Ah wedding season... There's nothing quite like it, is there? The dress, the rings, the vows, the travel, the champagne hangovers - each one subtly different from the last...
This season is a joy unto itself, but when you add in your training regime for a 6 day bike ride it becomes extra magical. Last weekend I rode Le Tigre 55 km to the scenic lakeside town of Ajax, Ontario where my friend Mihae from grad school was getting married. I packed my back pack with my dress, shoes, and make up, plus a big tub of sunscreen, two water bottles and some anti-chafing cream. I donned my spandex shorts and hit the road. It was 28 degrees and humid, which was just charming.
The ride to Ajax from Toronto took me a little under 4 hours (I'd been aiming for 3) because I wanted to take the Lakeshore route and I kept getting lost. Along the way I discovered some really beautiful parts of Eastern Toronto and even Scarborough,* so I don't think it was wasted time.
The wedding itself was gorgeous and a lot of fun. Mihae and Brad know how to throw an incredible party and they also really know their wine, so a good time was had by all, including yours truly. I drank with the determination of one who is conducting a scientific experiment. How much could I imbibe and still cycle home the next day? This was science at its most relevant: I needed the answer because I'm going to another wedding on Saturday July 23rd (tomorrow) and leaving for the bike rally at 7:30 am on Sunday July 24th (the day after tomorrow).
It turns out I can drink two glasses of wine and a glass of champagne and still cycle 55 km the next day, but I can't cycle fast. Or well. And definitely not without stopping for ice cream and fries. It may not sound like a lot of alcohol to you, but there you have it. I am a disgrace to both my Scottish and Polish heritage.
I took a much more direct route home on Sunday than I took out on Saturday, and it took me 5 hours to complete it. I didn't get lost, but I did take lots of breaks. I took an extra long break before climbing the hill up to the Scarborough Bluffs. From the bottom of the Bluffs I took in stunning vistas of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and the humidity building up over Lake Ontario. From the top of the Bluffs the nuclear power plant looked smaller and somehow cute, like a toy that's only pretending to be an aging radioactive plant at the end of its operating life in the middle of the most densely populated part of the country. And the lake was beautiful. Maybe I was happy about having gotten to the top of the hill or maybe it was the heat exhaustion, but I had never felt more at peace while looking at the 905.
And so that brings us to the present moment. You guys, I leave on Sunday for the bike rally! I'm so excited! Check out my route on the Friends for Life site, and pass along my fundraising page to anyone who might want to support me/this cause! My team has raised the most funds of any bike rally team this year, and we want to keep that up during the rally itself.
I'll keep you posted from the road, and I promise, the embarrassing spandex pictures are coming.
*Locals refer to Scarborough as Scarberia. It's seen a place where nothing good can happen.
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