Day Three
Date: May 24, 2009
Distance: 66.5 km
Time in Saddle: 5 hours 12 min
Maximum Speed: 18 kmh
Average Speed: 13 kmh
Chase driver: Kirsty & Steve Vogelsang
Riders: Ken (I am happy not to have inflicted today on anyone else.)
Day three started east of Russell, Manitoba an a railway bed that has been out of use for some years now. Before leaving my bike was crying to be oiled so I lubricated the chain and derailuers and hit the trail.
As an aside you may notice that I have added another point to the Food Cycle 2009 preamble of facts. Average speed. It goes like this, the higher the number the better the terrain, lighter the head wind and the more favorable a host of other conditions. (Day 1, 21 kmh, Day 2, 18 kmh and Day 3, 13 kmh) Having said that I started down the hard packed trail into a 20 kmh wind head wind. The rail bed changed every few kilometers depending on the use of the neighboring land. Some stretches were like dirt roads, some like bumpy meadows and others loose railway ballast.
Passing through the N.E. Corner of the Waywaysecappo First Nation (challenge me on the spelling if you dare) I discovered two things. First, trying to pedal through this kind of loose rock is like sprinting, uphill, through sand with a piano on your back. The second thing that became apparent was that when I was lubricating my bike earlier in the day I should have included the pedals that I was clipped into by the cleats on the bottom of my shoes. Seeing as I had not done this it became very painful when I inevitably ground to a halt and fell off the bike unable to liberate my feet from the clutches of my pedals. The result was... well you know... painful.
The rest of the trail was a good bit better, although it included washed out sections. (I got a booter or two) Tomorrow starts a number of special/media events for the benefit of The Manitoba Association of Food Banks sponsored by The Manitoba Pork Council, BMO, Certigaurd and Bikes and Beyond. That means up at 5:00 and on the trail by 6:00. So over and out.
Until next time, thanks for your support.
Ken