I was really hoping to do an Easter tour this year, but the weather over the past week or so made that quite difficult. We got a huge dump of snow, and the temperature dropped to -24C/-11F. That would have made for some uncomfortable camping! So I decided to do a tour around my own neighborhood, and I called it my "Home Tour". Each of my rides were on different routes, but I started and ended each at home so I could "camp" in my own bed at night!

Friday - I did an 84 km loop northwest of the city. The route wasn't very hilly, but instead a warm-up for the next two days. Halfway around the loop I arrived in the town with the closest bicycle shop. The sign indicated they were open and I was tempted to stop, but I didn't.

Shortly after that I arrived in the Gull Lake area - cute - lots of little campgrounds and cabins and things, but I couldn't see the lake itself, or at least I could tell if there was a lake out there or not, everything is snow covered. I'd like to go there again in the summer to see what it looks like then.

I struggle a bit with the last 20 kms or so because of a headwind. I'd almost forgotten what they were like!

Saturday - I was on the road by 8:30 am. It was -12C with a wind which I was to battle for the next 70 kms.

I slithered my way out to the highway over the frozen first 4 kms of the route. There were a couple scary moments, but I made it. Then I made my way to "The Delburne Road".

I had been told that "The Delburne Road" was hilly. It wasn't. There were a few small hills, but nothing significant. However, I had that headwind to contend with, so it was probably a good thing I wasn't dealing with hills too. Nevertheless I enjoyed the road. It wasn't beautiful with all the snow and dead-looking trees, but the old homestead houses along the way fascinated me. When I see them, I wonder who lived in them, and what life was like for the people back then. Some were situated in very lovely little spots, tucked in among the trees for protection from the elements. And most were very small, yet if I had to guess, I'd say that the families who lived in them were probably quite large.

I nibbled at an energy bar on the way out to Delburne, but by the time I got to Delburne (60 kms down the road), I was quite hungry and feeling a bit weak. I'm used to people at the places I stop expressing some surprise at me being on my bicycle, but people came and went, and not one batted an eye at the fact that there was a cyclist standing there eating Doritoes in sub-freezing temps. There aren't very many cyclists in Manitoba, perhaps there are enough here that seeing a cyclist isn't unusual!

From Delburne I was straight into the headwind for the next 10 kms and could only manage about 10 km/h. That was a frustrating stretch!! The one amusing, and just a bit frightening, thing that happened in those 10 kms, was that I was pursued by a huge raven with a good 3 foot wingspan. It cruised along just above me for the longest time, occasionally making a funny rattling noise. It never swooped to attack or anything, just made me a bit nervous up there. Maybe it was waiting for me to die by the side of the road!!

And finally I turned so that the wind was a crosswind, but coming just a bit from the back. "Ah good" I thought to myself, "I'll be able to make some time now", but that wasn't to be. The Pine Lake road is undulating. It reminded me a bit of the PBP. For the next 77 kms I climbed to the tops of hills only to discover that there were more hills off in the distance. I really struggled for the first 40 kms of this section, all the way to Penhold. I think I stopped 3 times along the way, mainly to eat. The second time I stopped, I pulled into a petrol station at Pine Lake which was located inside a huge, typically Canadian, red barn. I was greeted there by a couple noisy boxers (dogs), but they seemed friendly enough and one hoped that I would give him some of my sunflower seeds as I stood outside eating them. Again, lots of people came and went, but not one of them spoke to me.

I dragged myself into Penhold and stopped at the petrol station there. This time things were different, the proprietor was quite friendly and chatted with me while I was there. The other thing that was different was that this petrol station stocked my "secret weapon", and I snatched it up and consumed it in no time flat.

Within the next half hour, my energy had returned and I was getting up the hills more quickly ... gotta love my secret weapon!! At the top of one of the hills, an elderly English gentleman pulled up beside me and asked me for directions. He wanted to know where the paintball place was. I didn't know so I couldn't help him, but it struck me as vaguely odd that someone who looked like he did should be asking about a paintball place!

I finished the route at 167.81 kms in 9 hours and 30 minutes. That makes this century my fastest one this year ... that really surprised me because I felt like I was struggling most of the way around!

Sunday - Today, the warmest of the three days, I decided to explore some of the local roads without a set plan. The whole route reminded me of the PBP route again - undulating hills. It will be great practice for 2007!! On the way, I saw cows, horses, a herd of elk, and llamas!! It's still basically black and white here - with the snow and leafless trees, but I tried to imagine what the area I was cycling through would look like when the crops are growing and the trees are green. I think it will look quite beautiful, and I can hardly wait to see it. I really enjoyed this route! I ended up with 78.7 kms.


In total I managed 330 kms (205 miles). Not bad for an early season tour!



How did your Easter rides go?