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| Day 49 - August 15 - Ottawa to Hudson 176km |
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| We're not sure of the best way to get out of Ottawa, so we ask around to see who's following the route map today. Since we saw the Parliament buildings and the Prime Minister's residence yesterday, we'd rather just get on the road. Eventually we find our way, but not before hitting a construction area with strips of fresh tar. Our tires are a mess and it takes us a good ten minutes to pick it off. Sticking to the tar of course is rocks and sand, making this a very annoying start to the ride. |
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| The roads today are ideal for fast riding. Flat, quiet, scenic and little wind to consider. We work some interval training into the schedule while taking advantage of the perfect weather conditions. Intervals are a chance to go hard for a pre-determined distance or time while maintaining a higher speed. I may do a 1km interval, for example, at a steady 38kmh followed by a 1km recovery. If we repeat the cycle five times that's a good 10km done and a good workout to get there. |
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| Our first stop of the day is actually at a meat market called Bearbrook Farm in a little place called Navan. That's all there is on this road so we go in just to see what they have. The selection of meats is unlike anything I've ever seen. Bizarre things like elk, bison, ostrich, wild boar, emu and many others. You name it, they have it. The elk burgers look especially tantalizing but they wouldn't stay frozen in this heat with 100km left in the day. |
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| Just a few kilometres down the road are the flashing lights of a police car. Traffic has been blocked off to avoid a drooping power line over the road. The police officer says that he wouldn't advise we take the chance of biking under it because it could fall at any moment. So we carry the bikes on our shoulders through the fields to eventually get back to the road. Every day of this Tour brings unexpected challenges. That's where the fun comes in. |
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| We make a DQ stop just 15km out to ask directions. I approach someone in French who turns out to be English. Most of the people we speak to are eager to help us find our way. I can certainly appreciate a friendly local. Sometimes they show us an easier route than what we've been given. A very steep hill into camp catches me by surprise as most of the terrain leading into Hudson is flat. It's a quaint little town, the first of many I'm sure. Quebec has a lot to see and I look forward to it. |
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