And Then It Was Over

My lesson from two nights ago of being well rested after going to bed early clearly did not sink in as this morning seemed to come particularly quickly. I’m sure going to bed at 12:45 AM likely had something to do with that.

After a quick photo with my final Warm Showers hosts, I said my goodbyes to Sue and George and was on my way to Lakeland. About 110 km down the road. Of course, before I hit the road I once again had to inflate my front tire with the hope that the slow leak would remain a slow leak for the duration of today’s ride. Final ride that it was.

Oh, and before I departed I made use of the bathroom scale to conduct the official final weigh in of the ride. Sure, I still had a day to go but I didn’t anticipate losing or gaining much weight today.

Today’s route was pretty straightforward with much of it (more than 40 km) following the Florida Trail and the Withlacoochee State Trail. Both trails are in great shape and completely isolated from the highway. Google wanted me to take a much longer route than was necessary, perhaps in an attempt to keep me on my journey for just a little bit longer. While the idea of extending my ride wasn’t offensive, I opted for the shorter route. That ended up being a good decision.

Getting to the trailhead was a very short ride from Sue and George’s place. I took a quick photo and started down the trail. As I did, I couldn’t help but think of a scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. “This is it. It’s going to be gone soon. Enjoy it.” And with that I began my final ride.

The first 20 km went by very quickly and I did very much enjoy it. During the next couple of kilometres my mind started to wander – as it frequently does. I started thinking about the conclusion of my ride, the options for my next ride, what I could do to lighten my load. Pretty standard stuff. It was as I was pondering ways to lighten my load that I thought of the tools I was carrying. Those which I had used. Those which I hadn’t. Of note, was the fact that I never needed to use my chain whip or cassette removal tool. The former being a somewhat heavy tool. Both were tools which were bought during last year’s ride after experiencing my first broken spoke.

At that exact moment (I’m not remotely kidding), I heard a sound that I’d not heard in a long time. A long time. Actually, it was a version of a sound I’d not heard in a long time. Initially, I thought I rolled over a stone in that perfect way which sends said stone shooting across the road. I thought nothing of it for about another kilometre. Then it occurred to me. That sound was NOT the sound of a stone. It was something else. Hesitantly, I looked down at my rear wheel to see what I knew I was going to see. A slight warp was clearly visible.

After 190 days and over 660 hours on the saddle, I know my bike reasonably well. As such, I really didn’t need to stop to know what the situation was. Clearly, a spoke was broken. The only question was, “What was I going to do about it?” I reluctantly stopped to assess the damage.

As suspected, the damage was in fact a broken spoke. No surprise there. However, it wasn’t like the broken spokes I’ve had in the past. Those spokes had broken at the elbow along the hub of the wheel. This time, the break was at the nipple. But while it was clearly broken, the spoke hadn’t completely freed itself from said nipple. I decided to take a similar approach to the spoke as I did with my slow leak. I would push on and power through and hope I could make it to Lakeland before dealing with it properly. I figured the chances of that plan working successfully were reasonably high. I mean, the wheel still had 35 fully functioning spokes. That said, I still had about 85 km to go. It would seem a relaxing ride was not in my future.

As a result of my current mechanical challenges, the next 85 kilometres were indeed not without a certain level of stress. Not overwhelming stress. More of a slight concern as to whether or not my wheel would explode before I reached Lakeland. You know, minor stuff.

The next 40 kilometres passed without incident – with the exception of my front tire slowly deflating over the course of that time. But that was fully expected. The rear wheel, despite continuing to have a slight warp to it, continued to hold together. I took a quick break to eat half of my sub before resuming my ride. Wasting time was not something I wanted to do today.

A McDonald’s/WiFi stop at roughly the 80 km mark revealed that if I could make it another 20 km not only would I be a mere 5 km from my destination but that I would also be rewarded with a Wendy’s. I always find it a bit amusing to stop at McDonald’s to find out where I might find a Wendy’s.

Despite the fatigue that my bike was experiencing, we worked our way through the next 20 km where I was in fact rewarded with my final Frosty of the journey. It was very satisfying. My bike’s reward was to settle for a job well done. Well, almost done.

In some ways the final 5 km of the day felt like the longest. It was definitely a feeling of being so close and yet so far. I pedalled on and hoped for the best. Spoiler Alert: I got the best.

Shortly before 2:30 PM, I caught a glimpse of the Schalamar Creek sign. Moments later, I pedalled my bike with its somewhat deflated front tire and somewhat broken rear wheel past said sign. A few minutes later I turned into the driveway of my aunt and uncle’s place and I dismounted the bike. And with that, it was over.

It certainly wasn’t over in the way I anticipated it would end, or even would’ve liked. That said, it certainly was an interesting final day on the road. And now that I’ve arrived at my destination, I’m not really sure how I feel. There’s definitely a big sense of accomplishment that comes with cycling over 13,500 km. But there’s also a bit of a letdown to think that I won’t be on my bike for a while. My somewhat broken down bike.

That said, it was great to reunite with my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Jack again. It’s hard to believe this is the second time I’ve cycled to Florida to visit them. And it’s always worth the trip.

I unloaded my bike and moved my gear into my bedroom where I was greeted with not one, but two large bags of M&Ms. It almost made me forget about that silly broken spoke.

I spent the rest of the evening sitting out in the screened porch area of my aunt and uncle’s place, staring at my computer screen while enjoying the fresh evening air. I’ve only been off the road for about six hours but I feel I’m already going through the early stages of withdrawal. It feels a little strange spending the night not having to look at maps or scout for Warm Showers hosts or other accommodations. And as I sit out on the porch t’s hard not to appreciate that being outside is good. And being outside in shorts and a t-shirt at 7:00 PM in December is REALLY good.

I’m not sure what my specific plans are for the future so for now I’ll just continue the thought that got me through the day, “Enjoy it.”

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 108.92 km
Ride time: 4:30:33
Average speed: 24.15 km/h
Maximum speed: 40.68 km/h

Trip totals:
Distance travelled: 13, 476.57 km
Ride time: 668:55:38
Average speed: 20.15 km/h
Maximum speed: 65.85 km/h

Days in Canada: 76
Days in U.S.A.: 101
Days in Mexico: 4
Days in Cuba: 8

Warm Showers hosts: 40
Warm Showers nights: 61

Subways: 127 (41 Canada, 85 U.S.A., 1 Mexico)