Toronto-Ottawa-Toronto 1000K Ride Report and Photos

Organiser's Report

At 5 am on a rainy Saturday morning, Scott Chisholm, Peter Dusel, Martie du Plessis, Alan Thwaits, Merry vander Linden and I set out from the front steps of Queen's Park. Peter had spent the night at my place and we rode together to the start. It started raining when we arrive and I used the shelter to the grand stairway to complete the paper work after doing the bike check. We also had a group shot taken at the start.

The brave crew, L-R: Martie, Merry, Peter, Scott, Alan, Phil.

For the most part the weather was good, although the early morning on Saturday proved wet from the moment we started all the way to where we finally parted with Oshawa. At times the rain was falling so hard the road looked like a river. Along the last winding stretch before Westport we once again got pelted with some heavy showers - luckily the showers stopped and we had a rain-free last bit to Perth. Initially I rode with Merry and Peter, and we met up the others in Peterborough, but the group sorted out differently over confusion on eating stop. Scott, Alan, Martie and I rode on to the control at Tweed and stopped for a very early dinner. While we were eating, Merry's husband Claudio showed up, asking about Merry and Peter. There was a bit of humour as Claudio was mistaken for minor TV celeb.

Our meal stop in Tweed.

We got going and just as we were leaving Tweed saw Peter just arrive. No sign of Merry, who had evidently scooted on ahead of us while we ate. At some point after the infamous Westport hill, Scott sped off to catch Merry, and they arrived first in Perth. Alan, Martie and I arrive not long after, and Peter pulled in a couple of hours later.

Sunny Sunday morning.

Sunday was very lovely - a relatively flat roll to Ottawa. McPhail Rd, which has been rough and gravel strewn as long as I can remember, was paved (though far from smooth). The stretch along Tennyson Rd in the early morning sun was especially nice. Ottawa area member Bill Pye joined us just in the outskirts of town and rode with us to Parliament Hill. There were many lovely views of the mightly Ottawa as we rode along the Ottawa River Parkway. We arriving just in time to see the changing of the guard. We had a Mountie ( not in the red tunic though) sign our cards. I took a picture of him with some of us and then had him take a group photo of us.

Most of the group in Ottawa, L-R: Scott, Alan, Bill Pye, Phil, Martie, Merry.

Had a lovely ride retracing the route through to the turn south to Napanee. Scott and Merry were soon off the front, but Alan, Martie and I met up with them at a store in Verona (curiously the same one we stopped at the day before). We rode together to Enterprise, but after that Scott and Merry were once again off the front and arrived in Napanee before sunset. Alan, Martie and I arrived just after sunset in Napanee and after a refreshing shower and pizza, settled in for some sleep. Peter arrived at around 11pm.

We got on the road around 5:15 the next morning and engaged in a team time trial to catch the second ferry of the day to Glenora (alas, too fast too eary for my legs, and I was well off the back trying to keep the others in sight most of way). We arrived in time for the 6:45 AM ferry. Much to my delight, we had REAL sitdown breakfast at a unusual diner in Picton called Muddy Waters.

Waiting for the ferry to Glenora.

After the easy terrain of Prince Edward County and the mainland leading to Brighton we faced the most demanding part of the route. My legs will never forget them. I was amazed to watch Martie climb seated on a bike with only double chainset - her Achilles was extremely sore and she could not climb standing. Once again, Scott and Merry were well of the front, and they arrived at the finish well before midnight. Alan, Martie and I seemed on track for a midnight finish when Mother Nature decided to deliver some of the nastiest weather I've ever seen ( we had earlier seen threatening weather off to the north just before climbing the infamous Kirby Ski hill, but it seem to dissipate by the time we arrived in Oshawa). We spent quite some time in a TTC bus shelter at Finch and Morningside waiting out the storm. So close and yet so far. Scott and Merry were well ahead of us and missed the fun (the following day, Peter informed me he took shelter at a pizza place just in Oshawa) Our threesome made it around 1:30, and Peter a couple of hours later. Peter spent another night at my place before catching the morning ferry home.

All in all it was a great ride, though perhaps the toughest I've yet ridden.

Martie crests the "famous" Kirby ski hill, our last tough climb on the route.