Barrie Bike Bet.
*This memory is a continuation of the 'No Brakes No Problem' memory.
The distance by car from our house was 220 km, but that was driving on major highways all the way. I began to research another route using back roads which would easily add close to 50 km’s if not more to the ride. I mapped out the route with the elevations; it was for the most part uphill all the way. I could only use roadmaps since there was no Google Earth back in the mid ’90s.
I quickly realized that planning a safe route would be very difficult. I was unfamiliar with many of the side roads, county roads and concessions that I would need to ride on. Some were dirt or gravel roads and were not even paved and part of the ride would see me riding on Hwy 11, a busy major highway for about an hour. Although I was very eager to attempt this twelve plus hour ride, it just seemed impossible especially since I would be riding alone. As well Bonnie thought it was too dangerous and she was very unsupportive of me even attempting the ride.
I put the maps of my route in a folder after I too began to realize it was probably unsafe to ride that far alone. There was absolutely no one I knew at the time who would even consider doing a ride that long with me. Most of my friends didn’t even own a bike and the ones who did thought I was crazy for even suggesting it.
Sadly, my dream bike ride to Huntsville had died and it was now buried inside a folder.
Over a decade passed.
After my divorce and then a two year stint living alone, I found myself still living in Mississauga with another woman, Janine. At this time I no longer owned my Norco road bike and riding a bike was no longer even a part of my life. I had taken up rollerblading which had become all the rage back in the mid-90's. I loved rollerblading as it was a great way to keep in shape and there were so many paved trails around where we lived. The longest rollerblade trek that I ever attempted and conquered was the 40 km paved and hilly bike route along the Niagara Escarpment. As well I was now playing summer roller hockey while living in Mississauga.
Over the years I had developed many nagging injuries which slowly began to hamper my mobility. I was not a cripple, far from it. But small things like getting in and out of a car were now much more difficult than they had been just a decade earlier. I put most of my aches and pains down to being job related since I had slipped a disc in my back in 1984 while working and since then I was never the same mobility wise. I also made the mistake of not letting my body heal properly when I was injured. Years of playing various sports and activities while I was hurt was now beginning to take a toll on my body. I had absolutely no desire or intentions whatsoever of getting back into long distance cycling.
Over a decade passed.
After my divorce and then a two year stint living alone, I found myself still living in Mississauga with another woman, Janine. At this time I no longer owned my Norco road bike and riding a bike was no longer even a part of my life. I had taken up rollerblading which had become all the rage back in the mid-90's. I loved rollerblading as it was a great way to keep in shape and there were so many paved trails around where we lived. The longest rollerblade trek that I ever attempted and conquered was the 40 km paved and hilly bike route along the Niagara Escarpment. As well I was now playing summer roller hockey while living in Mississauga.
Over the years I had developed many nagging injuries which slowly began to hamper my mobility. I was not a cripple, far from it. But small things like getting in and out of a car were now much more difficult than they had been just a decade earlier. I put most of my aches and pains down to being job related since I had slipped a disc in my back in 1984 while working and since then I was never the same mobility wise. I also made the mistake of not letting my body heal properly when I was injured. Years of playing various sports and activities while I was hurt was now beginning to take a toll on my body. I had absolutely no desire or intentions whatsoever of getting back into long distance cycling.
I still remember the day like it was yesterday, it was on September 22nd, 2003. I was sitting in a Tim Hortons coffee shop with Janine and I had just casually mentioned in conversation how I had always wanted to ride my bike up to Huntsville.
“You’re crazy.” She said, “You couldn’t even ride to Barrie if you had to.” She scoffed.
“Oh really, care to put a little wager on that?” I replied.
She laughed at the thought of taking my money so easily. She bet me a thousand bucks that I could not ride to Barrie on Thanksgiving weekend, a mere twenty days away.
“Let’s make it $1500,” I said.
She agreed.
The ride to Barrie would be approx. half the distance to Huntsville. We agreed I would ride up to Barrie, rain or shine from the Toronto airport area on Saturday October 11th. My game plan was pretty simple and I would leave our house early on that Saturday morning at sunrise. After parking my car in a public lot at Hwy 27 and Dixon Road, I would ride north on Hwy 27 straight up to Barrie. I would then be meeting Janine at the Red Lobster restaurant late that morning. However there was just one condition, I had to complete the ride before noon.
From Barrie we would then be driving up to Huntsville in her car where we had already been invited to spend Thanksgiving weekend with friends. After making the bet I quickly realized that I no longer even owned a bike.
“You’re crazy.” She said, “You couldn’t even ride to Barrie if you had to.” She scoffed.
“Oh really, care to put a little wager on that?” I replied.
She laughed at the thought of taking my money so easily. She bet me a thousand bucks that I could not ride to Barrie on Thanksgiving weekend, a mere twenty days away.
“Let’s make it $1500,” I said.
She agreed.
The ride to Barrie would be approx. half the distance to Huntsville. We agreed I would ride up to Barrie, rain or shine from the Toronto airport area on Saturday October 11th. My game plan was pretty simple and I would leave our house early on that Saturday morning at sunrise. After parking my car in a public lot at Hwy 27 and Dixon Road, I would ride north on Hwy 27 straight up to Barrie. I would then be meeting Janine at the Red Lobster restaurant late that morning. However there was just one condition, I had to complete the ride before noon.
From Barrie we would then be driving up to Huntsville in her car where we had already been invited to spend Thanksgiving weekend with friends. After making the bet I quickly realized that I no longer even owned a bike.
I better get myself a bike.
And, quickly.
The following day I visited a couple bike shops on my route. My focus was now more on comfort than anything else. Sitting crouched over drop road bike handlebars instantly gave me back pain and I knew I didn’t want to bike back down that road again. I would now need to ride more in an upright position with a straight handlebar raised a bit higher. I assumed that would be my best option for allowing me to ride for the most part pain free.
I bought a Marin hybrid aluminum bike for a thousand bucks. The bike was heavier than my old Norco road bike but so much more comfortable. My comfort would now be taking priority over my speed and that night when I got home I began riding. I had not ridden a bike in probably a good ten years, but you know that old saying; it’s like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget.
It’s so true when it actually comes to riding a bike.
I had nineteen days to get myself ready for the Barrie ride. The last thing I wanted was to stop halfway and have Janine pick me up on the side of the road. I would die riding before I would ever let that happen. Some of Janine's friends had taken a little side bet on the action. They too were not so confident I would be able to complete the distance with so little training.
All of their doubts and negative comments just lit a bigger fire under my ass.
I told Janine I would cover all and any side bets. The total wagered was an extra five hundred bucks, but within a couple weeks all of the side bets were now off the table. Janine was keeping them all posted on how much I had been training. They all changed their minds believing that I would now accomplish the ride and none of them wanted to lose their money.
Whatever.
And, quickly.
The following day I visited a couple bike shops on my route. My focus was now more on comfort than anything else. Sitting crouched over drop road bike handlebars instantly gave me back pain and I knew I didn’t want to bike back down that road again. I would now need to ride more in an upright position with a straight handlebar raised a bit higher. I assumed that would be my best option for allowing me to ride for the most part pain free.
I bought a Marin hybrid aluminum bike for a thousand bucks. The bike was heavier than my old Norco road bike but so much more comfortable. My comfort would now be taking priority over my speed and that night when I got home I began riding. I had not ridden a bike in probably a good ten years, but you know that old saying; it’s like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget.
It’s so true when it actually comes to riding a bike.
I had nineteen days to get myself ready for the Barrie ride. The last thing I wanted was to stop halfway and have Janine pick me up on the side of the road. I would die riding before I would ever let that happen. Some of Janine's friends had taken a little side bet on the action. They too were not so confident I would be able to complete the distance with so little training.
All of their doubts and negative comments just lit a bigger fire under my ass.
I told Janine I would cover all and any side bets. The total wagered was an extra five hundred bucks, but within a couple weeks all of the side bets were now off the table. Janine was keeping them all posted on how much I had been training. They all changed their minds believing that I would now accomplish the ride and none of them wanted to lose their money.
Whatever.
But Janine was not getting off that easy. I would be using her money to pay for my new bike that I had just bought. However, I still needed to complete the 100 km ride by noon and I had to do it rain or shine. It most likely would be cold when I would be starting out on that October morning and I hated riding in the cold or the rain.
I just hoped and prayed that it would be warm and sunny.
October 11th finally arrived, it was 6 am when I woke up. I had breakfast, a couple of coffees and I loaded my bike into my Jetta. It was freezing cold so I wore both leggings and a windbreaker type jacket over a Nike Dri-Fit tee shirt. I packed a couple water bottles and a few energy bars and drove out to the airport where my journey would begin.
It was just after 7 am when after parking my car, I got on the bike to begin my ride north on Hwy 27. I would have about an hour or so before I passed the city limits, but once I was out of the city I could not see a thing. A thick heavy fog set in as the temperature quickly began to rise. The fog was so heavy that I literally could not see anything a hundred feet ahead of me. I used the right hand solid white shoulder line as my guide, making sure to stay to the right of the line. I thought about stopping and waiting for the fog to lift, but didn’t want to risk not finishing the ride by noon and losing the bet.
So stupidly I just kept riding in the thick fog.
Within a couple hours I passed through a few little villages dotted along the route and before I knew it I was in the town of Schomberg. I was now halfway to my destination Barrie. The fog was still heavy as I road across highway 9, but within a half hour the heavy fog had lifted completely and I could now feel the warm sun on my back.
I began riding at a faster pace than when I had started out and I still felt great. There was now no doubt in my mind that I was winning the bet, I just needed to keep riding at the same pace. I drove past the ‘Welcome to Barrie’ road sign, but I still needed to navigate my way over to the Red Lobster where Janine agreed to meet me.
I got lost.
I found myself now at the Barrie waterfront. I needed to be on Bayfield Street which was in the north end of the city. I finally arrived at my destination just before 11am. The ride had taken me just under four hours including my half hour little detour after getting lost. I was so proud of myself as I waited outside while basking in the warm sun in front of the Red Lobster for Janine to arrive. She pulled up about an hour later just before noon and I don’t think she was surprised to see me.
She knew I would be there before her.
She knew she would lose our bet.
Although, I knew she would never admit it.
I had a great Thanksgiving up in Huntsville. I was thankful for more than anything else; I had completed the ride safely. Although, for the first half of my journey I was scared to death riding in the dense fog. I was also very thankful that Janine would be paying for my new bike. Once I got back home I put my new bike away. I had done enough riding over the previous twenty days.
It was now hockey season.
The following week Janine gave me a thousand bucks. Even though our bet was for more, I was just happy to have her pay for my new bike and I let her off the hook for the extra $500. Overall the ride to Barrie on the Thanksgiving weekend in 2003 was a great experience. I know how I felt physically after the ride and I felt that although doubling the distance would be a real challenge, I knew that I could do it.
Maybe, just maybe the ride to Huntsville wasn't dead and buried afterall. I think I will resurrect that folder with all those road maps and bring them back to life.
I just hoped and prayed that it would be warm and sunny.
October 11th finally arrived, it was 6 am when I woke up. I had breakfast, a couple of coffees and I loaded my bike into my Jetta. It was freezing cold so I wore both leggings and a windbreaker type jacket over a Nike Dri-Fit tee shirt. I packed a couple water bottles and a few energy bars and drove out to the airport where my journey would begin.
It was just after 7 am when after parking my car, I got on the bike to begin my ride north on Hwy 27. I would have about an hour or so before I passed the city limits, but once I was out of the city I could not see a thing. A thick heavy fog set in as the temperature quickly began to rise. The fog was so heavy that I literally could not see anything a hundred feet ahead of me. I used the right hand solid white shoulder line as my guide, making sure to stay to the right of the line. I thought about stopping and waiting for the fog to lift, but didn’t want to risk not finishing the ride by noon and losing the bet.
So stupidly I just kept riding in the thick fog.
Within a couple hours I passed through a few little villages dotted along the route and before I knew it I was in the town of Schomberg. I was now halfway to my destination Barrie. The fog was still heavy as I road across highway 9, but within a half hour the heavy fog had lifted completely and I could now feel the warm sun on my back.
I began riding at a faster pace than when I had started out and I still felt great. There was now no doubt in my mind that I was winning the bet, I just needed to keep riding at the same pace. I drove past the ‘Welcome to Barrie’ road sign, but I still needed to navigate my way over to the Red Lobster where Janine agreed to meet me.
I got lost.
I found myself now at the Barrie waterfront. I needed to be on Bayfield Street which was in the north end of the city. I finally arrived at my destination just before 11am. The ride had taken me just under four hours including my half hour little detour after getting lost. I was so proud of myself as I waited outside while basking in the warm sun in front of the Red Lobster for Janine to arrive. She pulled up about an hour later just before noon and I don’t think she was surprised to see me.
She knew I would be there before her.
She knew she would lose our bet.
Although, I knew she would never admit it.
I had a great Thanksgiving up in Huntsville. I was thankful for more than anything else; I had completed the ride safely. Although, for the first half of my journey I was scared to death riding in the dense fog. I was also very thankful that Janine would be paying for my new bike. Once I got back home I put my new bike away. I had done enough riding over the previous twenty days.
It was now hockey season.
The following week Janine gave me a thousand bucks. Even though our bet was for more, I was just happy to have her pay for my new bike and I let her off the hook for the extra $500. Overall the ride to Barrie on the Thanksgiving weekend in 2003 was a great experience. I know how I felt physically after the ride and I felt that although doubling the distance would be a real challenge, I knew that I could do it.
Maybe, just maybe the ride to Huntsville wasn't dead and buried afterall. I think I will resurrect that folder with all those road maps and bring them back to life.
