One week ago today, Jordon and I rode 164km’s for Africycle. Even with the weather being questionable (or completely wet from time to time) we couldn’t have asked for a better day of cycling. However, it certainly started off in a rush. In true David Blondel fashion, I managed to sleep in. A part of me places blame on all the pasta Carlo Raponi fed us the night before… But really, like a good Seinfeld episode, I set the alarm on my cell phone incorrectly. The blame rests on me alone.

In the grand scheme of things, It didn’t really matter. Instead of leaving at 7am, we were waking up at 7am, and were on the road by 7:20am. The only thing that made us a wee bit nervous about our newly implemented schedule was that we missed a crucial morning meal. I think I ate a granola bar and an orange, while Jordon had a banana.

We made great time to the midway point and felt really good throughout the rest of the ride. The real test came in the last 15km’s. For the first 10 of those last 15, we clicked along quite quickly. Surprising ourselves, considering the head wind, those 10 km’s felt just as strong as the first 10km’s of the day. However, as we made our last right hand turn onto a 5 km winding road, toward our destination point… the mental game started in a big way.

It’s hard to describe how you feel after putting your body through something silly like this. Nearing the end, we felt good physically, our legs and arms felt as if they had something left in the tank, but mentally, we were just spent. It’s like you just have to get off the bike. The sooner, the better. In those moments, convincing yourself that riding your bike is still fun/a good idea/practical/not dumb is very near to impossible. At some point in a ride this long, you know that you will eventually hurt and feel pain, being able to persevere really comes down to how well prepared you are to handle suffering.

We rolled through the finish line (there wasn’t a literal finish line, we didn’t ‘break the tape’) and met up with our good friend/newly appointed coach/ride home, Jay Lovestein, who had cold and frothy servings of chocolate milk waiting for us. (and.. it isn’t as if we really concerned about this sort of thing, but the ride took us just a shade under 7 hours to complete) High fives were had… along with more high fives. Then we piled everything into Lovestein’s VW van and went out for a big salad/high fat meal respectively.

Throughout the day we had plenty of time to think about and pray about Africycle, everything that surrounds it, and everyone who makes it happen. Africycle really is a beautiful thing, helping people in a real, tangible way. Please take the time to visit the Africycle website and continue to spread the word on the good work being done.

I would also like to thank all the fine people from Africycle who got behind this Ride For Africycle idea, and a big thank you to Mike Siddall, who endured 1000’s of emails from yours truly.

We are currently awaiting a final tally on the money raised, unfortunately, we will not have an accurate figure until the end of the month. We will post this information when we have it.

Stay posted for details on Ride For Africycle 2.0 coming in 2008, it is shaping up to be a doozy. (Yes, I said “doozy”)

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Thank you for being a part of it! Thank You.

Jordon is a cyclist. (If I haven’t confessed it yet, I will now: I am a BMX’er who just happens to ride a road bike from time to time. Jordon is in a whole different league) Last year he spent 80 days riding from Vancouver to Halifax and this summer he rode 3500km 1500km all over P.E.I. Today we went for a ride together, and it was a workout! We found that we are somewhat evenly matched on the flats, but he kills me on climbs. However, for whatever reason, I seem to descend hills faster, so it all kinds of balances out. I suppose we were meant to ride together.

Anyway, Jordon is an awesome fellow and I’m glad he has volunteered to come along for the ride.

Also. My sister has got in on the Ride for Africycle fundraising effort. Check her blog for details.

So today I got to ride, which meant I got to face reality. Actual reality isn’t ever as smooth and easy as the daydreaming of reality. Bicycles don’t move themselves.

I read a quote from three time Tour de France winner, Greg LeMond, where he said “(cycling) doesn’t get easier, you just faster” It is true, so true. I consistently ride the same 70km loop and buried within are some decent climbs. You would think that after riding this route continuously, those hills would get easier. They don’t. They still take work. They still make your legs burn and your lungs expand, no matter how many times you have trekked up them.

Such is life. Knowing that the things we care for the most usually take the most effort. The most diligence. The most patience. The most discipline.

However, reaching the top of a hill you have climbed 100 times or 1 time never fails to leave you with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment… trust me, you want to chase that feeling, it is that good.

Anyway, those are some random thoughts. Tonight I will spend some time on the indoor trainer which is always a good time since there is never a headwind in my basement and I have some dvd watching to catch up on.

Thanks for stopping by.

Some of the Africycle crew are returning from Malawi as we speak, so be sure to check out the Africycle website for some of the latest news.