Last ride!

Spotted at Tyler's work.  We still think he's a legend.
(Our original date of departure was the 16th).

Well, we are only two "sleeps" away from the big Send-Off.  With that comes all of the last-minute preparations.  The general consensus of attitude is a mix of nervousness, excitement, and anticipation.  Can't wait!

Wednesday evening marks my final ride of any significant distance.  My friend Catherine joined me for the Linwood-Crosshill route that I have been cycling weekly over the last months.  It is also my last stop in at Crosshill Kennels, where Pete, Peggy and the dogs are always happy to chat and help me refuel.  Thanks!

Today, we are heading back to Royal to pick up our tuned bikes, as well as some of the other equipment for the first time, including the Garmin 800 and the panniers.  We have lots of work to do this weekend.

And the taper begins...

So we're one week out from the beginning of our journey.  Here's the latest:

Tyler and I did Linwood/Crosshill on Friday
and Floradale/Elora on Saturday.
I did Preston/Breslau on Sunday.  

- We "broke-in" our Lombards this weekend.  I would say between the three of us, we put in just over 500kms, which works out to about the average day.  To the right is a composite map of my three half-day rides this weekend.  We're taking the bikes back to the experts at Royal tomorrow for a final tune-up this week.  Check out Tyler's account of the weekend here and our guest-biker Chad's account here.

- We also got some great videos while experimenting with our Drift HD cams.  They will be posted to the facebook page as soon as they're ready.

- This week, the training winds down.  After putting in over 3,000kms for the year so far, this week we're going to take it easy, with no long rides, and also no long runs.  We have to be fresh for Sunday!

- Speaking of Sunday, come join us at our big send-off!  We are leaving from another Heartwood Place fundraiser, the Waterloo Running Series' Waterloo 10km Classic.  It is at University Stadium in Waterloo at 11am.  Join the facebook event here.  We would appreciate your support!!

One week and counting!

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 Wind Factor

On Sunday I managed to fit a 60km cycle into my day with work and family dinner providing my rest times. The bike ride from work to my parents house typically takes me less than 55minutes; though I've done it in less than 50 in favorable conditions and once when I got the ridiculous notion to do it in January while snowing just to see how long that would take (1hr 15min). This weekend however, a strong wind was blowing directly in my face for the full 24kms south-west bike ride and there were two new experiences:
1.     After struggling to make it up a large hill I decided to give my legs a rest and coast down the other side. The wind was blowing so hard at the top that I actually lost momentum going downhill and had to commence peddling before coming to a stop
2.     A new personal worst for a very common route. 1hr 20min total which means I can bike faster in snow than I can in wind.

Also, we're picking up our Marin Bicycles tomorrow from Royal Distributing which means pictures of the gear and bikes that will go across this country will be up very soon!

Getting Back in the Saddle...Literally

A note on getting back in the saddle...Literally.

Saddle, n.  Principal point of contact
with the planet earth for seven weeks.

This trip across Canada is less than three weeks away and it has slowly been taking over most aspects of my life. It's getting to the point where there is seldom a waking hour that passes when the trip isn't the main focus of my thoughts. Whether it's the logistics or the trip and wondering (worrying) how we're going to feed ourselves, or the physical aspect and wondering how we're going to maintain a pace of 160kms a day for 50 days, or the equipment and preparation that's still required, or raising money for the Heartwood Place, there's always questions to ponder and answers to find.
When I first tell people about this trip the initial reactions are incredibly consistent, "wow, that's how you're going to spend your summer?! You're crazy."
Or
"Are you sure you can even make it? You're crazy"
Or some other variation on that basic premise. For me though, this is about more than raising money or looking for an interesting, challenging, almost unique way to spend the summer - though this trip is definitely those things and more. For me, this is (as the title states) about getting back in the saddle. At the end of last summer while bicycling to work one morning I had a bad accident and went over the handle bars of my bike and shattered my collar bone in a half a dozen places. It required surgery to have a plate installed and I had to move back in with my parents because for almost two months I could barely get out of bed without help let alone take care of myself. It was the longest, least stimulating 2months of my life. I ended up losing 15lbs due to inactivity and all of my upper body strength and took 4 months before I could do a real workout.
Although there are still certain activities that cause pain in my clavicle, 9 months later my body is back to normal and all that's left to do is prove to myself and anyone else who's suffered an athletic induced injury that getting up after getting knocked down is always an option. Even if you get knocked down for 2months! So here I am, within a month of a cross-Canada-cycle...Bring it on!

Mental Milestone

Kyle fixing his alignment in Paris.

Kyle and I took advantage of some gorgeous weather on Saturday to do our longest ride of the season.  We took the Paris-Cambridge trail to Paris, then home through Ayr and  Heidelberg (map).  In total, it was 155km for me, and slightly less for Kyle.  We did get split up in New Dundee when Kyle got a flat and hitchhiked into Kitchener to upgrade his tires.   Kyle also took a spill near Paris, but was able to realign his own wheels.

I call this a major mental milestone because it is my first ride that is longer than our daily average mileage for the trip.  It is very relieving to know that we can do that distance with relatively little soreness or fatigue.  I did a quick 35kms today and I still feel pretty good.  I know that the repeated 100+km days will take a toll, but at this point in time I'm feeling great about our training and capabilities.

Thanks for reading!
Jordan 

Kyle's training update

The last week I tested myself with a few longer bike rides.

On Tuesday, May 1st I biked around 85 km (Winterburne, Kitchener, Elmira, Elora and Winterburne).

Saturday, May 5th I biked just over 100 km. See link below for the rough route.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=202826703769296425261.0004bf41c3c77788ae047

Biked just over 50 km today. I was planning on doing more, but I got tired...

We're estimating we'll need to average 150 km per day to get across Canada in under two months so I still have some work to do to get myself in biking across Canada shape.

Checked my back tire this Monday morning. The back tire was flat. Apparently my bike tire was tired too!

Training Update

I did not miss this sight!

A couple of quick Friday training notes:

I cycled indoors for the first time in months on Tuesday, after a couple of days without cycling.  I love to run in the snow/cold, but I do not think it is safe on a bicycle, where I live, especially with the winds.

I'll be back.

However, I did manage to take advantage of great weather on Wednesday to do some big hills. I had done Hawkesville-Erbsville last weekend, but this was my first time cycling on the Ament Line between Hawkesville and Linwood.  That was insane!  Heading into west directly into gusts of 35km/h winds, I was not able to ascend the entire major hill without stopping, either time I tried.

Stay tuned.  We will have some big sponsorship and donation news in the coming week!

Jordan

B4B Updates

Hi everyone,

Lots is happening right now in the Bike for Bricks.  Here's the latest:

- We ordered clothes this week from Runners' Choice in Waterloo (yes, they do cycling and tris, too).  Should be in by the end of the month.  Then we will look GREAT.



don't know why it's sidways...

 - As you probably know, we launched our Facebook fan page.  We will use this as our primary social interface, especially for some fundraising opportunities and events this summer, and also for quick and easy photo sharing.  If you don't already, you can "like" us here. 

- We are working on some branding and graphic design.  Here is a logo that I sketched out: it's a bike in a brick.  We hope to update this soon!

- We have made a major change to our planned route.  Rather than ferry from Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques on the west coast of Newfoundland, we will instead ferry to Argentina, which will cut about 700km from the first leg of the trip.  This is a conservative move that we believe is more realistic (proper rest and mileage), but also fits our schedule better.  Win-win.

- Donatations will be accepted ASAP.  You'll know!  In the mean-time, get inspired by the work that Heartwood does. 

- We have tentatively set the date for our next major training run: we are looking at a bike-camping trip the weekend of May 25-27 up into the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.  Until then, just cycling to work and around Waterloo Region.  Right now, I'm putting in about 300km/week and increasing steadily. 

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading,

Jordan

Grand Bend or bust

In the first major training experience of the trip, the three of us took advantage of a commond day off and cycled the full 121km to Grand Bend for an Easter dinner at the Cadman's. 

Personally, I wasn't sure we were going to make it, especially because it was my first time cycling outside this season.  (Probably not the smartest of ideas.)  Even though we had an "out" because our ride would be passing us late in the day, we didn't take it, but rather persevered downhill into 25km/h NW winds and finished the day strong.

Stats: The trip is 121km, about 75% of the average trip day.  It took a total of 7 hours, 5:45 of which was on the road.  That's 21km/h, which is approximately our long-term trip average.  Trade exhaustion and weight for training and experience, and we're in good shape!  Here's our route. 

You have no idea what you're in for!

Logistically, it was a little bit tricky.  Still without a GPS, I drained half of my BlackBerry battery doing mapping.  It worked very well, but that won't be sustainable in remote areas with no charging opportunities.  But we have gained confidence in our ability to navigate country roads quickly and while mobile. 

Physically, we are all very capable of this Grand Bend excursion.  It wasn't particularly fast or physically taxing, but more of a lesson in cycling.  It is very much a mental struggle, including the psychology of the long hours, as well as the willingness to take a long, slow beating.  I felt good right after the cycle, with my lower back but especially my knees taking a little bit of soreness over the following few days. 

The only downside so far is that Braun's really didn't come through for us.  My bike was a week late, which really isn't a big deal, but it is just not possible to get updates from their sales staff.  It came down to the wire, but Chad came through for us and lent me his road bike. 

In summary, big thanks to Nan Cadman for the dinner, all the Cadman's for the ride home, Chad for the bike, and the randoms in Mitchell for filling up our water bottles.  Next step: an overnight, multi-day cycling trip.  Until then, nice work guys. 

Jordan

In like a lamb...

It is TOO nice outside to be cycling indoors.  I ordered the bike 2.5 weeks ago, and the delays in shipment are made agonizing by this unseasonable weather.  This is so frustrating!!

This Friday, we are taking our first "official" training cycle together.  We are going to Tyler's gradma's house in Grand Bend, about 120kms.  It is going to be a great test of fitness, but an even greater test of bike smarts.  And I don't have a bike yet...

Ring in Spring

What a great way to start the new season. Huge week for me personally and the Bike for Bricks team. We have now purchased the bikes that will carry us across this massive country. The purchase was prompted by this amazing weather and I have since made good use of the bike and put 88kms on it in the first 24hrs post-purchase, and wow, bicycling outside in the sunshine with a real breeze is ten times better than the air-conditioned atmosphere of the gym. The 88kms equates to just over 1% of the total trip; a daunting thought when I consider the pain between my legs and how I'll cope with that over a 50 day span on the road without rest or reprieve. However, there are high points. The Fuji Touring bike I have purchased and ridden is completely different than the mountain bikes that I'm familiar with but I'm slowly learning through practical application (riding!) and haven't opened the owner's manual yet!
I have been riding from my house to my parents house and back for a 44km ride, with a great break for lunch with my mom or dad before heading back to my house. It's been great and taking advantage of this uncanny weather has left me feeling satisfied everyday. Some more good news - on my first day on the unfamiliar bike the 44km ride took 108minutes. On the second day I managed to cut that time down to 104minutes! A little know-how can go along way apparently.
That's it for now. Many more thoughts on riding, bikes, fundraising, general progress and life to come!

3 Months from Today...

Hi everyone,

The date today is March 16...exactly three months from our departure date of June 16. Kind of a wake-up call, because there is still so much to do before then. The main items we have to prepare are:

• Administrative - an online donation system, a publicity campaign to drive donations, continue to find sponsors, and formalize time-off work!


• Practical - continue to build our mileage, finalize our route, acquire two more bicycles, buy any remaining equipment, and arrange transportation (from North Sydney to Port aux Basques, and from St. John's to Vancouver)

That being said, we are very excited about the trip, for obvious reasons!

This is also a good opportunity to outline the blog: we are going to be tagging our posts, so far with training, logistics, and Heartwood labels for related posts. (More labels will added as necessary.) We also have mobile blogging set up, so that we can contribute from the road in June/July.

We are also working on a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account, which we will roll out once we have the online donations in place.

Jordan

Training Kyle Style

Hello all.

My training has been taking place in Elora at Definition Fitness. The gym is located near where I work. I've been taking their group ride classes about three days a week. These classes are about 50 minutes in lenth and they're tough. I'm always covered in sweat. Usually I need to drink about 1.5 liters of water to get through a class. I do tend to sweat more than most people. On days I'm not doing those classes I'll bike on a stationary bike, go for a run or do weight exercises.

Once I get panniers for my bike, I want to start biking to work. For me it's about 20 km one way. With the weather we've been having I could be biking to work soon.  

Training Milestones

I have achieved two significant milestones in the past week. First, last week I passed 1,000kms for the year, which is approximately 10% of the Bike for Bricks pace per day. Daunting. My weekly average has climbed from 50km in January to almost 200km this week.

Second, today I rode for two complete hour sessions (indoors), with a short break in between. That was both my longest ride of the year as well as my closest simulation to date (we plan to cycle in hour blocks, with short breaks). The break gave me a chance to wring my shorts out and change shirts!

I can't wait to get on the roads...