Oui Oui! Pedaling Feat au Quebec!

Day 51: Hawkesbury to Montreal, QC!

After a morning cuppa Joe (Starbucks, in fact), we left Hawkesbury bright and early, and were on our bikes only a few minutes when we crossed the Quebec border! After spending nearly a month in Ontario, we were now surrounded by quaint towns with picturesque neighbourhoods and many a French-speaker. One thing that hadn’t changed – the sun was still shining.

Crossing the bridge to Quebec!

Pedaling Feat's sixth province!

We followed a quiet highway (#344) that traced the Ottawa river. John drove ahead to find a break spot, and we would roll up to find him sun-tanning like a lizard on a rock. For lunch that day, we stopped in a little park in Deux Montagnes. There we met a handsome old chap named Rocky. Rocky, native to Quebec, spoke mostly French, which gave us the chance to practice speaking our second language. Rocky was very excited to learn all about Pedaling Feat. He was retired (at age 77) but took care of the Bocce Ball pitts, and was getting them all ready for the playoffs that night. We sat and ate lunch with Rocky on the swing, while he talked about his family and the town of Deux Montagnes (named after the Lake that it sits on).

With more than half of our ride completed, we continued on our way to Montreal. The traffic got busier and the roads, bumpier but we were both very excited to ride onto the island.

Mel, crossing the bridge to the island of Montreal!!!

Once in the city of Montreal, we visited Starbucks (John knows every Starbucks location in Canada) before heading to Marie and Errol’s gorgeous home in NDG. They ordered in Chinese, which Mel and I scarffed down like champions. We then ventured out to a local pub to meet up with old McGill friends, Curtis, Sylvain and Phil! It was great to be able to catch up with the guys (some of whom we haven't seen in years, others since Winnipeg!). A few sangrias later, we were ready to call it a night. We gave the guys a tour of Lois and sent them off with a hug, some Twizzlers and an apple pie.

Phil, enjoying his Twizzlers and apple pie.

Sylvain and Curtis hanging out in Lois!

Mel and I love Montreal, so it was really nice to be back. McGill is where we met – and where the idea of Pedaling Feat was born!

Note: No road signs were taken out by Lois today. Success!

Day 50: Pedaling Feat on the Gong Show!

Day 50: Ottawa to Hawkesbury

We began the morning under cloudy skies and a downpour of elephant-sized rain drops.

Our newest driver and #1 fan, John, had joined the Pedaling Feat escapade. We were also very pleased to have three of my good friends riding with us that day - Ryan, Lee and Jen!

Left to Right: Ryan, Lee, Jen, Me and Mel. Team Awesome ready to ride!

Ryan led us along the backroads of Orleans. The rain did not let up, but our top of the heap trio did not complain at all. A quick story about Ryan and his bike, "Arthur" in the form of a Haiku:

We took on a hill.

Poor Arthur did not make it.

Ryan took a spill.

A kick and a jog.

Ryan was back on his bike.

Pedaling Feat cheered!

Ryan giving Arthur a quick pep talk as he jogs up the hill after Team Awesome.

I should also mention (in fairness) that at some point that morning, Lois/John got friendly with a yield sign. Keeping with the Gong Show theme of course.

Shortly thereafter, we lost sight of Lois. She had been following close behind until now. We pulled off into the WalMart parking lot ahead to wait for her. We soon found out that Lois was having mechanical troubles. Namely, she kept stalling and not wanting to start again. Lois!!!

We managed to get her to the Canadian Tire parking lot that was nearby and were fortunate enough to get the guys there to look at her right away! Our mechanic even skipped his lunch break to help us out.

Lee, John and Ryan giving it all they had, while Pedaling Feat directed the show.

Canadian Tire saves the day!

With everyone still in good spirits, we ate lunch, interviewed with the local paper (The Vision), met a lovely couple who had seen us on the news and did a little roadside dance to cheer Lois back to good health. It was a great time. As for Lois' diagnosis? 2 Hours and a new ignition module and she was 110%!

By this time (early afternoon), the sun had come out and dried up all the rain. So team Pedaling Feat hopped on our bikes and hit the road again.

Team Awesome conquered rain, hills, wind and a breakdown that day. Troopers!

We met a number of Pedaling Feat supporters on our ride to Hawkesbury. Many of whom had seen us on the news the night before. It is something we never get tired of. And I am slowly figuring out that it is not really about the amount of money we raise for cancer research, but more about giving hope to people who have been affected by cancer. They are the reason we get on our bikes everyday - and we had a number of 'reminders' as we rode that day.

A Pedaling Feat supporter and cancer survivor, who stopped at the side of the road to greet us.

With Lois' impromptu breakdown, it ended up being a long day to Hawkesbury. We hit the town at around 6 p.m. and stopped in at DQ to celebrate!

None of our riders had ever gone that far in one day (90 km!). We were so proud of all of them! Jen rode a hybrid that was probably as heavy as mine and Mel's bikes put together. Her secret? Tearing down hills like lightening (no matter who was in her way) and using that momentum to get her up the other side. Go Jen!

Martha and Ryan at DQ.

Team Awesome. In Hawkesbury. Still smiling.

We stayed at my eye doctor's place (and Ryan's good friend) that night. John BBQ'd enough food for the entire town, we cheers'd to our success and ended it off with a delicious cholocate mousse cake. We were sad to bid farewell to our riders, it is always fun having others join the adventure.

Meet John. Cooking up a storm.

P.S. John made a Pedaling Feat T-Shirt. It reads...

Pedaling Feat's:
A. Bikeseat Warmer
B. Chauffeur
C. Alarm Clock
D. Token Ethnic Guy
E. Gourmet Chef.
We vote all of the above, and then some!

Weekend of fun in Ottawa/Toronto!

We woke up bright and early on Friday morning for our two TV inverviews! Our first was A-Morning and the second was Ottawa Daytime. Both were a success (phew!), and we were ready for lunch at Iogen (my rockin' rad company).


Iogen hosted a bbq luncheon and we were guests of honour. I had a great time catching up with my karaoke superstars and favourite operators! Thank you to everyone who helped run the bbq! My family and I then hopped into the car and hustled off to Toronto - I had a rehearsal dinner to attend for Kam's wedding! Mel hung out in Ottawa, updating our blog (yea!) and hanging out with Jen and Nick.







Le wedding. Kam, Andre and I. Getting ready to boogie.











After a wonderful night in Toronto, celebrating Kam and Ben's wedding, I flew back to Ottawa first thing on Sunday morning for a Pedaling Feat Ice Cream social, put on by my amazing Gong Show teammates. Within minutes of arriving to help set up, CBC Television (TeleJournal) showed up to film a Pedaling Feat feature! Hoorah! In French? Why not! As I scrambled to find Mel (not yet arrived), and cycling gear (I was wearing jeans) another TV crew rolled up. CTV was here to tell our story! It was all a hoopla of excitement and a few hours later we were spent. Despite the lack luster weather, the ice cream social was a complete success, with kids coming back for seconds and thirds.

We returned to Jen's place and relaxed for the evening. Monday promised to be a great day, with O-town friend's coming along for the ride!







Jenny and Simon!!! Our first Pedaling Feat drivers showed up to the ice cream fest. It was so great to see them again!












Jen. Heading out for a bike ride the evening before our 90 km ride to Hawkesbury. Crazy kid!

Days 46 and 47: Sunshine, kith and kin.

If I had only 3 words to describe the next section of our trip, they would be sunshine, kith and kin.

And so begin some of my favourite days thus far on our feat...

Day 46: Peterborough to Sharbot Lake

Highway 7. One of the busier roads we've encountered so far on our trip, was our route from Peterborough to Sharbot Lake that day. Despite the heavier traffic, Colin and Ann kept us safe on the road, Mel took each truck in stride, and we enjoyed the sunshine as we road on for 140 km.









On the road. Loving the downhill.










Our lunch spot, en route to Sharbot Lake.








While lunch-ing, we met a couple who, at the age of 89, were on a road trip around southern Ontario in their camper. They were sport enthusiasts and big Pedaling Feat supporters.

Once in Sharbot Lake we ventured north (in Lois) to the wonderful Rochon cottage on Miller's Lake. With Lois parked and everyone in the cottage, Mel and I went for a dip in the lake to cool off. We were met by my sister, nephew and pup, as well as Mel's good friend from McGill, Meaghan. It was a full house!

Mater was spoiled on his Pedaling Feat adventure.

Colin, a.k.a. "BBQ King" cooked up some delish chicken while Meaghan whipped together her secret bruschetta recipe. We ate like royalty that night, and enjoyed the company of friends and family.

Meet Colin. He kept us laughing the entire time. Hornet attacks and all. Thanks Colin!

Around the dinner table. Mel, Meaghan, Colin, Ann and Kersti!

It was an early night for all of us after a long day of riding, or driving - whichever was the case.

Day 47: Sharbot Lake to OTTAWA!

The mornings have been getting cooler. We began to notice the difference in Peterborough. This morning we woke up bright and early because we were meeting the Kunstadt team for a group ride!

Miller's Lake, in the wee hours of the morning.

We returned to the town of Sharbot Lake to meet Eric and his team of riders. We arrived to find a flustered group and soon learned that Eric's van had caught on fire while at a rest stop in Perth (40 km from Sharbot Lake)! Fortunately everyone was OK, and their bikes survived as well!

We hit the road, with the sun shining and the wind willing us towards Ottawa. We followed the route of the Rideau Lakes tour. There was very little traffic and great roads for riding. We had Lois and Kersti escorting us that day.

Drafting our way to Ottawa!

Lunch with Connor and the Pedaling Feat crew.

Ready to go, after a delicious lunch break!

We rode right up to the Parliament buildings that day. After riding over 4,000 km, neither of us could really believe we'd made it all the way to Ottawa. We arrived to find CTV waiting for us, and finished the shoot just minutes before a roaring rain storm hit!

We love having guests cyclists along for the ride! Meaghan was a champion and was still smiling at the end of her longest ride ever!

We checked into our hotel for the evening (Jen and Nick's), and bbq'd up some steaks and veggie dogs. We parked Lois for the weekend and got a much needed rest!

Days 44 and 45: Rest, relaxation and a joyride to Peterborough!

This blog is an amalgamation/consolidation of blogs by Lisa and Mel. Bear with us. We get to be delirious after 100 kilometers. Today we did 130 km... Enjoy!

Day 44 - Rest day in Scarlemtown (Toronto)

Our rest day in Toronto was in fact, a day of relaxing and bachelorette-ing. My good friend, Kamla, was to be pampered that day as she was getting married the following Saturday. So, we woke up bright and early to be picked up by Sara (another high school pal) and head out to the country.

We spent all morning and afternoon at Sara's friend's place. It was magical. We sunbathed next to their pond, swam and took turns heading up to the main house for a massage (I forgot to mention that Sara's friend was a masseuse). Also on site? A sauna! Needless to say, we were completely relaxed by the time we left that day.







Pond-side.






That evening the bridal party (and Mel!) went out for Mexican. Mel also managed to fit in a concert not too far from the restaurant, put on by her good friend Pat.







Ladies night out in T-dot. Congrats Kam!








It was a busy but fun-filled day off.

Day 45: Toronto to Peterborough!

Back to the bikes, we bid farewell to the Ranken's and head out to pick up our newest volunteer team, Colin and Ann Belshaw (Lisa’s brother-in-law’s parents). With Belshaw on board we set off with the wind at our backs toward Peterborough!






Lisa and mom in Scarborough!







Colin took on his task of driving like a pro. We felt confident because he is an emergency response professional and trained truck driver. We were in good hands in case of disaster. A mini-disaster did happen though, in a way. As we were riding, a bug had secretly flown into my shirt. During a water break in Lois, I unpleasantly discovered that there was in fact a stranger in her clothing and it was in the form of a hornet (or other stinging creature)! A whirlwind of screaming began, first with Ann telling me to take off my jersey, then with me telling poor Colin to turn around (he was already facing the other way, but how could I have known that as I jumped around Lois like a crazy person).... Let me tell you, trying to de-robe while being stung and wearing a bike helmet is far from easy!

A much needed Dairy Queen break followed the hornet gong show, and Colin made sure to park Lois as efficiently as possible.







Colin and Lois parked next to mr. Smart car at DQ!











Lisa deciding what delicious treat she will devour.







We ran into a local Peterboroughan while riding that day. He informed us that our route of choice was under construcation and not a good choice. Instead, he led us along a route with very little traffic. It was a great day of riding, despite a few hiccups along the way.

We arrived at the Sullivan’s place in the afternoon, and were welcomed with hugs from Martha, and her parents Kevin, and Michelle. Maggie (Martha’s sister) joined us for dinner, and we ate a delicious meal made of healthy local foods (including veggies from the backyard) and enjoyed chatting with the Sullivans.









Pedaling Feat and the Sullivans!




The next morning we were sent off with well wishes and a load of tasty and healthy treats for the road. We had a great time in Peterborough!

Pedaling Feat on CBC (Tele-Journal) en Francais!

Click on the link below. Under Audio-Video TELEJOURNAL 18h, click on "Dimanche 22 Aout" and go to the 11 minute mark to see the Pedaling Feat Feature!

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/index.shtml

Pedaling Feat on CTV News Ottawa!!

http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100822/OTT_bike_cancer_100822/20100822/?hub=OttawaHome

Days 42 and 43 - On to Toronto We go!

August 14th - 15th, 2010

Owen Sound to Midhurst to Toronto, ON

Our newest thing is stopping at all delicious-looking bakeries that we pass along the way. So... our first stop on the way out of Owen Sound - The European Bakery Cafe (owned by a friend of Heather's). The ride along HWY 26 was quite busy, since it hits Wasaga Beach (a popular destination for Torontonians). We stopped at the beautiful white sandy beach for lunch and a swim, and I got to see first-hand why so many people make the trip to Wasaga.

Post lunch swim at Wasaga Beach, ON

Dream Team consisting of:

Scout, Heather and Lois Driver, Diana

Back on our bikes, and it wasn’t long before Lisa spotted another bakery! We veered in to get a fresh blueberry pie, and Heather ran into yet another person she knew - a former co-worker, in this case, who was more than happy to donate to our cause. Meanwhile, Diana phoned a former curling buddy of hers and before we knew it we had a place to stay in Midhurst, ON (just outside of Barrie)! These ladies seriously know nearly everybody in Ontario.

Pedaling Feat with Heather

A light rain was beginning to sprinkle just as we pulled into Bob and Susan’s place. They welcomed us into their home, and the old curling stories began as we sat outdoors in their garden that is filled with chipmunks and hummingbirds - who apparently stop by for a meal now and then, just like us! We shared a delicious pasta dinner (with blueberry pie for dessert) and slept in comfy beds.

Susan and Diana, creating something delicious in the kitchen.

Enjoying the cool evening

The next morning, we were sad to say goodbye to our scout, Heather, who had to travel back to North Bay and pick up her puppy, Croydon, from doggy camp on the way home. We continued along the hills en route toward Toronto. It was the 6th straight day riding, and we were feeling our legs on even the smallest of hills. Luckily, we had a day off scheduled in Toronto (Lisa’s hometown). At one point we had to cheer our legs on to climb a steep (but short) hill, that looked dauntingly vertical as we approached. Go Legs Go!

Days 40 and 41 - Manitoulin Island!

August 12th to 13th, 2010

Espanola, ON to Owen Sound, ON

Early morning hugs were exchanged with the Warams as we got on our bikes to leave Espanola. Before we left the town limits, Lisa spotted what looked like a extra large horse on the side of the road in a field next to Canadian Tire. As we approached, we realized our dream had come true - it was a MOOSE! A confused moose, actually, who was trying to find her way back into the woods.

Moose sighting!

Totally boosted by our moose sighting, we happily rode south on HWY 6 through the La Cloche mountains to the swinging bridge that took us to Manitoulin Island - the largest freshwater island in the world. We enjoyed the ups and downs of the island roads, and made sure to stop at the 10 mile lookout into the vast Georgian Bay. We ended up in South Baymouth 3 hours early for our ferry! Lisa and I went for a swim to cool off from a hot day of riding, as Diana and Heather worked their magic and connected with some other ferry goers who ended up donating to Pedaling Feat! Both Heather and Diana were extremely active in High School communities across Ontario, through their work with OFSAA and teaching - connections across the province that came in handy more than a few times during our trip!

10 Mile Lookout, Manitoulin Island

Break time....

Heather and Mel

Cyclists in a tipi

We hung out at a pub while waiting for the ferry and were entertained by a group of high-energy Harley Davidson motorcyclists who rounded up some donations from some innocent bystanders. Thanks guys!

The late afternoon ferry ride on the MS Chi-Cheemaun to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula had gorgeous scenery to pass the 1.75 hr crossing. We rolled into Tobermory and stayed at a nice campground not far from the ferry terminal.

MS Chi-Cheemaun Ferry to Tobermory

Lois' VIP parking on the ferry

(behind a truck full of rocks)

Lisa wondering what it would be like if she rode a Harley instead of a road bike across the country...

The next day, the dream team of Heather and Diana lead us along HWY 6 en route to Owen Sound. The day was challenging because of the traffic and heat, but our teamwork got us to our destination - the Best Western on the Bay (sponsored). Lisa and Diana checked out the whirlpool, as Heather ventured into Owen Sound to run some errands. I, on the other hand, had a much-needed nap in the air conditioned room. We made fajitas at a park on the bay, and enjoyed a comfortable rest in our hotel that night. Thank you Best Western!