MISSISSAUGA, ON — This is a summary of the 6 legs of a 463 km “shake-out” tour on Mia Bella fully loaded for self-contained touring. The main purpose of the tour was to test out my Mia Bella Modifications for Touring, Modifications for Touring II, Modifications for Touring III and “Stealth” Camping Set-up in preparation for future adventures.
Route
Mississauga > Waterfront Trail east through Toronto > Bike Route north to Uxbridge > Trans-Canada Trail east through Peterborough-Hastings > Bike Route south through Warkworth-Castleton > Bike Route south and then west via Bike Route and the Waterfront Trail through Cobourg > Bike Route and Waterfront Trail to Toronto > Waterfront Trail back to base in Mississauga
My route is detailed at: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/mississauga-transcanadatrail-peterborough-warkworth-cobourg-6-day-tour-fully-loaded
The route included just about every kind of road surface manageable on this fully-loaded recumbent — smooth asphalt, rough gravel, fine gravel, rutted and pot-holed country roads as well as off-road trails.
Itinerary
Departed Wednesday, May 8, 2013 — Returned Tuesday, May 14, 2013 with a lay-over in Peterborough on Saturday, May 11th, to paddle the Trent River / Canal with the Camp Kandalore Nor’Wester Krew and to visit the Canadian Canoe Museum which was founded by Kirk Wipper, Camp Kandalore proprietor and our director back in the 1960s and ‘70s.
STATISTICS:
Bike weight
Front 24 lbs
Rear 26 lbs
Total 50 lbs
Loaded weight (self-contained with 3 days’ food + 1 day water)
Front 40 lbs
Rear 60 lbs
Total 100 lbs
Total bike + rider weight 270 lbs
Time & Distance
Map Distance Total 442 km
Odomoter Distance Total 463 km
Diversions, Backtracking, etc. 21 km
Total Rolling Time 35:21:39
Total Traveling Time 56:00:00
Speed & Cadence
Average Speed 13 km/hr
Max Speed 62 km/hr
Average Cadence 75 rpm
Packing
Loaded front panniers added welcome stability to Mia Bella, especially over rough and bumpy surfaces where the added weight helped keep the front wheel in contact with the ground for better steering control and less “twitchiness”. The weight over the front axle did not demand any increased effort steering … In fact, it provided extra tracking stability.
The left front “kitchen” pannier with Sigg fuel bottle, my old 70’s-vintage Optimus stove and camp Billy Tin … Coroplast “dividers” provide a lightweight solution to eliminate metal-on-metal rattling …
Leg 1.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Mississauga to Uxbridge
10:30am to 8:30pm = 10 hours
CLICK PHOTOS FOR ENLARGED VIEW
The recommended York Durham Line north to Uxbridge had heavy (rush-hour) traffic. Seeing a couple of dump trucks in the rear-view mirror, I headed for the shoulder and ended up coming down on the left-front and under-seat panniers due to the (unmarked) soft gravel … Unfortunately, my new Arkel pannier sustained some abrasion and a hole torn in the front-left corner (see below) … I headed east at the next opportunity and then north on a Sideroad–no more traffic but rough gravel for long stretches … Hopefully, I mused, my investment in a set of tough Schwalbe Marathon touring tires would pay off in the long haul … which it did!
Front building in the north …
On a gravelly Sideroad parallel to York Durham Line …
The next Concession provided smoother sailing, albeit hilly …
Stealth camp on the outskirts of Uxbridge …
Leg 2.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Uxbridge to Kawartha Lakes on the Trans-Canada Trail
10:30am to 7:30pm = 9 hours
Finally on the fabled Trans-Canada Trail … an on-going project based on a great concept! Another “National Dream” will be realized when the gravel sections are replaced by a ribbon of asphalt … if ever …
WTF !!! … What`s This For ???
On the Beaver River Wetland Trail … for 30 kms!
The Trans-Canada Trail offers a variety of surfaces ranging from rough, stony and rutted gravel sections to hard-packed, small gauge gravel … in addition to frequent natural and man-made obstructions to break up the day …
Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my chain saw … Thankfully, all of the big blow-downs along my route had been cleared …
Lots of signage by/for snowmobilers … Not much by/for cyclists …
TCT flora …
And fauna …
Communities through which the TCT passes have undertaken to maintain their section of trail … Some have obviously given considerable thought and expended substantial resources towards improvements …
But standards vary, like these 1-ton cement barriers which were placed too close together for my fully loaded touring machine … Not being in condition to try and move these blocks, I barely managed to squeeze Mia Bella through by rocking her side-to-side and inching along … Luckily, I didn`t have to unload/dismantle the panniers as my 100 lb. “road canoe” is not meant for portaging!
Along “the road less travelled” …
Ontario farmers were hard at work preparing their fields for Spring planting north and south of the TCT …
The weather front was still building on this warm and sunny Spring day …
HEADS-UP: Rode into Kawartha Lakes to replenish fluid reserves … I ended up at the Hasty Market on the corner of Kent and Albert Streets and was dismayed to find the clerk charged me $3.99 for a one-litre carton of Neilson Chocolate Drink (normally the 4-litre price) … What with my helmet and cycling paraphernalia, she obviously had me pegged me for a tourist just passing through … a mercantile practice I’ve experienced in Europe, but rarely in NA …
Stealth camp on the eastern outskirts of Kawartha Lakes …
Leg 3.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Kawartha Lakes to Peterborough on the Trans-Canada Trail
10:30am to 4:30pm = 6 hours
The fabled high trestle bridge between Omeemee and Peterborough …
Another trestle connects a farmer’s fields on both sides of the track …
In Peterborough, I spent the next day with 9 friends of our Kandalore Nor’Wester Krew for a most enjoyable get-together reminiscing about our days as staff at Camp Kandalore — a summer camp for boys back in the ’60s and 70s. Our gathering included a memorable paddle down the Trent River/Canal in two war canoes @ 5 men each …
Click to view video
One of them — “Canada One” — was the same craft used to represent Canada’s contingent in Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on the Thames in London, June 3rd, 2012, to mark Her Majesty’s 60 years on the English throne …
After our paddle, we were treated to a guided tour of the world-renowned Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough … It was originally founded as the Kanawa Museum — also called the Kanawa International Collection of Canoes, Kayaks and Rowing Craft — in 1957 by Kirk Wipper at Camp Kandalore, north of Minden, Ontario … Kirk was the proprietor and director of Camp Kandalore during our time as staff there … In fact, some of our Kandalore Nor’Westers Krew had a hand in digging the foundations of the original Kanawa Museum on the camp property back in 1966 …
Leg 4.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Peterborough to Hastings on the Trans-Canada Trail
11:30am to 7:30pm = 8 hours
Waterfront Trail bridge over the Trent River / Canal …
Snow, sleet, rain and a raw easterly headwind featured on my departure from Peterborough … This view is from a sheltered overhang in a plaza …
The combination of fairing and adapted cycling cape provided full-body shelter and surprising comfort under the circumstances … But my one pair of now-damp gloves kept the chilly headwind barely tolerable …
Fortunately, some welcome sunny breaks materialized as the day wore on, along with sign of some busy beavers …
With brightening skies, the winds shifted and provided a welcome boost approaching the Hastings-Trent junction …
An underpass like this sure beats a cross-walk or stop-light …
East end of the Lang-Hastings Trail section …
An unexpected barrier necessitated back-tracking at the swing bridge over the end of Rice Lake … I saw no closure/detour signage along the TCT approach …
Towards the end of the day, light drizzle returned and I pitched camp in damp and cold …
My “stealth” tarp set-up proved its worth under these conditions by keeping bike, equipment, supplies and me sheltered from the rain (as well as “out of sight”) while leaving plenty of room inside for cooking, hanging clothes & stuff, accessing all the panniers and rolling out the bivy/sleeping bag …
Leg 5.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Hastings to Cobourg
10:30am to 7:30pm = 9 hours
“Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning” … proved unwarranted as the day brightened up considerably …
Approaching the end of my Trans-Canada Trail ride … Although I saw some tracks, I encountered only eight (8) cyclists TOTAL along the almost 150 kms of trail — all commuters or recreational riders — within a few klicks of the urban centres of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough … and NO motorized traffic at all !!!
Heading south (and generally downhill) on Godolphin Road towards Warkworth and Lake Ontario …
In order to avoid traffic and to minimize a substantial northwesterly headwind, I opted for alternate parallel Sideroads and Concessions while heading generally SW towards Castleton … Inevitably, I made a wrong turn (at Red Cloud School Road) and finally conceded my error on a steep, rough, dead-end bush road … Ended up back-tracking about 4 kms …
The Castleton General Store at the corner of Percy and Spring Streets seems to stock EVERYTHING … absent the previous price gouging!
Another view across the Percy & Spring intersection in Castleton …
A refreshing shower & stop-over at dear friends’ in Cobourg …
Leg 6.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Cobourg to Mississauga along the Waterfront Trail
9:30am to 11:30pm = 14 hours
Entering Port Hope …
On beautiful Lakeshore Road approaching Wesleyville, west of Port Hope … Note the creative road sign with cyclist “flipping the bird” at passing motorist …
Trestle bridge over the CN rails …
Vineyards approaching Newcastle …
Nice spot for a lunch break …
On the Newcastle waterfront parkette …
The old Henderson house at the 90-degree bend on East Beach Road …
With an amazing view of Lake Ontario …
Cheek by jowl … Darlington Power and Darlington Provincial Park!
Mia Bella at GM Canada’s Headquarters … “There is a Better Way” …
Heading west along the West Rouge Waterfront Trail with daylight fading …
With the welcome tailwind, I opted to roll on through to Mississauga …
Following the Waterfront Trail and Bike Route signs as the street lamps came on, I ended up in Sylvan Park, pushing Mia Bella up a very steep and rough trail in the twilight past several startled deer, to finally connect with Kingston Road again … only it was mostly downhill this time … and with the low traffic this late in the day, I made good time to Silver Birch Avenue in The Beaches, stayed on Queen Street West to Leslie and hooked into the Waterfront Trail through Toronto and on to Mississauga … Light traffic facilitated getting through the major obstacle course in the chaotic construction zone through Harbourfront along Queen’s Quay between Yonge and Bathurst Streets …
WRAP
Tuesday, May 16, 2013
Equipment Check & Repairs
The left front “kitchen” pannier suffered a case of road rash when Mia Bella went down on her side as a result of hitting the soft shoulder at about 12 kph on the York Durham Line (see Leg 1. above) … Luckily, the left under-seat duffle bag helped cushion the fall … I have no prior experience with Arkel panniers, but the new “light-weight” Cordura in these panniers may be a compromise in terms of abrasion/tear resistance …
Fortunately, Arkel panniers are delivered with a swatch of Cordura, which came in handy effecting “invisible” repairs …
In the chair again (Mia Bella has no saddle) after a rainy day and near-freezing night camped east of Rice Lake, I noticed a crack in the left Mirrycle mirror …
Either from wet/freezing or from contact with the flexible FG poles used to form the tarp shelter …
The only mechanical issue arising half-way through this tour was a loosening of the top bolt on the front left Front Rack Strut, probably initiated by the soft shoulder incident and then loosened further by vibrations rolling over rough gravel … An easy road-side fix with the right Allen Key … Some Loc-Tite helped, too …
Another consequence of the soft shoulder fall turned out to be a slight bend in the Front Rack Extension … Easily dismantled and rectified in a vise or straightened in situ with an adjustable wrench …
Mia Bella — sparkling and good as new after a hosing and cleaning !!!
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Thank you to the many people who contribute their time and expertise to improve the cycling experience for those who follow.
Here are a few links to the resources I used to get up to speed on the world of “recumbents” and bicycle touring:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com
http://www.bentrideronline.com
http://www.adventurecycling.org