Week 12 Update

This week was no joke as it was all about cycling and cycling and cycling.

IMG_2312

My mission was to ride from Halifax to North Sydney where I’d catch the ferry to Newfoundland.

To do so, I had to cycle 500 km in less than a week.

I was fortunate to have good hosts in Halifax who single handedly got me in touch with people who would host me in the four stops that I would make to Sydney.

So I got onto the ferry from Halifax to Dartmouth and off I went!

IMG_2328

My first stop towards Newfoundland was in Truro

IMG_2368

Antigonish was next.

IMG_2373

After a night in Antigonish, I headed towards Cape Breton, an island that is part of Nova Scotia

IMG_2398

IMG_2394

In Cape Breton, I stopped in St Peter’s.

IMG_2400

That was an interesting ride as out of the blue, heavy fog came out of nowhere and I could not see a metre ahead of me so I was a little bit worried because if I could not see that means that I was invisible to cars too so I did my best to stay as far from the lane divider as possible.

Then an hour later as soon as the fog appeared it vanished. I was told later that the area is known for that phenomenon and there is even a legend about it that I forgot since I was really knackered from that ride.

After a good night’s sleep, I woke up bright and early on a rainy day to ride to Sydney where I would catch the ferry to Newfoundland and out of Nova Scotia.

IMG_2421

Let me tell you something: this ride from St Peter’s to Sydney was brutal but the challenge made it memorable in a twisted way.

Let me explain…

First, the weather was terrible. It was drizzling which was annoying but it was also pretty warm which meant that I was wet not from the rain because my waterproof gear did its job but from sweat because that gear is not very breathable so the air was getting trapped.

Secondly, the hills so were steep that I looked for an alternative route that turned the 98km ride into a 130km adventure!

Third, the GPS’ map was not current and some of the roads did not exist anymore or they were dirt and I had to take extra detours and for the next seven hours, I cycled on back roads that were so empty that I saw a car every hour or so. I also lost all phone signal so if something happened to me, it would have been a disaster.

I did not take many photos because I was such in a rush to get out of there that I was pedalling like mad and would just stop for bathroom breaks (in the bushes of course!) and to snack on the food that my hosts had made for me. I was fortunate, I had more than enough water so I never ran out of fuel so to speak.

IMG_2434

Eventually I got to Sydney and the temperature had dropped like crazy as it was freezing when I got there but I did not care because after hours in the middle of nowhere I was back into civilisation and had arrived to my destination.

I even had enough strength for a quick smile!

IMG_2442

A week or two before, I was fortunate enough to have met a man in Halifax through a friend and he lived in Sydney and he offered to put me up in a hotel as his way of supporting The Big Journey.

IMG_2454

He insisted saying that I needed to gather some strength before Newfoundland as it would be a difficult mission and I needed all the rest and sleep I could gather before getting on that ferry that separates mainland Canada to that island-province.

IMG_2468

And the hotel room came with quite a view!

IMG_2574

IMG_2582

IMG_2579

IMG_2602

IMG_2490

Jason MacLean, thank you so much!

IMG_2451

A few weeks later while in Newfoundland, I would find out that this good samaritan got elected president of The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU), the largest union in Nova Scotia with more than 31,000 members. 

Next week, I will cross into Newfoundland. I will be packing light and leaving my laptop behind so you won’t hear from me for a few weeks as it’s a big province to cycle.

3 thoughts on “Week 12 Update”

  1. C’mon JaBig, keep persevering!! we support you from Spain! (bit more warmer weather)

  2. Tu nous manques beaucoup. Nous avons hâte d’avoir des images et des commentaires.
    Cela nous fait un vide sidéral de ne pouvoir te rejoindre sur le Net.
    Cependant, nous pensons très fort à toi;
    Avec l’espoir que tu te portes bien et que tout aille bien selon tes projets.
    Bon courage. Gros bisous.
    Michèle THIAM FONT “LA SAUZONNAISE”

Leave a Reply to Javier Martínez Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.