Bike the Bridge 2014

 Ambassador Bridge

(photo credit:  blog.thedetroithub.com)

For the fifth year in a row, the US and Canada joined together to close the busiest international crossing in North America to let a few of us ride our bikes across.  Bike the Bridge 2014, held on Sunday, 12 Oct, was hosted by Tour de Troit  - a local non-profit organization that also  sponsors the annual 30-mile ride around the city.  I did that as well in September, but didn't blog about it or take any pictures.  

The ride was FANTASTIC!

My bike buddy, K, with whom I've biked the Slow Roll all summer, drove down to pick me up at 7a.  We headed out to Windsor, Ontario to pick up our bibs and route map; the ride started promptly at 9a.  After biking to the US and back to Canada, we took a 20-mile tour around local and historic neighborhoods.  

I've been to Windsor MANY times and I never knew some of these neighborhoods existed!  I usually visit the mall, Fabricland, eat somewhere downtown, or pass through to Toronto.  It was very nice to see some of the quaint areas of the city.

That said, I am so glad we did the bridge first.  Oh man.  That climb was brutal.  I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it.  I've biked bridges before, but this was VERY hard.  It seemed as if we would never make it to the top.  I made it eventually! 

Though I seriously contemplated taking a ride back on the SAG truck, I pushed on and made it back to Canada.  The climb didn't seem that hard going back.  Either it wasn't as steep or I had so much adrenaline pumping through me that I couldn't feel the pain.  I'm going with option 2.  =)

In all it was a great ride and nice to see the city from the Windsor side.  It is also nice to say that I biked the Ambassador Bridge!

Upon entering the US to return home, I didn't get stopped with a bunch of crazy questions by customs.  Good lookin' out because seriously, I was not in the mood!

I had every intention of writing this post last week.  But when it rains, it pours.  Anyway, I am making a conscience effort to take care of myself and return to doing things that I enjoy - which includes sewing and blogging about sewing.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by to read and comment.  Please know that your greetings and support are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated.

L

 

Tour de Troit 2013

The Tour de Troit is sort of like the Tour de France but without the hills, speed racers, insane long distance, and doping scandals.  For the 12th consecutive year, local organizations and business along with the Detroit Police Department joined together to sponsor a 30-mile ride through the city.  For the hard core riders, there was also a 70-mile route.  The most riding I've done in a single day was about 45 miles. 70 miles isn't happening - at least not until I get a much softer seat.

My friend, K., and I have been training for this ride for the last couple of weeks.  We rode the Detroit Slow Roll on Labour Day and a 17-mile ride in Flint a couple of weeks ago.

The tour started at Roosevelt Park in front of the tragically iconic Michigan Central Station. I'm old enough to remember the interior of the train station before it closed in the late 80s.  Soooo beautiful.  So classic.  So heartbreaking.

The tour took some 6000 bikers through southwest Detroit, back up Michigan Avenue, through Midtown, IndianVillage, around Belle Isle, through downtown, and back to Michigan Central.

Some people just don't know when to stop riding.

I haven't ridden like this in a couple of years.  My last hard core ride was in 2011 during a trip to The Netherlands.  There, I rode for 30+ miles per day for a week...well six of seven days.  I had a terrible migraine that one day and decided to sit the ride out.  More info on that fantastic voyage can be found here.

In all I had a great time and look forward to riding this (or another) tour again next year.  Actually, I might do one more ride in a couple of weeks.  This would be a ride into Canada and then 20 miles around Detroit.  We'll see about that.  Right now, my body is all kinds of achy.  I don't think there's enough Tiger Balm and Epsom salt in the world to ease the pain I am feeling right now.  

As for sewing, I've not sewn a single stitch since finishing my coat.  I have grand plans to sew a few items for a fall 6PAC.  The fabric is ready and patterns are picked.  I just need to get started.

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  I'm off to try and stretch my achy muscles.  Oh and grade some papers.   Maybe.

L