Joe is working for a few months in one of the coldest capital cities on earth, Ottawa, Canada. This is Joe's first winter in Ottawa. He hopes to participate in winter sports during his stay in Ottawa. People keep telling him stories of skating on the Rideau Canal and cross country skiing in Gatineau Park.
A month ago Joe saw some snow fall and started thinking about skiing. He noted ice forming on the Canal and thought about skating. He hears on the radio that skating on the canal isn't allowed until the ice gets thicker. Joe does skate on a large outdoor rink in a park. The rink is oval-shaped like a running track. He watches some skaters zooming around the rink on long-blade racing skates. He is amazed by the speed of the skaters.
A few days later most of the snow and ice melted. The remaining snow is crusted. Joe is waiting for better snow so he can go skiing.
Joe's first January in Ottawa has almost ended. February 1 looms in less than a week. Joe is still looking for his first big winter adventure and winter is half over. He is keeping fit and ready. The weather that week is warm for winter. The temperature is just below freezing. Joe hears forecasts of warmer weather on the weekend. Is there any chance of a winter adventure?
Saturday comes. Joe gets up at six o'clock in the morning to check the temperature. "Oh my, the temperature is plus 4 degrees Centigrade! That's 40 degrees Fahrenheit?"
Joe knows that there is only one way for him to have an adventure today. He decides that his adventure will by a bicycle trip of 100 miles. Such a ride of 100 miles is known by cyclists as a Century Ride. Joe will remember this day as the day of his first winter adventure, in one of the coldest capitals on earth?
Joe prepares his bicycle for today's adventure. This winter Joe is riding an old clunker bicycle. The bicycle is constructed of a straight steel pipe frame and an assortment of old parts. A quick glance at his bicycle tells Joe that it has some mud on it, but not enough to warrant a major cleaning. Closer examination shows that the chain is dirty. Joe takes out his chain cleaning tool and some cleaner and cleans the chain. "Now, let's see, is the bicycle ready?"
"Not quite. The rear wheel is still a bit slow when you spin it." Joe remembers a quick fix for this problem. He turns the bicycle on its side and squirts WD-40 oil into the rear hub and gear cluster. The rear wheel does turn faster and sound cleaner. Time is passing quickly. Sunrise is coming fast. Joe knows that winter bike rides need to start early, or they end in the dark. He mutters, "Ah, I guess the bike 'll do OK, eh?"
Joe continues to get ready for his adventure. He attaches small randonneur panniers to the rear rack of the bicycle. He places lots of stuff In the panniers - his wallet, his keys, two maps, a tool kit, a bicycle tube, and three large water bottles. The water bottles need to go inside the panniers since the clunker bicycle does not have any water bottle holders. Instead, it has a large heavy kryptonite lock. Joe removes the lock. He intends to ride continuously for all the 100 miles. He won't need a lock? "We can do without the lock, eh?"
Joe eats breakfast: Two scrambled eggs with bacon, four pieces of toast with peanut butter and jam, one banana, one glass of milk, one glass of juice, and one large cup of instant coffee.
Joe makes lunch and stuffs it into the bicycle's panniers. Lunch is two peanut butter sandwiches, and a bag of cookies. Will that be enough to keep Joe going all day?
Joe gets dressed for the adventure. The first layer starts with special underwear. The underwear shorts have a nylon panel on the front. Today is just cool, not cold so Joe leaves his long john's home. On his upper body he starts with a long-sleeved T-shirt made of polypropylene. On his feet he wears wool socks over thin polypropylene socks.
The second layer is a sweater and long cycling tights. The sweater is made of PolarTec fleece. The tights are made of a thick weave of polypropylene. Joe decides to wear just his bicycle helmet on his head. He does not add a hat or anything else to keep his head warm. He would add a hat if the temperature was colder, but he's confident that he'll be warm enough.
On his feet he wears cycling booties made of nylon pack-cloth over a large pair of cycling shoes. The shoes are 2 European sizes larger than the actual size of Joe's feet. The extra space allows him to wear thick socks. These shoes have old-fashioned slot cleats so Joe puts old-fashioned pedals with toe clips and straps on his bicycle. He got these shoes a few years ago just to use on his winter adventures. They have served him well. He's proud of them since he purchased them at a deep discount retailer after a bicycle store went bankrupt.
Joe jams an extra layer of clothing into the bicycle's panniers. He manages to fit in a rain coat, rain pants and an extra sweater. "You can't trust the weather forecast. You never know when the weather will turn bad."
Dawn has broken and Joe is antsy. He wants to get going. He quickly leaves his house in Ottawa at eight o'clock in the morning. There are a few cars, but not as many as on weekdays. Joe travels south into the wind. He plans to be blown home by the wind this afternoon. Joe follows roads that are east and south of the Rideau River.
Joe is soon outside the built up area of the city. There are still many houses along the River. There are fewer houses on the opposite side of the road. Most of the snow has melted. The stubble of last year's crops is visible in the fields. The roads are clear of ice and snow. The gravel shoulders of the road are mushy as in spring. "Is it spring yet?" "It's only January?"
Joe feels more wind in his face now that he's in the country where there are more open fields and fewer houses and trees. The wind is strong enough to be annoying, but not strong enough to persuade him to turn back and abandon today's bicycle ride.
Joe's adventure continues south along the Rideau River. He peddles briskly up hills and coasts down. He's in a wild mood. After all, it's January and he's cycling along with spring in the air. Joe likes spring. He loves cycling. He's not too fond of winter. Joe goes through stop lights without stopping because they're all green and stops at stop signs when there is traffic.
At 40 km, there is an elbow in the River and the road turns toward the west along the River's bank. The wind is still blowing strongly from the southwest. Joe feels the wind shift from his right to his left as he rides around the elbow of the River. The wind still hinders his progress. He has to work hard to keep up his pace.
At the River's elbow, Joe can see across the River to a park in a Conservation Area that he visited last fall. There were no leaves on the trees then, as now. Joe imagines the view with green leaves on the trees. He thinks about staying in Ottawa until the leaves return to the trees and brighten the stark landscape. "Looks like it's nice here in summer? Maybe I should live here a bit longer?"
Joe continues on the same road. He sees cottages and houses on the River, a highway overpass, a forest, more houses, and more trees. Joe hasn't seen the River in awhile. He's still riding into the wind. Did he miss an important turn? The number of cars on the road has increased in the last little while. "Where am I, anyways?" Joe soon sees the sign for Kemptville and assumes that he's in Kemptville when he comes upon a large Canadian Tire store.
After Kemptville, Joe takes a road back to the Rideau River. He goes along a cottage road that follows the River. There are few cars on this road.
A bit further on, Joe comes to a park where there are locks that are used by boats in the summer to get around the rapids in the River. Joe stops to take in the scene. While he's stopped, he drinks water from one of the water bottles that is stored in his bicycle's pannier. The water is COLD. Joe is chilly when he's stopped since there is no shelter from the wind. The water that he drinks makes him colder.
He rides further before stopping for lunch. He stops and eats his sandwiches at a small park by another set of locks. Here, there is shelter from the wind. The park is in a small depression on a small side road. Joe hears chirping and notices a few birds in the park. The park is a peaceful haven in the brown and grungy winter landscape.
The pastoral atmosphere of the park is broken by unexpected traffic. Joe smiles and waves at the occupants of the two cars and pickup truck. He figures their occupants are just as surprised to see him out cycling today as he is to see them using this road.
After lunch Joe explores the route of the vehicles that passed during lunch. They used a small, one-lane, wooden, swing bridge that connects to an island that is just by the boat locks. Joe crosses the swing bridge and finds another old one-lane bridge that links the island to the far shore of the River.
Joe continues his ride along the south shore of the Rideau River. The next town is Merrickville. It has a historic downtown, and not much else - just a few other houses. Joe goes through Merrickville and cycles a long loop on some cottage roads north of the Rideau River.
Joe turns toward home on much the same route. Now the wind is at his back. He travels along the south shore of the Rideau River to Kemptville. He stops again at the sheltered park by the lock and swing bridge and snacks on some cookies.
At Kemptville, Joe goes north of the Rideau River. He takes a side road along the River after passing a large park. The road is built up, with many houses, like a suburb. Joe sees a man riding with his young daughter. The man rides slowly so his daughter can have fun on this spring like day. Joe waves. The man says "Hi."
By now, Joe is feeling tired. He tries to keep drinking, but his water is too cold. He takes a few sips, but not much more. He feels wiped out when he tries to drink more than a gulp. The water makes him feel so cold.
Joe feels hungry. He eats a couple of cookies and notices that there are only two left. He decides to save these in case he has an emergency.
Joe is both exhausted and elated. He's exhausted since riding in the winter takes more out of one than riding in the summer. He's elated since he now knows that he will cycle 100 miles. He will cycle his first CENTURY of the year. He has used his bicycle for his first big winter adventure in Ottawa.
Joe thinks about this ride and others that he's done in the winter. Cycling in the winter is harder than in the summer: the bicycles' grease is stiffer; the riders' muscles seize up; the weather is cold at best. Hypothermia is likely to strike when it's wet and cold. Luckily, today there is no rain or other precipitation. Joe is damp from his sweat, but his layers of clothing keep him warm. He leaves his extra third layer of clothing in the bicycle's panniers.
One of the worst things that can happen on a winter ride is a bicycle break down, a failure of the bicycle's mechanics. Joe does have a tool kit with him, and an extra bicycle tube, in case of an emergency, but he knows that fixing a bike with cold hands is tricky. He remembers changing a flat tire on one winter ride a couple of years ago. It was not pleasant. Today, he is fortunate. His bicycle is not a problem.
Joe's riding becomes focused and rhythmic on the rest of his return trip. He catches glimpses of the Rideau River. Sections of the River are covered in ice. Joe sees ducks floating down the River where it is open and free of ice. He cruises with them. His spirit improves. The wind is at his back. He feels a surge of energy. He peddles faster. He is soon home. Another adventure completed!
© 2002 Pat Buckley