In a place known for rain, it was a glorious day to ride. The mind and the muscles are ready. But two things are screaming slow down: my neck and my butt. The bike frame and fit is optimized for touring but it just takes time to have whatever muscles hold the head back for hours a day get comfortable with their new job. And as for the two sit bones and my new Brooks B17 Special (extra thick leather for longevity) saddle, well, they just need a longer courtship.
So, instead of cycling from Sayward to Port McNeil, I listen to my two body parts, split the distance and head to Woss. Some fairly long stretches with no traffic and it looked like this for about three hours:
I have my first lunch in the wilderness. Another avid cyclist recommended this protein rich meal.
There is much to explore in the northern reaches of Vancouver island.
However, of all the many things to do, the tourist board does not think cycling is one of them.
There is not much in Woss. A general store and a cafe. The cafe was serving fresh halibut as a dinner special. Too bad it was ruined by being deep fried but it tasted good nonetheless. This is still logging country. I am the only non logger in the cafe. There are about a dozen men having dinner around me in the cafe. Each one of them weighs more than me and my full loaded bike together not counting their steel toed muddy boots. Not sure what they make of me in my wool knickers, black narrow Italian shoes with Velcro straps and my baby blue sweater. No one asks.
Stats:
Start: Sayward Junction 10:30 am
End: Woss 5:00 pm
Distance: 67 km
Time on the Bike: 3:45
Average Speed: 17.8 km/hr
Maximum Speed: 59 km/hr
Distance to Date: 438 km
Cross Country Cyclist 
Love the photo of the handle bars and empty road. Hope the ferry trip is great! Lunches look very appetizing. Be well.
Thanks. I may want to do an occasional call or Skype with you to discuss equipment. So far everything is working well. Two of the battery lights are misbehaving: the fender light stopped working even with fresh batteries. The rear blinker (the one you have) will not switch off so I have to remove a battery to stop it. The chain is already squeaking after just 550km and I added some Boeshield T9 once and I’ve only been in a few showers. I will run out of T9 at his rate. Finally, there are stress noises coming from my stem – more at the end of the day. Something for Click and Clack. At how many km should I replace the chain? And what brand ? I am running an 8 speed cassette. D
Hi David,
I suggest checking out strava.com, a free cellphone application using GPS to monitor your journey. For a few extra dollars they will store all the info. on their website allowing you to slice and dice your trip later on. I’ve used it for a couple of months and it works well. I enjoy all your postings. Reading them is the highlight of my mornings! Keep up the effort and be sure to watch out for the bears and moose(s) along the way.
Happy trails,
Tom Hawley
Thanks – I will check that out. I considered various GPS options but they all ate batteries. I have an iPhone and use “cyclemeter” which I like but running it for 4-8 hours a day winds the iPhone battery to zero. As I am camping, there are no guaranteed charging options. And I am watching weight so did not consider solar. Will rethink. Thanks for reading the blog. Hope to have you join me. David
no cycling suggestions… but the museum is “world class”!
Loved the woolly knickers and the baby blue sweater 🙂 I bet you were the talk of the town once you cycled on.