The Upside to Bad Days

So I think today would qualify as my first official bad day on a bike trip. It was bound to happen eventually. I’m probably more than a little lucky that it didn’t happen sooner. And I’d be naive if I were to think days like this won’t happen again. That said, this has been an eventful day – and the interesting thing about bad days is they definitely provide photo opportunities that you would never expect.

The remarkable thing about this bad day was how well it started. Jacob, the guy I split the site with last night, left about 30 minutes before me but we figured we would reconnect at a campsite in Portneuf. I was on the road about as early as I have been so far and the ride was going along very smoothly – great roads, favourable winds. Things were going so well that I figured putting in 60 km by noon would be easy. And it was – 63 km by 11:30 to be exact. However, it was somewhere around 11:15 am that the day took a turn for the worse when I heard the very distinctive sound of a spoke breaking. I feel I can safely say that it’s a distinctive sound because I’d actually never heard it before but when it happened I knew right away what it was.

You know you’re having a bad day when …

My initial reaction was to ignore it – I mean, denial is the first step. I continued on for a few more kilometres – mainly to find a decent place to stop and confirm the damage. I found a “Casse-Croute” along the way which would allow me to check the bike and get some poutine! As suspected, a quick inspection revealed the broken spoke – rear tire, drive side. Of course. This was going to be a problem to fix. So, after wallowing in the moment (while eating poutine) I did the only thing left to do. I called CAA. They were very helpful and, after spending several minutes determining my location, they confirmed they were sending out a truck.

Tick tick tick. 45 minutes later a truck (slightly larger than expected) arrived to take me back to Trois-Rivières – a place I had just left a few hours earlier. I hate backtracking! Anyway, with the bike secured to the somewhat large truck I was taken to a local bike shop and from there the story has a happy ending. Well, I’m sure it would have if the local bike shop was open on Sundays. It was now looking like I would be setting up my tent in the neighbouring WalMart parking lot for the night.

Yes, I think this truck is big enough.

That’s the one!

I must’ve looked pretty pathetic or at least dejected as I wandered around the parking lot of the bike shop. I say that because a woman working at the shop (the front portion of the store that sells clothing and such was open) came over to see if I needed help. I explained I needed to get my bike fixed but with the shop closed I was kind of stranded. I would like to point out that so far ALL of the Quebecois that I’ve met that “don’t speak English” speak it very well – especially compared to my French. Anyway, she offered to call another shop that was nearby and as luck would have it they were open until 4:00 pm. It was 3:25 pm at the time. With some quick directions I was literally running down the street with my bike desperately trying to get to this other shop (so no, I didn’t stop to take pictures – although, they would’ve been keepers).

SP Velo: Spoke repairing superstar!

At 3:45 pm I arrived, huffing and puffing and more than a little sweaty, at the bike shop. Unlike the last place, there was no English to be heard here but a quick visual reference to the broken spoke and repairs were underway. 15 minutes, and douze dollares later I once again had a functioning bike. The question was, what do I do now? Well, the short term answer was to go over to the Tim Hortons across the street to get some food and use the WiFi to see how far away the campsite in Portneuf would be. Well, the food was good (despite my bad French used to order it) but once again the WiFi connection was not cooperative so I just moved on. I figured I’d get to the same Casse-Croute from earlier in the day and perhaps set up my tent somewhere in the area.

Fortunately I wasn’t as far from that spot as I had thought (17 km) so by 5:30 pm my return to the Casse-Croute was complete. My GPS didn’t really reveal the campsite Jacob had referenced so I just searched for Pontneuf. I was surprised that it was only 43 km away and decided that was still doable in the remaining daylight.

Well, to make a long story longer, the ride to Portneuf was reasonably pleasant but given the circumstances of the day I was definitely undernourished and overly dehydrated. That said, my goal was to reach Pontneuf by 8:00 pm. In keeping with the spirit of the day (ie. crush Mark’s will to continue), the rain started with about 18 km to go. For those that know me, it is somewhat common knowledge that I MAY have a bit of a stubborn side so I wasn’t about to let a little rain stop me. So, I pressed on and by 7:45 pm I arrived at the Panoramique campsite – only to be told there was no room. I had trouble believing this but didn’t have the energy (or necessary French skills) to debate the 12 year old manning the booth.

Luxury accommodations!

It was right around 8:00 pm when I got to the “main” intersection in Portneuf. It was at this point that I started to realize the options (or lack thereof) that were before me for tonight’s accommodations. Again, my pathetic/dejected look must have kicked in. A guy in a Pathfinder-esque vehicle rolled down his window to check if I was looking for something. Once again I explained my predicament. He was surprised that the campsite wouldn’t let me in but suggested there was a reasonably priced motel down the road. OR, he said, I could set up my tent on the corner of the intersection at which we were currently located. I asked if that’s allowed and he said it was his property – on which a small store was currently being constructed. He then said he could open up the building and I could sleep inside if I wanted (his only disclaimer being that there isn’t water or electricity – which pretty much makes it like the unserviced campsites I’ve been using). Once again I was stunned by his generosity. He unlocked the door and just told me close it up when I leave in the morning.

Fine dining – with flexible hours

With accommodation secured all that was left was to pull out my portable stove and do a little cooking because it had been a long day and I was more than a little hungry. However, the finding of the accommodation seemed to slightly swing the mood of the day in a more favourable direction and across the street was a bar. It was 8:10 pm and according to the sign they closed at 8:00 pm. However, with people still inside I thought I would at least check it out. As suspected they were just about to turn off the “Ouvert” sign but they said I could come in to eat and drink. I did both. With a burger, fries, and a beer in my stomach I was ready to call it a night.

Oh, and did I mention that somehow there’s free WiFi on this corner? Weird, but it makes this place better than last night’s campsite!

I certainly don’t want any more bad days to come but I can’t say that this hasn’t been an interesting day. I’m almost afraid of what tomorrow will bring.

Today’s totals:

Distance travelled: 138.40 km
Time on bike (actually moving): 5:53:10
Average speed: 23.51 km/h