Finding My Legs

The roads leading me through Ontario thus far have been relatively flat. Sure there have been some modest hills but as yet there haven’t been any sanity-challenging hills. That trend continued today in the sense that my sanity wasn’t challenged (at least no more than usual); however, as I make my way into northern Ontario there are definitely signs of real hills. What makes a “real hill”? Well, I think a 2 km ascent is a good start. Make them a 6% grade and you’ve got a bit of a workout ahead of you.

After enjoying yesterday’s leisurely day of rest, I woke somewhat early to get ready for another day of riding. A quick stop at a certain sub restaurant had my panniers stocked with food for the next two days. That’s right. Two days. Why two days? Well, let me try to explain what exists between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa. Nothing. Hmmmm … that was easier to explain than I anticipated. Yes, there’s scenery but eating the scenery wouldn’t be particularly palatable.

On my way out of town, I also stopped in at a local bakery for breakfast. According to Andre (from Velorution, and my Warm Showers host) the bakery in question makes good donuts. And sandwiches too. Originally I was going to just get a donut (a Boston Creme) but I ended with a fresh turkey sandwich as well. I thought the turkey sandwich was great – the bakery also has a deli so the meat was freshly sliced. As for the donut? So good. Off the charts good. I mean, the Boston Creme donuts at Tim Hortons would be embarrassed if they knew how good these Boston Creme donuts were. So, if you’re ever in Sault Ste. Marie, I highly recommend Superior Home Bakery & Deli. So much so that I can’t help but wonder if they deliver to Thunder Bay. And Winnipeg. And Calgary. And Vancouver. And … well, you get the idea.

So, as mentioned earlier, the ride from Sault Ste. Marie to Wawa takes two days, with very few services along the way. As has become the norm, I didn’t really know how far I was going to make it on day one but I figured the further I went on the first day meant an easier second day.

I’m not going to lie, today was not the nicest day for a bike ride – the joys of the Boston Creme donut wore off in a hurry. There were headwinds and it was cold. Actual cold. Not my usual “anything below 20 degrees is cold” cold, but 7 degrees cold. SEVEN. It’s JUNE!! And truth be told, I didn’t really pack for such silliness. Fortunately I did have some thin gloves and hat I could wear under my helmet. Oh, and did I mention the fog? Yup, so it was cold and more than a little damp.

I layered up as much as I could which had mixed results. I was protected from the external elements but my non-breathable jacket (side note: I think the whole “breathable clothing” thing is a scam) did an excellent job of keeping in the sweat. And no, that’s not a good thing. As such, it didn’t take long for my shirts to be soaked. This was mildly bearable while I was pedalling and generating heat, but when I stopped for a break … well, it didn’t take long for those wet clothes to cool off. A lot. And yes, it was very unpleasant.

I ended up hiding out for almost two hours at the one rest stop along the way. Shivering for most of it. Yes, I’m a cold-weather wuss. And I’m okay with that. During my rest stop, Moritz caught up with me – he was enjoying the ride about as much as I was. Although, he has a significantly higher tolerance for the cold.

The rest stop was at the 75 km mark, so we decided if we could do another 50 km then we’d be in good shape for the ride into Wawa tomorrow. And so, we had a plan.

The plan came to a conclusion about 45 km later when we found a decent spot just slightly off the highway where we could set up our tents for the night. Our decision to stop was also aided by exhaustion as the biggest hill of my ride thus far was during those last few kilometres.

The adrenaline from that climb actually sustained me for a bit and I felt rather strong for the next few kilometres. Of course, that was short lived and by the time we found a place to camp I was definitely ready to stop.

Even though it was only about 7:00 by the time we had our tents set up, the mosquitos were proving to be more than a little relentless and by 7:30 I had quarantined myself in my tent, safe from the flying predators. Oh, and as for concerns about there possibly being bears in the area … we opted not to discuss such things.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 122.34 km
Ride time: 6:05:39
Average speed: 20.07 km/h
Maximum speed: 58.77 km/h