It's Been a Blast!
1 Sep 2024
Today marks the end of August and the GCC. I want to thank everyone for all their generous donations, support, and encouragement over the course of my challenge. It has meant the world to me that I got to take part in this event and raise money for the kids battling cancer. I can't wait until next year to do it all again! Thank you to SickKids for hosting such an amazing challenge! Unfortunately, I didn't get out for a ride today. I had plans to go in the morning but, it was raining and storming. So, instead my Mom and I planned a fun road trip down to the St. Lawrence River. Every summer we like to dip our toes in the St. Lawrence at least once! It's something we've enjoyed doing since I was a little kid. This year I decided to turn it into a celebration for me completing my very first Great Canadian Cycle Challenge where I smashed my ride goal and donation goal!! 😆 I had a really fun time down at the little beach in Iroquois. We hung out with the large family of Seagulls and watched a big ocean liner sail by. Here is a picture of the beach! See you again next year! Shout out to my awesome Mom for driving all the way there and back! 🥰
Posted 49 days ago
Off the Beaten Path
31 Aug 2024
Tonight I went for a short ride with my awesome Mom! 😊 We ventured of the road at one point onto a path I've been curious about exploring. As my Mom and I like to do we went exploring/adventuring to see where the path went. Unfortunately, we didn't go all the way to the end because the mosquitos were really bad and we got bitten up. So, we turned back and said we'd explore further another day when the mosquitos weren't as bad. My Mom and I have been adventuring together since I was a little kid! We love to go places that we haven't been before. Exploring is fun! But, it's even more fun when you are with your best friend! I happen to be very lucky and my Mom is my best friend! Here is a cute picture of my Mom enjoying our bike ride together. 🥰
Posted 50 days ago
Car Dodging is an Art
29 Aug 2024
Today I tried my best not to get runover by some very impatient drivers. I'm not sure where these people were going that they felt attempting to run me over was an option to get there faster. A note to drivers. Please move over when going past cyclists if you can. I realize that sometimes it's not safe for cars to move over if there is traffic coming the other way. But, if there is no traffic coming the other way then you are safe to move over and not drive super close to the cyclist. Cyclists are often already riding on the very edge of the road or shoulder so if you drive in our area we have nowhere to go but into the ditch. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma around cyclists "being in the way" or we "shouldn't be cycling on the road". There are MTO laws about bikes being allowed to ride on roads. Laws! Anyway please just remember to be mindful of cyclists while you are driving around out there. We do appreciate it when you move over for us. Like you we want to get home or to work safely. Also, please don't try to squeeze between us and a parked car. Just wait for us to go by if we have the right of way. If you have the right of way we'll let you go by. Such are the rules of the road. Ok this is my last PSA please do not use your phone while you're driving! Look where you are going and pay attention. You can't use your phone right now because you are already doing something else. Driving your car. Alright, now on a lighter note to road safety. Here is a bright sunny picture from my ride this morning.
Posted 51 days ago
200km!!
27 Aug 2024
Guess what? I did it! This evening I completed my ride goal of 200km!! 😆🥳 As you can tell I'm very excited! If you had told me this time last year that I would have rode 200km (actually 200km and counting) in one month I don't know if I would have believed you. This time last year I couldn't even ride a bike and now I've completed the GCC! I want to thank everyone for supporting me during my challenge with your kind donations and words of encouragement. You are all awesome! ❤ I also want to give a special thank you to my colleague and fellow GCC rider Mary McNeill! Last year she introduced me to the challenge when she told me she would be taking part in it for her fifth year. I thought it was amazing that she was enjoying riding her bike and doing for a good cause. Thanks to Mary I was inspired and spurred on to finally learn to ride a bike. All so I could take on the GCC this year just like Mary! So thank you Mary for introducing me to this challenge. I've been having a blast doing it and I can't wait to do it again next year! Also shout out to Mary who also completed her ride goal today of 150km! Go Mary! 🥳 Now if you thought this was the end of my challenge I'm sorry to tell you that you're wrong. I will still be riding and posting updates until the end of the month! I can't wait to see what my total kilometers will be at the end. Would anyone like to place bets? By the way I never mentioned that I got my GCC jersey! It's my first cycling jersey and I love it! Ruby likes it too apparently 😅
Posted 53 days ago
Found a New Path!
26 Aug 2024
What a lovely ride I had this morning! It was bright and sunny but, not too hot. I'm really enjoying riding with my seat at the proper height. No more knee soreness for me! In other news I discovered a new smooth path today! Our town has really grown in the last five years resulting in a large subdivision that was built just outside of it. Usually on my rides I see people walking or biking in and out of this pathway that connects with the original part of the town. I though it was just a short walking path that met up with the new subdivision but, I was wrong! It does meet up with the new subdivision however, it is no short path! Nay, nay! It is quite a long path in fact! I found myself saying "it's still going? Where does it end?". Everytime I thought I had reached the end there was another bend! Eventually it came out on the last street of the subdivision which I also thought was a small subdivision. Once again I was wrong. It's a large subdivision with a park in the middle! I decided to add this new find to my regular route. The path was freshly paved which made for a nice smooth ride. I was going pretty fast at one point and thought "is this how it feels to ride an ebike?" *zoom* I was going to explore further into the subdivision but I wasn't sure of the layout. You see our town's streets for the most part are laid out in a grid pattern. So, you can always be sure that if you miss a turn you can just go up to the next street and loop back around. I'll have to familiarize myself with the subdivision and go back for another tour. On that note never be afraid to go new places! People always say they'll "get lost" if they don't know where they're going. But the truth is You can never really get lost! After all you can always turn around and go back the way you came! So, get out there and explore! Find new places and feel like you're going on an adventure. Because you are and adventures are fun! You never know who you'll meet or what will happen. Be brave, be bold, have some courage and go for it! Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I rode past a fellow GCC rider today! Unfortunately, we were both going pretty fast so I didn't get a chance to stop her and ask her name. I'm hoping to run into her again before the challenge ends. Wish me luck!
Posted 54 days ago
Seat Height is Important!
25 Aug 2024
Last night I was reading an article about seat height on a bicycle. You see I'm on the shorter side coming in at 5'4 1/2". So, one of my challenges when learning to ride a bike was I couldn't get on the bike because most bikes have a high center bar that I couldn't get my leg over. When I bought my cruiser I got it because it had an easy step through bar which is great it meant I could finally get on a bike! So the next challenge for me was seat height! Because I'm short I couldn't get on the seat if it was too high so, as you'll see in my profile picture I set the bar half an inch from the post. I was all set I could get on my bike and ride! Everything was good! I've been riding my bike like that since I got it last September. However, over the course of this challenge I've been having some trouble with sore knees. So I was reading some bicycle articles online when I came across one called "How to set your mountain bike seat height and why it's so important". Where I discovered that even if you're short you still need to set the seat height to be inline with the top of your hip bone. This allows for proper pedaling and extension of your legs. You'll know when you're sitting at the right height because you should have a slight bend in your knee when the pedal is in the 6'oclock position. It went on to say that having your seat at the right height prevents burning thighs, knee pain/soreness, and over extension. Well needless to say this was news to me! So, first thing this morning I went out to my garage and adjusted my seat height on my cruiser. I set it inline with my hip like the article suggested. It looked really high! I got on and didn't have any issue reaching my seat thanks to all my cycling experience 😎! I took the bike out on my ride and was astounded at the difference! I was up higher and could pedal so much easier! My knees never hurt the entire time and I still had very good control and balance. I did stop for a second and drop the seat half an inch because I wasn't confident I could stop safely at this new height. After that quick adjustment I was good to go! I thought to myself "wow I've got a lot to learn about cycling still!". So, my advice today is when starting something new it's great to just dive into it head first but, it's also good to do some research too 😅. On that note if you see me rolling around at my new proper height feel free to say hello! Enjoy today's picture of the rising sun and some beautiful clouds. If you're interested here is the link to the article I mentioned https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-gear/set-mountain-bike-seat-height-important/
Posted 55 days ago
Swing Break
23 Aug 2024
Today I went for the longest ride I've done in a while. I went 11.35km! Lately I've only been able to do between 4.5km and 7km because my knees are felling sore from all the riding. I find if I rest them one day or part of the day they aren't as sore. I should probably give them a proper rest but, I love riding my bike everyday! It's good for both my mental and physical health. I find a good bike ride always helps clear my mind. During my ride I stopped at the Chanonhouse Park to have a water break. It was hot out today! While I was there I looked over at the swingset and thought back to when I was younger and my friends and I would hang out at the swings. We'd challenge each other to see who could swing the highest. It was a lot of fun! I really love swings and I use to have my very own swingset in my backyard as a kid. I thought to myself "I'd really like to swing on the swings". It's been so long since I've had a good swing. There was noone at the park so I threw judgement and potential onlookers to the wind and hopped on the swing! It took me back to being kid again swinging on the swing and I remembered what I loved most about swings. They make you feel like you're flying! After a nice swing break I got back to my ride and said to myself "That was really fun!". Let this be a lesson if there is something you use to enjoy doing as a kid and you think "I can't do that anymore it's just for kids". Don't listen to yourself! Go out there and have fun because having fun and taking time to play isn't just for kids. So hop on that proverbial swingset and feel like a kid again! You probably already guessed what today's picture is. It's the Chanonhouse park swingset!
Posted 57 days ago
Jock River Park Trail
21 Aug 2024
Today I ventured out on my mountain bike and decided to checkout the short trail that runs through the Jock River Park. My mom and I use to walk though the trail on our way to my grandparents house all the time when I was little. Back then it was a very natural trail all dirt and tree roots sticking out just how it should be. I remember in the middle of the trail there was this big bump and at the top was this huge tree root that stuck out. We would warn cyclists about the tree root if we encountered them further up the trail. Unfortunately, all that is gone now. As I rode through there today the dirt trail was replaced with gravel and the big tree root was either buried by the gravel or removed. The two large rocks were still there though. It was sad to see something from childhood changed so much. I remember the magic of walking through there as a kid and feeling like I was in The Spiderwick Chronicles or My Neighbor Totoro. What was once a quiet naturalized path has been turned into an uninspiring gravel path. It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell lyric from Big Yellow Taxi "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot". On a lighter note to forest destruction here is today's picture of the mighty Jock River. The water level is really high right now from all the rain but, I remember walking down the length of this river as a kid when it would dry up sometimes in the summer.
Posted 59 days ago
Relaxing Evening Ride
21 Aug 2024
Today I went for a very nice quiet ride around 7:30pm. It was cooler out and I didn't bring a warm enough jacket so I was a bit cold during my ride. My knees have been feeling the burn lately so I took my cruiser on a slow ride and took it easy. It was the first time I ventured over the railroad tracks! I wanted to take some pictures of the swamp on the other side and I'm glad I did. When I got there a heron was sitting on a log in the middle of the swamp waiting patiently to catch some dinner! Unfortunately, my picture of the heron didn't turn out but, my "shades of green" picture did!
Posted 60 days ago
Mountain Bikes are Awesome, and Cruiser are too!!
19 Aug 2024
Today was my second ride on my new mountain bike Rainstorm! There are a lot of bumps and cracks in the roads around our town and my cruiser usually loses all its speed when I go over them. Rainstorm on the other hand glides over them smoothly and only loses a bit of speed going over cracks. Not to mention it's disc brakes make braking smooth like butter! I love my Cruiser but ever since I got it the right brake has always been a bit sticky. Sometimes when I put on the brakes it makes a screeching sound. I'll have to investigate on YouTube how to rectify the sticking because my cruiser is also awesome! Enjoy today's picture of the bike brothers Mantis and Rainstorm. 😉
Posted 61 days ago
