Hill before returning, which would total just under 200 kms, with about 30 being the asphalt roads from my home through Blackburn Hamlet to the trail.
I called my friend Chris to see if he would be interested but he had family obligations on Saturday. However, he did say that he would be happy to ride with me to the trail, since I was not sure how to get there and it looked like it was necessary to get through some roads with major traffic. He also said he would ask some other friends to come along and the plan was that they would ride with me for the first 50 kms or so.
The weather was ideal when I woke up early on Saturday. The bike, my custom Marinoni with 28 mm tires (indestructible Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons), was all set up and I had two frozen bottles on board, along with plenty of food to see me through. Riding to the meeting point, the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, I was delighted to see Chris and his East End Boys, fellow club racers, so we were nine in all, departing at 8 o'clock. We had a fast start heading east along the George-Etienne Cartier Parkway it was closed to car traffic (as on all summer weekends) as we entered. Fast pacing brought us to Blackburn Hamlet then across Innes Road, all along marked bike lanes, and after 16 kms we were on the Ottawa link to the trail.
It was fun riding with the group as the kilometers flew by. The trail was packed gravel dust and offered quite a firm surface. Everyone else was riding current-style racing bikes and had no problems. Well, not until one of the group had a flat. A comedy of errors followed as it turned out he had brought a tube that had a valve too short for his deep rim wheels. I had one long enough but when it got installed it blew up out of the side of the tire, which turned out to have a torn sidewall. Everyone offered helpful advice so it took quite a while to get rolling again. In the meantime we had all been a feast for the mosquitoes in the woods but at least there were no blackflies here.
The trail follows the right-of-way of the line established by Canadian Pacific in 1898 running from Ottawa to Montreal with the primary function of taking on agricultural freight--wheat and hay--from farmers in the region. We passed through the village of Bourget, where the original station still stands. We were surprised to find the trail asphalted for 2 kms here but in fact there are four sections outside of villages on the 72 km that are done up like this. After Bourget our group split and I was on my own as the others headed north on paved roads before they would turn west for home.
The trail crosses numerous roads, requiring some care to get around the gates that are installed on the trail. While a few of the roads are fairly major (albeit with seemingly zero traffic), many of them are very rough gravel and would be pretty much farm roads. The builders of the rail line had it easy as the route is very flat and there is only one larger river, the Nation, that needed to be crossed. CP passed ownership of the line to VIA Rail and the tracks were removed in 1986. The first section of the recreational trail was opened in 2004 and completed to its current length the following year. However, by 2016 the United Counties of Prescott and Russell considered closing the trail due to maintenance costs but a solution was found in 2021 in an agreement between VIA Rail, the Counties and a non-profit organization for ongoing management of the trail. It is used by cyclists and walkers in summer and snowmobilers in winter. One segment of the link to Ottawa is for equestrians.
For the most part the trail is well-maintained and in addition to the four paved sections mentioned there are also six pavilions in Hammond, Bourget, Alfred, Plantagenet, Vankleek Hill, and St-Eugene. These are very attractive structures that offer covered tables, a portajohn, and a structure with signage and some rather poor maps.
The signage is not really that good as for most of the ride you have no idea where you are. Furthermore, as originally an agriculturally-focused railway, the trail only goes through tiny villages so any services are not to be found close by, or are at least not indicated anywhere. It was strange that my destination of Vankleek Hill, one of the larger towns in the region and directly on the trail, was not shown on the one sign indicating distances on the trail!
As someone with a keen interest in history, I was grateful for the occasional signs that explained something about the railway's past and the stations that served it. There are also signs about the natural environment and I learned about the Alfred Bog, a Class 1 Wetland that is a domed peat bog and home to numerous endangered species of plants and animals, an example of a boreal forest environment far south of where it would normally be found. In terms of manmade evidence, the signs always seem to indicate that the interesting train stations, except the one in Bourget, all burned down or were otherwise demolished at some point!
By far the most interesting thing that existed on the trail (except for the Alfred Bog, clearly) was Caledonia Springs. I had never heard of this before but wondered about some of the village names east of Ottawa, such as Carlsbad Springs, indicating some kind of thermal water presence. It turns out that Caledonia Springs was a spa resort, based on the supposed healing properties of its waters, and established in 1836. It attracted visitors not only from Ottawa and Montreal but as far away as New York and even Europe. The community grew to include a number of hotels and facilities for visitors and reached a population of 500-1,000 residents. The CP bought the biggest hotel in town, the Grand Hotel, in 1905, renaming it the Caledonia Springs Hotel and making it part of CP's national chain of luxury hotels. It closed in 1915 and the last hotel in town shut down in 1947. The tracks and fancy station were taken out before 1986 and nothing whatever now remains of the village and its well-heeled past except two signs and the trail.
The trail brought me to Vankleek Hill or, more accurately, its outskirts. I had my lunch in the pavilion and then left the trail in search of more to drink. There was a Foodland nearby and while it was easy to reach riding on the paved shoulder of Hwy 34, it was impossible to cross over due to the heavy traffic so I just rode back the way I came and returned to the trail to head home. I did not feel the need to ride to St-Eugene, which would have added another 38 kms to the ride, there and back to Vankleek Hill, but I had not ridden this far for some years, even on a flat route, so was happy to turn back after my cold Gatorades.
The slight tailwind I had enjoyed riding from the west became a rather hot headwind on the way back. It was, to be honest, a pretty boring ride as there is not much to look it. It was enlivened a bit when I fell off my bike while slowly passing through one of the gates and discovering a big hole directly in front of me and, trying to avoid it, I lost my balance and tipped over. No damage except to me ego, although my right shoulder was a bit sore the next day.
So that was my Rebound ride: 192 kms in 8 hours 30 minutes of cycling, with a paltry 345 m of altitude gained. I do not really understand the attraction of riding on gravel, which is bumpy, slow and dirty, except that there is no traffic to threaten you. On the Prescott-Russell Trail on a beautiful sunny Saturday I only saw perhaps ten cyclists and another ten pedestrians over the entire distance. The day after the ride it took nearly two hours to clean the bike properly but at least I can say I participated in a global cycling event that covered six continents and 4,452,229 miles!
I mentioned in my report of Saturday's not-quite-completed Animalthon brevet ride that I took shelter at a cabin museum where there was a small display devoted to the Pileated Woodpecker, an extremely interesting bird that I have never actually seen. I have read a great deal about one of the most spectacular birds to have gone extinct in the United States, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, and the Pileated resembles it closely although it is somewhat smaller.
The weather in Ottawa has become quite wonderful, with clear blue skies, although the mornings are still just above freezing. Yesterday I rode home a bit later than usual, enjoyng the sunshine. I ride through residential streets and as I passed a house with a small tree in front I suddenly saw a large black bird swoop down and land on the trunk. It flew so strangely that I stopped to watch and--behold!--there was a male Pileated Woodpecker. It was about the size of a crow and did not pay any attention to me although I was only a short distance away. He ran methodically up to the top of the tree over the next few minutes and then flew away. A marvellous sight and one that I certainly did not expect to see in town.
I enjoy my short commute every day and opportunities like this would never come if I was in the car or on a bus. It is a pleasure to hear the bird singing, or seeing people out walking their dogs early or enjoying the sight of ducks and geese on the Rideau River. This aspect of bicycle commuting is not touched on much compared to the exercise or fuel savings or more prosaic elements but it certainly makes it worthwhile for me. Especially if I don't have to drag the bike through ice and snow to do it!
While at the Pedaling History Museum, I noticed a display featuring a spiked tire and a runner, meant to replace the wheels on a bicycle so that it could be used for winter. This was a coincidence as when I came back to Ottawa the special studded rear tire I had ordered had arrived. After I picked it up at the post office on Sunday I spent a good thirty minutes wrestling it on the rim. It did not look all that impressive and is very heavy.
Yesterday was simply too cold to ride so I drove to work, something I only do perhaps twice a year. There is no parking available in our building (which is inexcusable as it is in the middle of nowhere) so I had to park about three blocks away and walk through the biting cold. Of course, when I returned I discovered that Ottawa only lets you park on the streets for three hours and doesn't have to post a sign about this. So now I get to pay a $30 parking ticket as well.
Today I was determined to dress warmly and come in by bike. Of course, overnight a big storm had developed and when I opened the garage door there was a lot of snow on the ground. Big, fluffy flakes were coming down. Instead of my cycling shoes I had a pair of hiking boots on and I thought if it was too bad I could walk the bike back and hike to the office, a good 50 minutes away. But after the first few pedal strokes I realized that the studded tire really works and off I went, tearing through the snow and having a pretty good time.
My route generally avoids traffic but I found where there had been cars the road was a bit slippery so I just hopped up on the sidewalk. The deep tread cross tire on the front and the studded tire together allowed me to move quite briskly, probably up to 22 km/h or so. It was still cold outside but the challenge of it all goaded me on and as I crossed the Minto Bridges and saw the office ahead I felt a surge of triumph. I would be the only cyclist to make it into work today! Of course at that moment someone rolled down the hill near the bus stop and pulled in ahead of me on their bike. My hands were cold (it was still around -20C with the windchill) and the tire clattered over the parking garage floor but I had beaten Winter!
We'll see what the ride home is like tonight. And tomorrow freezing rain is promised. "Bring it on," I say. The Germans have a saying: "There is no bad weather. Just inappropriate clothing." And if gets just too bad I have a new set of cross-country skis. But I would like to think that the cycling season is not quite over yet.
The highest point on this ride is actually a landfill near the Experimental Farm!
On Sunday the weather was not very cooperative yet again, and my plan to do a group ride with the Ottawa Bicycle Club was foiled by the wretched pouring rain, which did not let up until the early afternoon. It got so late that I was debating even going for a ride but I thought of the three hours of training time that I would lose through laziness so I took out the bike and rode out around 3:30 pm.
My cunning plan was to take the bike path into Gatineau Park and enter a bit further north than usual in order to avoid the terrible road surface on Blvd. Alexandre-Tache, but after a good start I soon found myself hopelessly lost as none of the numerous intersecting bike paths in Hull had any directional signs. In addition, the paths all go through the route of what must be the ugliest semi-urban landscape in Canada and this depressed me so much that I fled back across the Ottawa River and rejoined the bike path on the Ontario side.
I decided to do a big loop around Ottawa using the bike path, which I have not done since I returned to the city last September. This was not the best idea as I had forgotten that the bike paths are actually "multi-use recreational paths," meaning that everyone who wants to can use them. The result is that it is pretty well impossible to ride at any speed since there are joggers, dogwalkers, people with baby carriages and mental defectives everywhere. One rollerblader took up both lanes and I had some trouble passing, even though I called "On your left!" quite loudly. I thought he must have been using headphones but when I passed (and he came so close I had to shout again) I saw that he was not. He gave me a look of such contempt I wanted to lean over and hit him. Unfortunately, most of the users of the path are similarly inconsiderate of other people and I think in future I prefer to take my chances with motorists.
In many places the bike path is pretty lumpy so between that and the risk of hitting people constantly I was pretty relieved to make it back home after 55 kms. The fact that I had had a vicious headwind for 3/4 of the trip did not improve my mood much, although at least it did not rain on me. Once I arrived home and got cleaned up, a massive thunderstorm did hit and today I will be commuting to work in pouring rain again.
After being cooped up doing the Tour de Basement for five months (!), with the odd exception of a few rides to work on BlackAdder, generally in sub-zero temperatures and/or freezing rain/snow/slush, I was delighted to finally get out of the house this weekend to go cycling with some alacrity.
Yesterday I polished up the Bianchi Limited and headed out around 2:30 pm onto the Rockcliffe Parkway/Eastern Parkway to do the circuit that will be the same one I will do when the time trial season begins on April 24th--from the Aviation Museum to St. Joseph Boulevard and back. This is a pretty flat route but I was surprised that almost immediately my bike computer was showing a steady 38-40 km/h. Can so much High Intensity Training in the basement really mean such a jump in performance? Of course when I passed the Rockcliffe Airport windsock I realized that there was actually quite a strong breeze blowing from the west and pushing me along.
I passed a number of other cyclists, and turned around on St. Joseph. I had a very fast start to the second leg but gradually began to slow as I came back up to the airport and felt the full effects of the wind. As I turned onto the off-ramp it hit me with full force and I could not manage much over 28 km/h at that point. But soon I was on my second circuit, the wind behind me again.
After passing several people, I heard a noise behind me and I was overtaken by a rider on a Cervelo time trial bike. I quickly jumped and pulled in behind him and had the pleasure of being towed to back to St. Joseph at around 40 km/h. He did the turnaround and I followed but he did not slow down all that much into the headwind. I don't think we ever got much below 32-34 km/h and there were points at which my left calf was threatening to cramp but I managed to keep up all the way to the off-ramp. The Bianchi has a set of Scott aerobars on it so at least I could get flat behind Cervelo Man. He was very strong, needless to say, and his big ring looked like it was a 54 or 55 tooth cog. He also had an SRM powermeter crankset, which sells for around $2200, or more than the Cervelo he was riding!
After a short break at home to have something to drink, I returned to the Parkway and did another circuit. In all I covered just over 65 km, at an average speed of 29 km/h. This was more riding than I have done so far in all of 2008! Not a bad first effort. Of course, the melting snow meant lots of mud and grit and I had to wash the bicycle and all my cycling gear as soon as I got home.
Today (Sunday) I drove out to Chelsea in Quebec to ride with my friend Daryl. It was another gorgeous sunny day, with temperatures around 12C and the huge snowpiles melting but not enough to let us climb in Gatineau Park up to Champlain Lookout. We did get to the Camp Fortune ski resort and saw the late-season skiers. There were also a lot of cross-country skiers on the still snow-covered side roads. We rode up to the Kingsmere parking lot but the road was absolutely terrible, with big potholes everywhere. They are probably waiting for another election before repaving the roads in Quebec.
As I had stupidly left my wallet (including driver's licence!) at home, Daryl was kind enough to treat me to some tea and banana cake at Cafe Les Saisons in Chelsea and then we headed back to his place. The mileage was less than Saturday at 34 kms and we were riding in a very leisurely way so no records were broken and a good time was had. Of course, I had to wash the bicycle yet again when I got home.
Just under 100 km this weekend, and the promise of good weather ahead. Once the snow has melted and the roads have been cleaned of grit I can bring out the Tarmac once again and add some speed to my endurance.
Ottawa's miserable winter has relented enough that today I was able to cycle to work on BlackAdder. The temperature this morning was just below freezing, but the sun was shining and the long-range forecast is pretty similar. Except for two patches of ice where I had to walk, the roads were dry so today the outdoor cycling season really begins!
With a few previous and quite brutal rides to work, my total mileage for 2008 now stands at, uh, 17 kms. But the journey of 10,000 leagues begins with a single step.
You know how it is when you are out driving your car in a snowstorm, with the wind howling and the flakes flying, and you see a guy on a bike and you think "He's crazy." I have become that guy.
This morning when I got up the weather looked okay, and certainly warmer than yesterday. But by the time I had had breakfast and gotten ready to go the snow had begun to fall in huge, swirling flakes. This time I was smart enough to wear cycling glasses with the clear lenses and, with some trepidation, I set off into the white whirlwind.
Note the tire tracks coming into the driveway
I discovered very quickly that 33 mm tires can go through anything. This should not be a surprising discovery since they took me through the mud so easily on the C&O Canal towpath but it was a novelty since my previous commuting history had been on my old Gitane with narrow 23mm high-pressure racing tires. I cruised in comfort and security, almost as fast as on dry roads and felt no slipping or handling issues.
Leaving Vanier and entering New Edinburg I did not see many cars so I could take the centre of the road, all the while holding a steady 20 km/h or so. I rode easily over the bridges on the Rideau River, with their creepy steel mesh roadway, and rolled into the office only a few minutes later than normal. Pretty well covered with snow, but almost on time.
Will it never end?
As I sat in my office I looked out of the window occasionally. Of course, the snow stopped as soon as I entered the building. And it began again when I left! But at least I know that I can ride comfortably in fairly deep snow. I just have to stop from time to time to wipe off my glasses.
I am still riding BlackAdder, my city/cross/shopping bicycle the 8.5 km return trip to work each day. Yesterday was actually fairly mild and the return trip, in particular, was actually quite pleasant.
Today is a different story. Leaving the house, the temperature was -14C (6.8F) and there was a light 8 km/h (5 mph) wind blowing. However, once you start rolling on the pavement the Do-It-Yourself-Windchill goes up pretty fast, and I was doing some long stretches at 25 km/h (15.5 mph). The calculated windchill works out to around -38C (-31F).
When I got to the bike parking area at work, there was one other cyclist. Although I am ridiculously proud at having ridden in, I hope that the cold weather does not last too long!
A lot of people have welcomed Winter with open arms in Ottawa but I just see it as the end of the cycling season. Bah! Humbug! I have been riding BlackAdder to work almost every day since I returned to Canada in September and had hoped to go into the second or third week of December before it got too messy.
But Hope springs eternal! It was above freezing today and there was a whole lot of melting going on so I hope that the roads will be clear enough to ride on Monday. BlackAdder has 33 cm tires so going through the messy stuff will be a lot easier than when I used my old Gitane for commuting.
And if worst comes to worst, I can cheer up by looking at a site that my friend Will has directed me towards: it is dedicated to crazy people actually riding in ice and snow: Ice Biking! Although my favourite photo has to be the racer climbing Loveland Pass in his shorts during a snowstorm!
I may be able to eke out a few more rides before the big snowfall that shuts everything down but there will be no serious riding until April, I guess. So it is time to look into alternatives: I am going to spinning classes at the athletic club; there are lots of badminton clubs in Ottawa if I want to jump up and down for an evening each week; there is cross-country skiing, which has enough cachet that I will not lose much of my cycling coolness if I do it. Who knows--there may be new opportunities in winter yet.
Still, I miss the sunny skies and the open road already!
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.
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.
It has been a while between posts and the move from Washington, DC to Ottawa, Ontario has taken a lot of organizational time and the effects will go on for a while yet.
Anyway, yesterday I seized a locker in the Departmental locker room and today I rode in to work for the first time in nine years in Ottawa. The weather has become rather cool and the thermometer only registered a rather cool 9C (48F) when I left home. Blackadder seems to be an ideal commuting bike and I rode the backstreets smoothly and arrived at the office a mere 14 minutes after I left home. This compares to the hour or so I spent yesterday walking back from drinking beer with a colleague from our Berlin embassy in the Byward Market.
In addition to getting my cycling life in order, I have also entered a duathlon, my first multisport event, on Saturday, October 6th, in nearby Cumberland, Ontario. I think that this will give me the motivation I need to get out on the road and get training again. It looks like it could be fun, and there is a finisher's medal for everyone who makes it through. My coach has suggested I do the sprint version, which is a 2.5 km run, 20 km time trial on the bike and ends with a 2.5 km run. I have found a training plan on the Internet which is set up for an eight week program but only calls for a maximum of 6 hours and 50 minutes of training per week which is really quite modest. Since I have only three weeks to work on this I will have to be a bit more intense, particularly for the running.
In 1996, I persuaded my friend, Barry Sullivan, to take up road cycling so that we could ride the Ottawa Bicycle Club's annual big Rideau Lakes Tour together. This is a 350 km weekend ride from Ottawa, Ontario to Kingston and back. We found a bargain Bianchi for him and after some moderate training Barry, who was doing a lot of running at the time, joined me on my 40th birthday for what turned into a long, wet but fun (in retrospect, anyway) ride to Kingston, on the shores of Lake Ontario.
In the meantime we have been on several postings to various places and Barry has moved up in the cycling world. The Bianchi was replaced by a Giant and now an even better Giant. Barry has gone into training seriously and after moving from Hong Kong to Taiwan he has gotten into racing in a big way and he will be joining us in Alsace for several days of riding in June. And I was delighted when he sent me an unnecessarily modest account of his winning his age group at the North Coast race in Taiwan on March 25th. Having introduced him to cycling I will of course take full credit for this excellent win. Well done, and an encouragement for all of us who have never stood on the podium.
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