Saturday 15 July 2017

Day 45: Moose Jaw to Regina

Today we find the Moose. Only the largest moose will do.
Moose Jaw is home to the tallest moose in the world, and I need to add it to my list.
A statue on the outskirts of town greets Jim and I as we roll by. The moose looks slightly comical in appearance, but we take the photos anyway.
Main Street
A short day is on the cards for me today, I think Jim may push on, depending on how he feels.
The wind made us pay for yesterday's tailwind right from the start. Hitting us on the right shoulder, it was blowing across us and slowing us down.

We were both a bit flat from putting in 176 km yesterday, so the speed was a touch under 20km/h for most of the day. Jim told me that the stretch between Moose Jaw and Regina was one of the flattest, and he wasn't wrong. Fields of Canola and Flax, yellow and blue respectively, fill the space between the road and the horizon, and I am sure you can see the curvature of the earth out here!

I was sore and tired, and the conversation with Jim had dried up. We were both in the pain cave, and were only focusing on getting to Regina.

We had heard rumours of large group of cyclists coming up behind us, and we saw some flags on the side of the road mentioning Sea2Sea. We stopped in at one of the RV's and spoke to the guys manning the station. They were supporting a trans-Canada cycle tour in aid of ridding the world of poverty. After washing our hands, they allowed us to refill our water bottles and have a few snacks. 
I welcomed the break and the opportunity to get off the bike for a few moments.

We passed another two support vans on the way to Regina, and the first of the cyclists passed us just outside Regina too. It's amazing seeing the speed differential between a loaded touring bike and an unloaded racing bike! A bit disheartening too.
I reached my turnoff and gave Jim a big hug and a thank you, he had certainly made the road a happier place for me over the last day and a half. 
I turned up Lewvan Drive and cycled up to the Whipplers, the sister of the family I had stayed with in Calgary.
What a welcome sight they were!

With very tired and sore legs, I parked my bike in the garage and went in for a lovely shower and a hotdog lunch...

Dinner was a lovely cedar plank salmon...sleep soon followed.

Distance: 81.8 km
Time: 4:13:00

Height gained/lost: 244m /-188m

Calories: 2154





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