The plan with week two was very simple. Ride from Québec City towards Halifax or Moncton. But first, I had to ride a 200 km journey to Rivière-du-Loup, because the overall segment is pretty long and I will do it in two weeks.
The days before Monday February 8th, there were some pretty strong weather alerts but I did not think much of them as they were forecast for Québec City, the city that I was leaving.
What mattered to me was the conditions on the route and at my destination.
So here, I was at the beginning of the ride
I caught a ferry towards Lévis to join Highway 132 that would take me all the way to Rivière-du-Loup.
That is Québec City from a distance…
And that is where all hell broke loose.
The winds were just too strong and were pushing me into traffic and I was moving so slowly that after some quick mental calculations, I realised that at that speed, I would make it to my destination way into the night and I have a rule: I don’t ride in the dark. (I did it once in Summer and it was a nightmare. In Winter it would be suicide mission).
I took the decision to turn around and abandon that day’s ride.
Here is the GPS route
As you can see, I did not go far. I was frustrated but first and foremost, safety first is the motto.
Today, I defied mother nature and went against all weather alerts from municipal, provincial and federal agencies. Then the wind that everyone was sending strong alerts about sent out some random gust that flew me into traffic (it felt like a stong person pushed me in front of cars) and a lorry almost hit me but my instincts saved me. After getting my heart back to a proper rate. I turned around and called it quits for the day. Exact details in the video below.
Posted by The Big Journey, by JaBig on Monday, February 8, 2016
And the following day, there has been a heavy snowstorm and the same the day after so now, I am just sitting waiting for the roads to clear and the alerts to be lifted.
As I sit here, I have to rethink my strategy. Given the strong winds, I have to ride shorter distances on a daily basis which means that I have to scratch all my accommodation plans as the city stops have changed and I DEFINITELY now need a full time road manager to help me carry my luggage and equipment by car.
Furthermore, I am so behind schedule (not that I am racing against time) that I have to overlook some cities in Eastern Canada.
Stay tuned for the latest updates. For now, I am reworking the plans and cannot wait to get back on the bicycle.
Dear craziest dj in the world we are all with you!