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How we decided to ride with the TDC '99 group

Mid-January, we received a brochure describing the various cycling tours organized by Les Voyages Tour de l'Île for the summer and fall of 1999. As Gilbert was planning to take the fall term off, we considered going with them to France or to Italy but we found the prices rather high. As for the summer tours in Quebec and Ontario, we had ridden some or all of the cycling itineraries proposed and the Grand Tour was one that we had already ridden in the opposite direction. In other words, not one of the cycling tours stimulated our imaginations at all.

A short time later, I went on the Internet and using AltaVista, made a search using descriptors such as "bicycle tour" and "cycling vacation" to see what I would come up with. I found an interesting ride from Jasper to Banff but it was very pricey and seemed aimed at the American market since the price was quoted in US dollars. Then I happened upon the Tour du Canada (TDC) site set up by Bud and Margot Jorgensen. I checked out the various aspects and found the price of C$2,600 for 66 days, which included 11 days of indoor accommodation, food, ferry trips and campground fees, very reasonable. Then I visited the sites of former riders. One rider from summer 97, Henry Murphy, had put up graphs of the altitudes and topography for each day's ride and a second TDC 97 rider, Mark Liewicki, had posted his personal daily journal. This last document proved a fascinating read and made me really want to do the tour, so I mentioned it to Gilbert and after corresponding with Bud and Margot over a couple of weeks, we sent in our deposit of $500 each.

Early in March, we decided to start buying the gear we needed for the trip. Since hybrid bikes are heavier than road bikes and more likely to cause knee injuries, we decided to purchase two bicycles that would be the best for us to ride. After visiting three different stores, we settled on chez Gervais because of the personalized and excellent service offered; Gervais Rioux, the store owner, is a bike fanatic himself and a former racer. Gervais measured us and partially outfitted us, too. At one point, I told him that I wanted cycling shoes but no cleats for the latest "clipless" pedals. I said that too many people I knew had fallen because of not being able to unclip their feet fast enough. Three hours later, I walked out of the store with cleats on the shoes and "clipless" pedals on my old hybrid bike. "Just to try them out, under no obligation." You would have described this situation as we walked into the store and I would have said that it was absolutely impossible! Gervais had proposed that I try them out on his bike stand using my hybrid bike and when I realized what the pedaling was like - your foot becomes one with the pedal - I decided to give them a try on the road. Gervais didn't even charge us for the pedals, saying that if I didn't like them, I could bring them back. After a few nervous trials at first, I decided that I really did like them and never looked back.

Also in March, we made our plane reservations. Margot had mentioned that some people were able to use accumulated airline points towards their tickets and that others found that an open jaw ticket on Canada 3000 allowed them the flexibility in itinerary they needed as well as providing free transportation for the bicycle. Both Canadian and Air Canada charged fees of $ 75 (including PST and GST) per bike per leg. Gilbert and I each had the 15,000 points accumulated with Canadian for a one-way ticket to Vancouver but we had to book a round trip with Air Canada from St. John's as this airline did not allow one-way tickets using points. We spent 18, 000 points each with Air Canada to upgrade the ticket to business class.

When I made the reservations for our trip to Vancouver directly over the phone to a Canadian ticket agent, there was already no space available on the direct morning flight from Montreal for June 27th. However the possibility of flying to Vancouver with a change of planes in Calgary was available that day. The ticket agent suggested that we would be much better off taking the direct afternoon flight from Montreal a day earlier (there was no space on the morning flight that day either) even though that meant an extra night in Vancouver. She said that our bikes would be subjected to less handling and that we would have a greater chance of their arriving safe and sound. I followed her advice and booked passage on the direct afternoon flight for June 26th.

We started training for the ride at the end of March as soon as the streets were clear of snow. We used our hybrids because the new bikes were not due to arrive at the store until early May. The month of April was very cold for riding between 4C and 11C and our hands and feet often felt partly frozen. In the meantime, I had signed up for the TDC listserv that Bud had just set up and one of the most interesting discussions at the beginning concerned the best gear to use to stay warm and dry, with Goretex beating out the others.

May and June were gorgeous months with warm, sunny summer weather. Celia Hope wrote a wonderful e-mail description of her TDC97 experience that whet our appetites even more. We managed to clock in almost 2000 km before we left for Vancouver on June 26th, in spite of my breaking a rib in May and Gilbert's neck osteoarthritis. One thing we often joked about was the prevailing winds; rather than experiencing the usual westerly winds during this period, we often noticed that the winds were blowing from the east, even when no bad weather was predicted.

Saturday, June 26, 1999 - Montreal to Vancouver

Another sunny day of about 30C in Montreal. As per usual, we had both been working right up until the very last minute and during our final week in Montreal, we had not been able to ride at all, in fact. We had to rush like mad to get all the packing finished before leaving for the airport and when trying to put the bikes in cardboard boxes proved to be an almost impossible task without taking the bikes completely apart because of the smallness of the boxes, we gave up and decided not to box them. At about 3:15 p.m., we said good-bye to our neighbours, the Cabanas, and then left with Madeleine and Natasha to say good-bye to Gilbert's mother and sister before heading for Dorval airport for our late afternoon flight to Vancouver with Canadian airlines.

At Dorval, we put the Canadian agent had us place the bikes in thick, transparent plastic bags and we left the counter thinking that everything was fine, had a beer with the girls, said our good-byes and then boarded the aircraft. The flight was uneventful and we read the newspaper, snoozed and enjoyed a tasty meal. Once in Vancouver, however, we realized that our bikes were not on board the plane. After further inquiry, we were told that they would be flown into Vancouver at 7:30 a.m. the next day from Calgary. How very ironic: this was the same flight that the Canadian reservations agent had suggested that we not take.

After searching the arrivals lounge for us, Margot and Bud caught up with us at the customer service counter and drove us and our luggage, minus the bikes, to the residence and UBC where we were staying. The weather in Vancouver that day was about 15C with rainy periods, a big change from the 30C temperatures we had been experiencing back home. By the time we went to bed, it was 1:30 a.m. and we both slept like logs.

Sunday, June 27, 1999 - Vancouver to Victoria

Distance: 83 km

We awoke at about 6:30 a.m. local time, showered and wandered over to the university cafeteria for breakfast where we arrived at the same time as a 50 member Danish all male band the number of blond heads was incredible! We met up with Margot, picked up Bud, and then drove to the airport with them where we picked up our bikes and they met other TDC99 participants - we had been the very first they had met. As we checked over the bikes, we discovered that Gilbert's rear wheel had been bent making the bike unrideable. After some discussion with two Canadian reps, we took a taxi to the Tailwind Bicycle shop in New Westminster for repair. The mechanic named François, turned out to be from Quebec City and recognized our bikes. He then told us that he had worked for Devinci in Chicoutimi, the manufacturer of our bikes. Talk about coincidence.

Tailwind Bicycle Shop

At 11:30 a.m. we went for brunch around the corner from the bike store while François fixed Gilbert's bike and checked mine over, too. He adjusted the handlebars, filled the tires, checked the seat height, and soon. I decided to send the bill of $32 for the repair, the taxi bill of $27, as well as meal and accommodation bills to Canadian since we had taken the earlier direct flight on the advice of their booking agent and it had proven to be in vain and at considerable extra cost to us.

It was a typical West Coast day: grey with a bit of light drizzle and only about 11C but sunny breaks were predicted for the afternoon. After a picking up our bikes, we decided to cross the Alex Fraser Bridge which was only a couple of kilometers down the road rather than head back to the underpass and obligatory shuttle. Up, up and up we rode over the graceful span and Gilbert's heart skipped a beat when he had flash of falling through a hole in the metal plates and crashing downwards. We continued our ride along River Road and Highway 17 with a couple of detours on quieter roads. It proved to be a pleasant ride against light headwinds and the sun peaked through the clouds making things a lot warmer.

We rode 35.6 km over a very flat route to the ferry and I'm writing this as we head towards Vancouver Island on the Queen of Vancouver, 4 p.m. ferry. The sky is covered with bright cloud. We'll stay over in Victoria to dip our wheel in the ocean at kilometer 0 of the TransCanada Highway. François recommended Spinnaker's as an excellent restaurant in Victoria so we plan to try it out. We'll have a 32 km ride into Victoria once we land. A pod of about ten killer whales are frolicking and cavorting to starboard as we pass picturesque islands and coves. The afternoon is becoming sunny. We stand right in the front to see the final docking procedures.

Thus one and a half hours after leaving Tsawassen, we arrived in Schwartz Bay. We decided to ride the hilly Saanich West route along the west coast of the island inhabited by Indians.

School in Indian region

We were warm at the start of our ride but feeling rather pierced by the cold by the time we arrived in downtown Victoria, 38 km later at 8:15 p.m. just as the sun was setting. We found a room on the fourth floor of the Douglas Hotel for $70 including tax. Since it was already late, we changed rapidly and left on foot for Spinnaker's restaurant, about a twenty minute walk from the hotel. At one point, we were wondering if we were heading in the right direction because all we saw were posh residences and no indication of a restaurant nearby.

Finally we reached the restaurant which was also a beautifully decorated, Victorian-style guest house. A very personable waitress served Gilbert a dark wheat beer and me a blond wheat beer flavoured with coriander and cardamom?hmm, delicious. Then I had a tasty lamb curry while Gilbert savoured some excellent halibut followed by a scrumptious, very decadent chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake. The bill came to about $ 44 after taxes but before tip and we both felt that it was an address well worth visiting. Before leaving, we sent a brief Internet message to Natasha and Madeleine and then walked back to the hotel. It was 11:30 p.m. by the time we turned out the lights. Once again, we slept deeply until about 6 a.m. when we awoke briefly and dozed off again until 8:30 a.m.
 

Monday, June 28, 1999 - Victoria to Vancouver

Distance: 108 km

Mile 0 near Victoria  

At 8:30 when we got up, it was drizzling but it had stopped by the time we finished a gargantuan breakfast of a shared veggie burrito, fresh fruit, blueberry and English muffins, orange juice and coffee at John's Café, not far from the hotel. We bought some tiger balm in Chinatown and earplugs among other things at a drugstore. Then we packed our gear and left at 11:15 for Mile 0, situated at the very beginning of Douglas Road. We took photos and then made a virtual wheel dip in front of Beacon Hill. We decided to wear the earplugs along the busy roads to cut the intense screech of the traffic noise and we found them fantastic.

Beacon Hill near Victoria

This time, we took the East Coast scenic route before finally heading for Highway 17 which would connect us with the ferries. It was quite hilly near the city as we passed through some very sumptuous areas, such as Oak Bay, where we saw one magnificent house after the next on neatly kept grounds. Gilbert mentioned some knee pain that had actually started the day before and that seemed a little stronger.

After a vigorous 48 km ride, we reached the ferry in time for the 3 p.m. crossing and had a bowl of clam chowder, an orange, a Nanaimo bar, and coffee before relaxing for a snooze. We arrived at Tsawassen at 4:30 p.m. and rode hard to catch the shuttle at 5:30 p.m. but we overshot our mark and missed the turn off. Luckily we ran into three local mountain bikers riding along the highway and then River Road and they kindly explained how to get back to UBC after we had crossed over the Alex Fraser Bridge into New Westminster. The ride was long and seemed to drag on forever but parts were excellent as we followed bike paths under the Skytrain and then down another along Ontario Street which joined up to the very picturesque Seaside Trail.

Before we reached the university, we decided to stop for supper as it was already after 8 p.m. and we had some delicious homemade soup and a spinach and feta pizza which warmed us up. It was already dark and rain had begun again by the time we reached the campus, tired after our 108 km ride but filled with anticipation for the following day when we would meet all the other cyclists in the June 29th, TDC99 group. We checked into new quarters, this time included in the package, which originally consisted of two separate rooms in different sections on separate floors in the Place Vanier Residence but which became two separate rooms in the same section on the same floor after we explained that we were a married couple who shared our personal care items.

Tuesday, June 29, 1999 - Orientation Day

The orientation meeting started at 9 a.m. in a small room located on the main floor of the Place Vanier residence. The general feeling of expectation that pervaded the room was almost palpable as everyone attentively listened to Bud as he welcomed the riders. We were given several handouts and then Bud addressed several administrative concerns before presenting an overview of the concept and structure of the trip. Once again he stressed the fact that it was a "no-frills" undertaking that did provide a certain number of benefits to participants as a group, such as the transportation of all our goods, the distribution of daily maps, a portable bike repair stand complete with tools and supplies, a portable kitchen, and so on.

A no frills undertaking

He said that Tour du Canada had been designed to help autonomous individuals band together to ride across Canada with all the basics needed but without an actual SAG vehicle. The truck that would accompany us would be able to pick up someone as it passed by but it was not a rescue vehicle and once it got to camp, it would stay put. Bud mentioned that he hoped the members of the group would learn to look out for one another so that the daily sweeps and the truck driver would be able to account for everyone.

The group was divided into five galley crews that would cook dinner and the following breakfast on a rotational basis. Breakfast menus were suggested but each crew would decide on a dinner menu and the truck driver would purchase the food earlier in the day. The truck had already been equipped with certain foodstuffs in what seemed like huge quantities to us: peanut butter, jam, different sorts of pasta noodles, rice, dried chickpeas, lentils and kidney beans, powdered milk, margarine, and so on. Fresh fruit and vegetables would always be available in quantity. We later learned that the food allocation per person was $5 per day so that meant sticking to basic staples for most of the trip, especially as regards meat, although people were free to eat at restaurants along the way. Moreover, a beer cooler would be available and people were expected to put $2 per beer into the "swine" on an honour system. At any rate, if there was not enough money in the pot to purchase more, then none would be purchased. Also, we had several hundreds of cans of Mountain Dew that had been donated and were offered free of charge until they ran out. I was happy to think that we would have access to a nice cold drink after a hard day's ride.

Bud stressed that the role of Jen Conlin, our driver, was to drive the truck, do all the administrative tasks that needed doing, purchase the food, but in no way was she to be held responsible for decisions or situations beyond her control. In other words, she wasn't there to settle disputes or take flack from disgruntled cyclists who were annoyed by TDC policies or perhaps, decisions.

Next, we watched Effective Cycling, The Movie which both Gilbert and I found to be most informative and which gave excellent tips on how to ride safely and to avoid accidents and road hazards. It was then time for lunch at the truck and we had a guided tour of what we would soon refer to as the "Mother Ship". This white, five-ton Ryder truck had been astutely fitted with shelves to accommodate all the food and our two laundry baskets each for personal effects, two full-sized refrigerators, a portable three-burner propane stove, a portable bike repair shop, two door-sized tables with folding legs, an awning, an assortment of over-sized pots and pans for cooking for large groups, a basket of cooking utensils, three large containers with taps for water and juice, a portable library, a well-equipped first aid kit, a cooler and other various and asundry items as well as enough space to carry all our camping gear as well as a few bikes. You could see that everything had been thought out very carefully. (Photos)

Later during the afternoon, we each received a plastified card with a 1-800 number on it as well as other ways to contact TDC headquarters, a white cotton cycling jersey with the TDC insignia on it, a TDC water bottle and a triangular "tail light" made out of shocking green canvas with reflective grey stripes that would identify us from the rear. Then followed a discussion about the trip and what we could expect from day to day. It was a quick overview of some of the difficult hills to climb, some of the things we'd see, the various ferry rides, some of the special welcomes we'd receive, and more advice, such as to not keep food overnight in one's tent, especially in bear country. Various people asked questions and then it was time to identify our cubicles, get our two empty laundry baskets and fill them up. Some people also wanted to make some final adjustments on their bikes and several members of the group had been identified as knowledgeable mechanics.

Dinner consisted of spaghetti cooked outside on the portable stove accompanied by a green salad and French bread. It had rained all day long and continued to do so, so we all ate standing up under the blue tarp which served as an awning. No one lingered over dinner because of the weather and we arranged to meet for breakfast the next morning before heading off to the totem poles by the Museum of Anthropology for the official group picture. That evening before turning in, I drafted the letter to Canadian that I would send off the next morning. 

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