Posted by Les Faber in I have come to realize that life is full of little stresses. And if you don’t watch out for them, they simply add up into something that is harder to handle. Enter cycling. I have been on 2 wheels since I was a child (maybe 4 years old). And no, that was without training wheels! (Useless trivia, but I had to mention it somewhere).
My point? Cycling helps relieve the everyday stresses we all encounter.
My job is not all that stressful (I have a good boss). But it, along with the other nuances associated with being a human being can add up.
I just got back from two “fun-filled” days in Toronto (on business unfortunately). At 3 o’clock I was at Pearson Airport watching an incredible downpour and wondering if my flight would be on time (enter some stress). It all turned out well. My Ottawa-bound flight landed at 4:59 PM on the button. I was home by 5:45 or so.
Despite threatening weather, I decided to suit up in my spandex outfit and other assorted cycling gear and get out for a bike ride. I had no real destination in mind…. Just stress relief.
Here’s the route I took:
You can even download the gpx file to your GPS device if you are so-inclined.
The route is actually pretty good as most of the way is on quiet country roads. Mind you, I did travel after 6 PM. I suspect that there may be some heavy vehicle traffic during the day. The best part of the ride is along Cambrian Road.
The worst part is along Strandheard just west of Greenbank. Mattamy construction is building houses there, and they have made a mess of the road shoulder – which forces cyclists to jump off the paved shoulder into the right lane. Actually the (really) worst part is Jockvale Road between Greenbank and Riverstone Drive. There is no paved shoulder and the road is in utter disrepair. Plus, motorized vehicle drivers drive way too fast on this stretch of road (okay, not all of them. But enough for me to comment on it.). I don’t know why Stonebridge residents put up with it.
All in all, the route measures just over 34 kilometers. I did it in 1 hour and 20 minutes. Not bad as I stopped for a short break in Richmond – and had some traffic lights to deal with. Top speed was 42 kmph (great hill on Moody Drive!) …. Lowest speed – dunno – never checked.
I felt good when I got home — until I decided to check my tires…..
Not good. My back tire is done. The good news is that I discovered the damage in my driveway versus whilst riding in the middle of nowhere. Helen has been bugging me to get a spare tube. And I will add a piece of duct tape to the list (great stuff for patching the inside of a tire when you are in a pinch!).
So the saga ends on a positive note. I get to go in my backyard and write this post – accompanied by my buddy Guinness.
