It Was And It Wasn’t A Marathon Day

You never really know how each day will go when you wake up each morning. Obviously, this applies to life in general and it definitely applies to cycle touring. Today was one of those unexpected days.

The day began with a pretty clear and simple plan. Cycle from White River to Marathon. A 92 km ride. I don’t know why, but I woke up particularly early this morning. Like 6:00 early. Apparently it was a morning for early rising for others too. By the time I got out of my tent, the cyclist from France (who arrived late last night) was already gone. And Eric, one of the other two cyclists that I met yesterday, was also already packing up his gear. Actually, he was in the process of drying out his bivy sack. While such shelters have their place, Eric was learning first hand how much condensation can actually form inside of them overnight. In case you don’t know, the answer is a LOT.

We eventually all got our things packed up and met up again at the A&W next to our campsite. Plans were discussed. Water bottles filled. And breakfast was consumed. And at 8:38, I was on the road to Marathon – the unofficial destination of the day.

To say that the first 40 km was an easy ride would be a bit of an understatement. The road was relatively flat and the winds were favourable. So favourable that the first 40 km only took 1.5 hours to complete. Based on that pace, I figured I could be in Marathon by 1:00 – easily. I knew I had no need to be there that early, and I also knew that I didn’t have much for breakfast and so I decided to stop at Gloria’s restaurant – which was conveniently located at the 40 km mark. Truth be told, I really just went into Gloria’s to get my water bottle refilled but once inside I decided that ordering the breakfast special would be a good idea. It was.

With my stomach full (well, somewhat) I was back on the road 25 minutes later. The ride continued to be as easy as before my breakfast stop so subsequent stops were brief. Even with my extended breakfast stop, I found myself approaching Marathon at about 1:30. Coincidentally, at that same time I also caught up with Moritz who had stopped for a roadside food break. After a bit of a chat we decided that stopping at Marathon at 1:30 seemed like a waste of a great day for cycling – plus the ride so far was so easy it just made sense to keep going. About 80 km further. The new plan was to get to Terrace Bay.

A funny (not ha ha) thing happened shortly after passing Marathon. The flat, easy roads we were enjoying all morning became noticeably less flat. One might even say hilly. Perhaps even very hilly. Of course, the upside to big climbs is that they are frequently followed by big descents. That was certainly the case today. I decided to coast down one hill without any pedalling whatsoever – just to see how fast gravity and my loaded bike would take me. Before I knew it, I was coasting along at a very comfortable 55 km/h. It was pretty incredible. As were the views.

Speaking of the views, they were particularly scenic today. Lots of trees. Lots of hills. And even one very long train. The train seemed to go on forever as it weaved its way around the hills, through the trees, and eventually disappearing beyond the hills. Once again, it was the kind of scene that would be missed entirely if travelling by car (or motorcycle or motorhome or … well, you get the idea). I had heard the train approaching as I worked my way up a not-insignificantly sized hill but it wasn’t until I crossed over to the other side of the road that I was able to get a really good glimpse of it.

While I was watching the train, Moritz caught up with me and, after watching the train disappear behind the hills, we ended up cycling together the rest of the way to Terrace Bay. And make it to Terrace Bay we did. And by the time we got there I think we were both relieved. Despite the beautiful weather, it had been a long day’s ride. 172 km to be exact – which makes for a new personal high. And other than sore knees, a sore backside, and being more than a little tired, I felt pretty good. I felt a whole lot better when we found an open restaurant and ordered some food and beer. It may come as a bit of surprise, but there’s not a lot of activity in Terrace Bay on Saturday night. Not a lot of activity at all.

As for the food, I ordered poutine (sort of) and a panzerotti. I say sort of because, while I ORDERED poutine, the plate I received wasn’t REALLY poutine. Not to be a poutine-snob, but I’ve eaten my share of poutine and this was not poutine. It wasn’t bad. But it was really just cheese fries with gravy. There were clearly no cheese curds included. That said, I was famished and didn’t really care. The “poutine” didn’t last long. Neither did the panzerotti.

The night ended with Moritz and I setting up our tents beside the Tourist Information Centre in Terrace Bay. It was right next to the highway so it wasn’t exactly a quiet location but after 172 km on the road, neither of us really cared.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 173.29 km
Ride time: 8:20:22
Average speed: 20.78 km/h
Maximum speed: 55.41 km/h

Total climb: 4,738 ft
Total descent: 4,883 ft