First off - we're within striking distance of 5 digits for our fundraising. Please donate to help build affordable housing for those in need of it at the Heartwood Place website! Biking across Canada is a lofty endeavour, as is our fundraising goal of 10$ for every kilometer. Please help us reach it!
The B4B team had a great weekend. We received and tested our new beautiful Lombard bikes from Marin Bikes California and all I can say is WOW! These bikes feel as great as they look. The weekend started with a few hours at Royal Distributing getting our bikes perfectly fitted to our individual body types by their bike experts, shooting a pre-trip promo and ordering all the bike related equipment we'd need. After this I took the rest of the day off work to play some some softball with Jordan, his family and friends. Despite the 35 - 0 trouncing we took it was a still a fun way to spend the afternoon and topped off by the inaugural ride on our new bikes. The ride was fantastic and the difference between our Marin bikes and our Fuji Touring bikes was noticeable and exciting. I could definitely picture myself biking across Canada on the Marin's easier then on the Fuji's.
The next day Jordan and I went biking and were joined by our friend Chad Hepburn for a good 70km around Wellesley township and this is when we felt really, REALLY good. Chad, an impressive athlete struggled to keep up with us all day (read Chad's account here) due to in equal parts the training Jordan and I have been putting in and the quality of our bikes vs his road bike. It's interesting to note that I did switch bikes with Chad for an 8km stretch that saw him pass me on the first hill we came to for the first time that day! It was a little demoralizing, but I managed to keep up until we switched back to our normal bikes. We also used this opportunity to test and take video with our brand new Drift 1080p video cameras; They work great and have provided us with our first of many biking video's. After finishing the day's ride we briefly broke from each others company before grabbing dinner with more of Jordan's friend's and family. After some tasty adult beverage I eventually went to sleep feeling very good and eager to get on the bikes the next day.
On Saturday Jordan and I went on another little tour of the surrounding area, during which we put in about 80km total and both biked in the rain for the first time. Biking in the rain wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I presumed it would be and doing it definitely marked a mental hurdle and I'm no longer so nervous about the rain we're sure to encounter over our 7 week journey. The rain did clear up and we ended up having a great day going from Conestoga, to Elmira, to Floradale and eventually over some good hills to Elora where we broke for lunch and a quick stop at the Cafe Creperie where the Owner (and nicest man) Jacques Dion provided us with water, some very tasty chocolate mousse and a couple good stories. After we pulled ourselves away from Elora we made our way back to Conestoga via the picturesque Kissing Bridge.
All in all, the first couple rides on the new bikes were amazing and having put a solid 200km on the Marin Lomabrd's my confidence is at an all time high and my legs feel fine. So, here I am, listening to the Last Waltz enjoying the end of the weekend and counting down the days until departure.
7 days to go.
The B4B team had a great weekend. We received and tested our new beautiful Lombard bikes from Marin Bikes California and all I can say is WOW! These bikes feel as great as they look. The weekend started with a few hours at Royal Distributing getting our bikes perfectly fitted to our individual body types by their bike experts, shooting a pre-trip promo and ordering all the bike related equipment we'd need. After this I took the rest of the day off work to play some some softball with Jordan, his family and friends. Despite the 35 - 0 trouncing we took it was a still a fun way to spend the afternoon and topped off by the inaugural ride on our new bikes. The ride was fantastic and the difference between our Marin bikes and our Fuji Touring bikes was noticeable and exciting. I could definitely picture myself biking across Canada on the Marin's easier then on the Fuji's.
The next day Jordan and I went biking and were joined by our friend Chad Hepburn for a good 70km around Wellesley township and this is when we felt really, REALLY good. Chad, an impressive athlete struggled to keep up with us all day (read Chad's account here) due to in equal parts the training Jordan and I have been putting in and the quality of our bikes vs his road bike. It's interesting to note that I did switch bikes with Chad for an 8km stretch that saw him pass me on the first hill we came to for the first time that day! It was a little demoralizing, but I managed to keep up until we switched back to our normal bikes. We also used this opportunity to test and take video with our brand new Drift 1080p video cameras; They work great and have provided us with our first of many biking video's. After finishing the day's ride we briefly broke from each others company before grabbing dinner with more of Jordan's friend's and family. After some tasty adult beverage I eventually went to sleep feeling very good and eager to get on the bikes the next day.
On Saturday Jordan and I went on another little tour of the surrounding area, during which we put in about 80km total and both biked in the rain for the first time. Biking in the rain wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I presumed it would be and doing it definitely marked a mental hurdle and I'm no longer so nervous about the rain we're sure to encounter over our 7 week journey. The rain did clear up and we ended up having a great day going from Conestoga, to Elmira, to Floradale and eventually over some good hills to Elora where we broke for lunch and a quick stop at the Cafe Creperie where the Owner (and nicest man) Jacques Dion provided us with water, some very tasty chocolate mousse and a couple good stories. After we pulled ourselves away from Elora we made our way back to Conestoga via the picturesque Kissing Bridge.
All in all, the first couple rides on the new bikes were amazing and having put a solid 200km on the Marin Lomabrd's my confidence is at an all time high and my legs feel fine. So, here I am, listening to the Last Waltz enjoying the end of the weekend and counting down the days until departure.
7 days to go.
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