60km Tour de Greenbelt: My Misadventures in Rouge Park

When I signed up for the Tour de Greenbelt 60km Major Meander I had an idyllic picture in my mind. I saw an easy ride, stopping at rest stops which featured things like points of local interest and farmers' markets. I pictured myself buying the best vegetables of the local harvest. Cycling along scheming about what cut of meat I was going to cook them with.   I figured that the real drama would come from the conflict between wanting to stay and browse through stalls displaying local wares and the desire to set a personal fitness best.  

Sometimes reality bites. 

Peddling into Rouge Park in a pack of riders, we are doing a fairly good pace.  At least some of us are.  I am struggling to get my cadence. “It’s gonna be one of those kinds of days,” I am thinking. I put my head down and push.  The scenery starts to change into farms and fields.  It’s really quite picturesque…especially the rolling hills…

The 43 Project unexpected lesson #2:  Toronto is relatively flat. 

Urbanite that I am, I have never biked outside the city.   Around the GTA there are some big hills, but they are surrounded by all kinds of flat.   Rouge Park is quite a work out.

Huffing and puffing, I am trying to help myself by using my body weight to generate the downhill momentum that will get me over the top of the next hill.  All of a sudden riders up ahead are pulling off the road.   Marla and I both pull over… we learn that we are lost.   We had been told to follow the green signs, it had been a while since any of us had seen one. A rather poor course map and an iPhone GPS confirms our status.   We figure out how to right the course and push on.

The air is fresh and we are in good spirits.  “At least the weather is good” we say…or is it?  A menacing looking black cloud is moving along side of us.   We carry on.   Marla, myself, some other folks we have met and one uninvited guest…a strong headwind.   

About 90 minutes in, we still haven’t found a water station and I am getting hungry.   We decide to check the map.   With our accidental detour and course correction we figure out that if we carry on and do all of the route, our 60km ride is going to be a 75 km ride, neither of us is sure that we have the legs for it. We take a short cut. 

Five minutes into the short cut, we are in Hell. The headwind is stronger,  the road is under construction,  there is heavy traffic, we are riding on gravel, the black cloud bursts into driving rain,  I bonk.  All my energy is gone. I can barely get Marla’s attention to pull over.  Finally, she hears me.  We pull over.  We eat enough to get us to our first water station.  

Eventually, Reesor's Farm Market in Elgin Mills appears and we can stop to rest. After three litres of water, two apples and a peanut butter sandwich, we find out that we have already done 30 km and I am able to laugh again.  

The second 30km is much better for both of us.  Although we still get lost, the weather cooperates. We hit some pretty sweet downhill grades and experience some very good speed.   We even have the energy to have some deep conversations about things like which smells better...roast chicken or roast turkey.  When we get up the final hill and across the finish line, four hours later, we are both exhausted, starving and happy.  

Although it was a tough morning, and nothing like I had envisioned, I still felt that sense of satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal. I had made 60 kilomteres inspite of the many challenges. Most importantly, however, I realized that if 60 km is almost two thirds of the distance to my 100km objective...I can almost see the finish line from here.

Never quit,

Mary

Next time: My chiropracter and I have a talk about preventing injuries and staying nimble at middle age.

Outside the Herongate Barn Theatre, Durham



Rouge Beach, Scarborough