(really in Oust) Based on the research I had done before we left Ottawa, today was the day I thought would be our toughest (our organizer has given this coming Tuesday's ride that distinction, but I disagree; I guess in 48 hours we'll find out who was right). When I made that assessment I hadn't realized I would end up adding to what I anticipated doing, but that's what happened. Given last night's late meal, it must have seemed odd to have been awakened at 5:30 by crowd noise and music blaring over a PA system, but that's what happened to most people (I was given a reprieve until 7AM or so because I had earplugs in). It turned out there was a running race that started right outside our hotel, and as the day wore ... read more

What to do on a rest day? Sleep in (after having first woken early out of habit), of course, followed by a trip to the grocery store to forage for comestibles. As City Hall was nearby I stopped in to enquire about the availability of wifi, and was directed to the Tourist Information Office and the library, both of which were closed for the traditional noon-2:00PM lunch break by the time I arrived (although a library employee I bumped into at the entrance told me they didn't have wifi in any case). When I subsequently returned to the now-open tourist office, I discovered they didn't offer wifi either, but they did have a rickety old Windows XP machine available for public use so I finally got to at least check e-mail (I am always anxious to ... read more

Depending on how picky you are, today was either a 3 or 4 col day. But I am getting ahead of myself again. Morning saw something new: the absence of rain in the forecast; the clouds, however, lingered low, and our host suggested they wouldn't burn off for another few hours. Breakfast at our hotel was served somewhat late (by our standards, at least) so I eventually got on the road at about 9:15, and quickly discovered that yesterday's cyclecomputer woes had not sorted themselves out overnight. In fact I now could tell only the time of day - speed and distance information were no longer available. The absence of the latter was particularly annoying since it makes following directions that much harder when you don't know when to start looking for the next turn. Although ... read more

When I say "first the bad news" it isn't just a figure of speech or rhetorical convention - the first news really was bad, as upon waking I discovered that my tire had once again gone flat overnight. The good news was that there was a bike store a few minutes' walk from the hotel. That news got better when I got there and not only found it to be open (I had anticipated having to wait until 10AM) but discovered that unlike yesterday's outpost it was a *real* bike shop, complete with high end offerings. And things got even better yet when it was determined all I really needed was a rim strip of the correct size, as it turned out the rural whiz who had worked on it yesterday had used one that was ... read more

It doesn't matter if the title of today's entry makes you think of Canned Heat or Kenny Rogers, the idea is still the same - today was time to put the rubber to the road and see what our band of cyclists was made of. After the requisite group photo we took off, initially keeping together until the friskier broke away from the peloton and set off across the countryside at high speed. The terrain was flat as we headed towards the Atlantic coast - so much so that at times it was reminiscent of the prairies; indeed as the edges of the road ahead seemed to merge at the vanishing point one would be forgiven for doubting that we were still actually in France. With my knee telling me it still hadn't fully recovered from ... read more