Day 73

Saturday, September 4th
Argentia to St. John's
143km

What a way to end. Perhaps the toughest day of the trip with one of the toughest climbs of the trip up Signal hill at the finish line.

At 5:30am, a PA announcement on the ferry woke everyone up. We had a cafeteria breakfast on the ship, before it docked at 6:30am. By the time we got our bikes, made lunches, filled water bottles, and hit the road, it was probably 7:30am or so.

It was cold. As soon as we stepped off the ferry, we knew it was going to be a cool day. It was also spitting with rain, which would make it even colder. I had my arm warmers, leg warmers, vest and plastic rain jacket with me, but not my gortex pants, jacket, hat, gloves, booties, etc. All of that gwars for really foul weather was packed away on the truck.

For the first 90km, the weather varied between overcast with spitting rain and overcast without spitting rain. There was a still headwind throughout though, which made it really tough riding.

By the coast, there was some great scenery. Lots of big hills with rivers and lakes in between. However, once we got inland, the scenery became pretty dull. Long, straight roads with lots of hills and long grasses on either side.

Paul, Rick, Rosalyn and I stopped at a resteraunt in Holyrod for lunch. The waitress asked where we were cycling from, and we told her that we had started out in Victoria. “And you're finishing up right here in Holyrod?” she asked to our amusement. We joked that “No, were going to keep going to Upper Gullies or Foxtrap” we joked once she had left.

As soon as we left the resteraunt, it started to rain. Thus, the stage was not set for 50 of the toughest kilometers of cycling I have every completed. The rain was pouring down and everyone was soaked to the bone and freezing cold. There was a strong headwind and lots of climbing to do.

At around 113km, we took a wrong turn and rode all the way up a giant hill before realizing our mistake and riding all the way back down. The rain was so heavy that it was hard to see at times, and most of the intersections had no street signs. How frustrating!!!

By 3:00pm, we were at the Tim Horton's 11km from Signal Hill. The plan had been for everyone to. Meet there at 3pm, and then ride into St. John's together. However, there were only 7 of us in the lead group, and we knew that some people would be hours behind, so we didn't bother waiting. I was so cold and so wet that I didn't even go into the Timmies, because I didn't think I would be able to go back outside again if I did.

About 3km later, only 8km from the end, Paul got his 3rd flat tire of the entire trip. We all stood there shaking and we tried to change the tube with frozen hands.

Rick managed to get Paul fixed up quickly, and soon we were at the bottom of Signal Hill. At the top was a sensational view of St. John's and the finishline of oiur odessy. However, a full kilometer of unimaginably steep climbing was still ahead of us.

I started driving up the hill and instantly found myself in too high a gear. I switched gears and my chain came off. What bad luck. Paul stopped with me while I quickly put it back on, and we started the climb again.

The climb was very tough, but we gave it everything we had. On one section, the grade flattened briefly, but my fingers were so numb that I couldn't shift gears. I had to reach around the bar and grasp the shifter eith my entire fist to get it it go. In the end, it was Paul, Rick and I reaching the peak at the same time. Perfect ending. It was just like our early days of climbing in the rockies...us three pulling ahead on the tough climbs.

Tito, Rosalyn, Bob and Pierre were up shortly after we were, and we exchanged hugs and hearty congratulations. We snapped a few quick photos (what an AMAZING view) and rode halfway down the hill to the Battery hotel where we spent the night. It was so cold at the top that we only stayed a few minutes before rushing down to warm showers and a night of pizza, packing and partying.

Upon reflection, it was the perfect way to end the trip. It wouldn't have been the same to have a warm tailwind pushing us across some flat terrain all day before we reached the water and called it quits. No, today was much more appropriate. It underscored the sense of accomplishment for us, and demonstrated the commitment that we all had for what we were doing. It was a wonderful climax, and an unforgettable ending to an unforgettable trip.
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Daniel Longo
CIBC Corporate Development
(416) 956-3831