Training Log Archive: iansmith

(GPS tracks coming: my charger cable is currently 4 flights of stairs away from me, and this is an insurmountable obstacle to downloading at present.)

This weekend, I set out to execute an objective I had long coveted: cycling 300 km twice over the course of two days. I chose a pedestrian destination - the village of Gananoque, 311 km from Toronto near the eastern edge of Lake Ontario. While 300 km rides feel comfortable now, I haven't attempted a multiday ride before. I have read much of bikepacking, but I haven't embraced the ethos. The challenge with bikepacking is that you both have to carry all your equipment and have enough reserve to set up camp and prepare food. It's logistically easier and considerably faster to stay at a hotel and order a pizza (which I did). It's true this is more expensive, but especially if a long journey can be shortened because of the economy gains, I think it's a reasonable option.

I planned thoroughly: I would set out at midnight on Saturday, optimize economy and efficiency, stay at the hotel overnight, and depart on the return leg early Sunday morning. My riding kit consisted of an undershirt, cycling jersey, optional long sleeve, gloves, UV sleeves, 3/4 tights, O-socks, sunglasses with clear and dark lenses, and my cycling shoes. I carried my usual accoutrements - 2 tubes, levers, pump, CO2 cannister, allen keys; 3 L bladder in an 18 L backpack, 2x750 mL bottles, bike lights, and headlamp for extra visibility. My food for day 1 was 200g (900 Cal) goldfish, 4 kitkats (920 Cal), 1 large twix (560 Cal), Clifbar (250 Cal), 1 shotblox (200 Cal), and 1 Monster (230 Cal, 160 mg caffeine), totaling 3060 Cal. I carried my phone, credit card/ID/train pass, keys, and mp3 player. For the overnight, I brought a pair of running shorts, a shirt, sandals, phone/Garmin charger, and a toothbrush. Sadly, I did not bring a mini-USB to charge my mp3 player, which died late Saturday.

Unfortunately, my frantic efforts to address miscellaneous work and personal deadlines meant I didn't leave until 4:30a, over four hours later than planned. I also had not slept well this week. I drank about a liter of coffee before I left. Once I got on the road, I made good time. My target pace was 25 kph, as I viewed this eminently sustainable, and I planned to stop much less often than previous rides. I have a 3L bag under my top tube, and I put a ziploc bag of goldfish and a few bars there, enabling me to snack while riding. The first 100 km were surprisingly hilly, but everything was going smoothly. I stopped in Cobourg at a Tim Hortons at about 120 km for two breakfast sandwiches. I had planned my route in detail using Komoot, but unfortunately, Komoot made some strange local choices, including trying to send me through a Canadian Air Force base. I felt quite tired between 120 km and 170 km, which I attribute to inadequate sleep and digestive impact of the Timmy's. I drank my Monster at around 180 km when I stopped to charge my Garmin, which perked me up a bit. I arrived at my hotel at about 6:45p, with a great total elapsed time of 14:15, and cycling time of about 12:30.

I ordered a pizza, and while I had some difficulty falling asleep, I slept soundly. When my alarm went off at 6:30a, my brain made an executive decision to turn it off and go back to bed. I eventually roused at 9:30a, reloaded my water bottles, packed up, and got on the road at a pathetic 11a. My breakfast was two slices of pizza and a cup of coffee. I had a little leftover food from Saturday (2 kitkats and a few goldfish), and I stopped at a store 40 km to buy 400g of peanut M&Ms, a candy bar, a bag of chips, and two energy drinks, one of which I consumed on the spot with the chips. There was a moderate headwind for most of Sunday, and I tried to stay low in an aero position. As before, I stopped seldomly, mostly just to relieve myself. My legs felt surprisingly good, and while I was slower, I attribute much of that to the headwind.

My route on the lake paralleled the Via rail train, and there was a stop as early as 30 km into the ride on Sunday. I recognized that with my late start, I might have to abort, so on Saturday I had scouted the first Go train stop - a Toronto commuter rail rather than the Amtrak-esque Via rail - at 250 km into the ride. I knew there was a train at 11:14p, so I planned quite early to take that option. I'm comfortable riding at night, but I prefer to do so early in a day, when I'm fresh and alert rather than at the end of the day, when I'm exhausted. A mechanical problem at 4a when I'm alert is also much less problematic than one at 10p when I'm fatigued. I had planned to stop for actual food at around 150 km, but with the sun setting, I decided to keep riding as long as I had daylight. I drank my second energy drink at 140 km, and rode on to Cobourg at 180 km, when it darkened and my GPS died. I stopped at a Wendy's for about 15 minutes and ordered two small cheeseburgers and an order of fries, all of which were spectacularly delicious. While the nutritional side effects of such a terrible diet will be paid, it was very satisfying - perhaps because my food tended to be sweet and not salty. I set out at 8:15 with about 68 km to travel in 2:45 if I wanted to make my train - child's play if fresh, but a taxing time trial after 500 km of riding. I focused on keeping my effort steady and struggled through the intermittent hills between Cobourg and Oshawa. The hills on my route were not large, but they were frequent, taxing my spirit and stamina. I finally rolled into the train station at 10:50, with 20 minutes to spare.

At the end, I felt that I could have continued the last 50 km to Toronto, but it was definitely the right decision to abort to the train. Utlimately, the train probably only saved about 45 minutes, as it took an hour to get to Union Station and a further 15-20 minutes to bike home... in the rain.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with my effort this weekend. Logistical concerns notwithstanding, it was a glorious victory and a worthy challenge of my limits and capability. I am confident 640 km in 48 hours is well within my abilities, and achieving 560 km over two days is a solid achievement.

C • someday when the border opens... 6

Easy run around Mt. Pleasant cemetery in a light drizzle. My Garmin 410 was taking an eternity to locate satellites, so I ran without GPS tracking and measured in pedometer after. It was cathartic to be out, though it was surprisingly warm at 21 C.