Triathlete Ride

September 2007 update

Cathy and Sheldon rode the Cabot Trail and raised $1,065 for Bicycles for Humanity through the generosity of their friends, family and clients.

Bicycles for Humanity thanks everyone involved in supporting this endeavour!

Here’s an update from the Cabot Trail duo!

The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

What a wonderful trip! We had no idea it would be so rugged and so beautiful, any pictures we saw before could not do it justice.

Two days of driving through the rain from Ottawa kept us wondering what the weather might have in store for us on our trip. The night we arrived Cape Breton they had the worst storm they’d seen in years, so trepidation mixed with our excitement as we packed our panniers in readiness for an early start.

Day 1 We left Baddeck heading clockwise towards Cheticamp, our first stop for the night. We had a chance to wander through Baddeck the evening before, a beautiful little tourist town in the sheltered bays of the Bra D’or lake, so we were looking forward to a similar evening in Cheticamp. 90km’s later (a relatively tame day with rolling hills and only the remnants of last nights weather) we arrived in Cheticamp to find a not so touristy fishing village. As it was Sunday, we also found just about everything closed!

Day 2 Our first mountain, and trust, these are mountains. After a long climb we felt elated at conquering the summit. Still sweating from our climb, our elation quickly turned to concern after we were caught in a sudden thunderstorm at the top of French Mountain. Now we were soaked to the skin and the temperature dropped dramatically. We took refuge in an emergency shelter, Lit the wood stove and dried out. A long ride down Mackenzie Mountain brought us to Pleasant Bay for our second night. We had the best Seafood chowder ever at our motel!

Day 3 Our most challenging cycling day, North Mountain had us wishing we were part of an organised tour that carries your luggage for you. The weight in our panniers was really dragging us down, and there was little solace in knowing that even the cars were struggling. Definitely the steepest hills we had ever cycled before. After a harrowing descent we left the trail for a short detour along some less travelled coastal roads. This added a few kilometres, but was well worth the scenery. We arrived in Ingonish Beach in the early afternoon and finally the weather was warm enough for a dip in the ocean.

Day 4 Our final long climb over Smokey Mountain, which turned out to be a great climb, but the descent was extremely steep and by now our brake pads were getting warn. So it was a slow, cautious descent. After crossing the ferry at Englishtown we found our way back to Baddeck and our waiting car.

As a final thought, here our top ten things to know about cycling the Cabot Trail:

1. Nothing is open on Sundays.
2. Head winds are killers and there is always a headwind.
3. The weather can turn a 4-hour ride into 8 hours.
4. The weather forecast is from Sydney, you are not in Sydney.
5. Just because you can bike a loop of the Gatineau’s - does not mean you are in shape!!
6. A 12% gradient doesn’t sound steep but it is…..
7. ….so a spare set of brake pads is a smart idea.
8. Fishermen stay home during stormy weather, maybe cyclists should too.
9. There is only one tourist town, the rest are fishing villages with a view.
10. There is nowhere in Canada quite like the Cape Breton highlands.

Triathletes Cathy and Sheldon getting ready to ride the Cabot trail and raise funds!

Cathy and Sheldon are avid bike enthusiasts who like to combine touring together as part of their triathlon training. In August they are embarking on a long awaited bike tour of the Cabot trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and are excited to make the trip an opportunity to build awareness and raise money for Bicycles for Humanity.

After meeting Pat (founder of Bicycles for Humanity in BC), Seb & Sandra at the launch of the Ottawa Chapter in June, they decided to make this an opportunity to raise some funds for the wonderful initiative in Ottawa – plus, Cathy feels she will need lots of inspiration when climbing those hills with full panniers!!!

Sheldon and Cathy will be starting the 302 km trail at Baddeck, Cape Breton on August 19th 2007 and plan to return full circle in 5 days stopping off at B&B’s and Youth Hostels on the way.

Cathy is a Massage Therapist who owns her own business - Calm Connections - in Wellington Village in Ottawa, and Sheldon is a self-employed renovator. Between them they have 5 children, but in their spare time, as members of the Ottawa Triathlon Club, they love to bike, run and swim.