Narrow Locks DIY-Brevet

I wanted to cycle as much as possible during my holidays, and couldn't get everything I wanted after my failed Log Driver's Waltz attempt, so I decided to do some ultra cycling. Thanks to Paul G for the recommendation on this route from Randonneurs Ontario, the Narrow Locks: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43823512

My goal with this ride is to make ultra-rides a more common thing for me, create a template of sorts so in the future I just copy the same kit + "formula". I'm happy to share it went really well! I woke up at 4am, left home at 5:23 and arrived at ~23:30.

The route was beautiful, with the hardest part around Carp. It was nice to just get the climbs out of the way and enjoy the rest of the day.

Only two minor things happened today: I started to develop some pain on my left knee during the ride which made things hard, but tylenol helped a bit. This knee pain has been an ongoing trend for a few months, it just got accentuated in this ride. Sounds like I'll need some physio. Another mishap is that I lost my bike toolkit 😭 I didn't strap it properly and it flew away. Luckily my guardian angel Kerianne Shepley got on-call in case something happened 🙏

I got to see some incredible views, very happy with the photographic results I got. Waking up early and staying up late outside definitely pay off.

This route is slightly different than the official one from Randonneurs Ontario. I was originally going to do ~340km, but as the sun set, I didn't want to continue peddling in the night, so I took a "shortcut" home after Burrits Rapids. It felt very well worth it, the roads were very quiet.

I saw a stand with some flowers by the Mississippi River, so I left some money and took some with me to adorn my ride. These randonneurs ontario people really outdid themselves, the route is beautiful and full of interesting spots, like this nice ice cream farm.

I'm very happy with how the ride turned out. Great way to crown the riding season, looking forward for what 2024 will offer!