We got back on Sunday, had dinner with Bob Kassel then had dinner again with Dick when he got in later (us at 3:20; Dick at 7:30). I should document some of that later, I suppose ... perhaps while I'm driving around the main event ?
We stayed at the college until 3am, then drove north. Yesterday was another crazy day. Jerry napped on and off but I couldn't, dealing with Granite Anvil stuff until dinner time. I then slept from 8pm until 7am. This morning there's been another huge batch of emails -- what a time !
Today, keep monitoring; finish packing the trailer; leave tomorrow morning for David's to drop off the washer, dryer and chipper and then go to Durham College.
Tomorrow onwards ...
The following is what I sent out to the participants
-----------
Well, the 2nd
pre-ride is over. We had beautiful weather, albeit a little cold in the
morning, especially leaving Bancroft. The temperature in the middle of nowhere
is always colder than advertised ... in this case, under 5C / 40F, by our
estimate. The good news at that time of the day is that it gets better quickly
with the sunrise. Daytime temps were in the 20's / 70's.
Not only did we have
beautiful weather, but it's a beautiful ride. Hills, lakes, ponds, and trees
with the occasional house and small hamlet, this is truly rural Ontario. We
really hope that you'll enjoy yourselves.
Until I did my first
1200 in Ontario, I mentally thought of the province as pretty flat with the
exception of a few short ski hills. I learned then that it's far from flat; in
fact it's pretty easy to accumulate the vertical ascent. In this context,
"easy" doesn't mean that all the hills come easy -- there are a few that
will make you take notice but they are never all that long.
We do have rock --
Granite everywhere. The hills are the
Anvil.
The three of us did
an unsupported ride, which means a lot more cafe/restaurant time; time sorting
things out in hotels, seeing what caterer A left for us today ! It also meant
carrying more "stuff". Since I'd been traveling to/from LEL just before that
and don't own enough changes of good cycling shorts for back-to-back rides
without washing, I couldn't get my clothing dropped off at the overnights. That
said, I had the satisfaction of my bag getting lighter over the course of four
days as I was able to leave each day's change of clothing behind for pickup next
week.
How are
the roads ?
They are better than
LEL !
We did encounter
three new spots of road construction, however. On Day 1 at Eugenia they've
lifted the top layer of asphalt ready to re-pave. That's supposed to happen
before next week but who knows. The section starts a couple of hundred metres
before Top-of-the-Rock store and goes for another 3+ kms. It wasn't as bad as
it seemed at fist going into the Control.
On Buckshot Road we
found two new sections of stone chipping, 2.8 and 2.0 kms long respectively.
That leaves some loose gravel on top of the stone chip layer. These sections
will only get better as each day goes by
What's
the support like ? Services along the route ?
The locals did
their utmost to make us feel welcome in their small towns. I'm sure that you'll
find the same.
Our departure times
from the start and motels were in the 4am range. 72 kms from the start, the
Sunshine Cafe is open at 6:30. The three of us were ready for sustenance and
the facilities. After that, between Controls and services along the route, we
were never at risk of running out. We may or may not provide support at
Bellfountain (144) and Eugenia (294) from the mobile units, but the stores are
very well stocked !
On day 2, Big Chute
Marina, just over 50 kms from the overnight, doesn't open until 8am. We will
have support at that Control as well as Housey's Rapids and of Course Bancroft,
the next overnight. We may or may not have support at Fort Irwin from one of
the mobile units.
On day 3, we found
services open early in Barry's Bay and had a good breakfast. At this point we
simply rode by the community centre where we will be stationing our support. At
Hardwood Lake, Plevna, Sharbot Lake and of course the overnight at Napanee, we
will have support in place. There are services along the route as well during
normal business hours. This day ends up with some flat riding into
Napanee.
On day 4, we rode a
while before finding something open. This section of the ride is fairly well
populated but towns are small and nothing much opens before 6am or 7am.
Half-way through the day is the one and only Control along that section, a 24
hour convenience store. This day starts off flat but gets into the rollers as
we wind up the ride after Rice Lake. You might be tempted to not eat at Rice
Lake with only 60km to go ... but it's a long 60km.
What's the weather trend
?
This is time
for a disclaimer ! It's supposed to be even warmer than this past weekend but
you should still be prepared for cool morning starts. The forecast is showing a
30% risk of showers on Thursday, whatever that means.
Registration and Accommodation
Reminder
Although I've
done my best to pair people up, there's still a chance that you might not have a
room-mate and have to pay for the entire suite of two rooms, rather than only
paying for one, assuming that you are staying at Durham College. That said,
it's still an incredible deal. The front desk of the residence is open 24x7 --
address is 32 Commencement Drive, Oshawa. (905)
728-8700
If you are arriving on Tuesday, the college provides a coupon for
breakfast on Wednesday. On the day of the ride, the college will provide
breakfast for us starting at 3am.
You are not charged for the room when it's not occupied so you are
welcome to leave your stuff there. They do not service the rooms for the
duration of your stay. If you are parking a car, the front desk will provide a
parking pass.
The college supplies towels, soap -- all the
usual.
Rider check-in is 3pm to 7pm in the lobby of the college residence ...
see you there !
Drop Bags
I've not set drop bag standards assuming that people will be
reasonable. Soft sided is preferred; leave your bricks behind. If the bag is
too heavy, you'll have to get it into and out of our trailer yourself. Be
warned !
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