Cycling across Canada – Day 2: the Big Climb Starts!

Hope to EC Manning lodge, 60km, 1450m elevation gain.

Today is the toughest day according to the green book( Canada by Bicycle by Steve Longden). I was planning to leave early in the morning but wouldn’t get up. Sleeping in felt too good. I dragged my butt out of the tent around 7:30 and ready for road around 9am.

Climbing was so hard. I hate it. But what’s interesting was that when you are climbing, it doesn’t look like you are climbing. The roads look flat. You are just pedaling hard and going slow. However, when you stop and look back, what a big hill you have climbed!!

I think in life it’s probably the same. Sometimes you are working really hard but doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Maybe it’s just the steady incline that’s tricking you. You are actually constantly improving. If you look back, you may be realizing that you’ve actually come a long way!

I met another cyclist on the road today and he’s from New Brunswick going across Canada. We decided to go together today and tomorrow until he’s going up on Hwy 5 and I’m continuing east on Hwy 3.