ARVC Ride Across Canada

08/20/2022

Adam’s most recent media interview!!

Truly inspirational!

With eighty-one days and more than 5,500 kilometres behind him, Adam Hoerdt pedaled his bike into Waterford on Thursday afternoon and ended his cross-country…

08/19/2022

Day 81 Ayr to Waterford ON

WELCOME HOME ADAM!!!!

Feeling so fortunate to finish among family and friends.

With today being one of the shortest days, and a scheduled arrival time, I spent part of the morning visiting with Greg in Cambridge, while Francois did some work, and the rest of the crew had a leisurely time in the campground.

Shortly after 10am, five of us headed out of Pinehurst and on to , which we rode into the town of Paris - only 10km down the road.

First stop: the North house, where Tony treated us to a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, pastries and eggs.

On the road again, with Tony joining the fold for the final stretch, we had lots of time in front of us to travel the remaining 40km, so an extended rest stop in the lovely and historic Wincey Mills building near the confluence of the Nith and Grand RIvers allowed all of us to reflect on what a great journey we had been on together as we neared the end.

From here, we re-joined the extensive and well-groomed rail trail network that we had been on yesterday in Cambridge, and that extends all the way to Port Dover or to Hamilton and beyond, depending on which path one chooses to take. Having pedaled on these sections often in the past number of years, the familiarity for me fueled the feeling of the impending homecoming, and I (and the rest of the team) noticed my invigorated pace as we proceeded south towards and then through Brantford.

The final scheduled rest stop was under the shade of trailside trees in the village of Mount Pleasant, where we all were keen to hydrate as the heat of mid-afternoon increased.

Another kilometer down the path, and we pulled up and out of the rail trail onto "Old 24", that would become Main Street Waterford. Through a bit of coordination and fortunate timing, we soon after connected with François, who had rejoined us by pedaling north from Waterford after his day's work, as well as Ben and friends who had driven down from Kitchener to join in the arrival festivities. Ben and crew forged ahead to the end, and François, Randy, Tony, Mike, Ron, Peter and I proceeded south for the final 12km into Waterford - the town where Greg and Ben have spent most of their lives thus far.

Turning onto Alice Street, we could see the crowd and hear the cheers of about 40 people from a few blocks away from the final destination at Wishbone Brewing Company.

Between them, and the generously donated food from The Gibbled Goose, as well as raffle prizes from a number of other local businesses and community members, the arrival event was wonderful…and made so special by the many dear, dear family and friends that helped us to celebrate the completion of this journey.

One final order of business: my 40th overall interview with The Expositor/Reformer, and then it was time to share, reconnect and celebrate for the remainder of the afternoon.

Now some time to decompress, embrace those who I have been missing so much for the past 3 months, and to rest the body and mind.

Ontario totals include:
Number of days: 30 days (24 in the saddle + 6 rest days)
Total distance: 2143km
Total time in the saddle: 112 hours
Total vertical climb: 14.6km
Total number of different riders joining me: 16 (0 days riding alone)

Stay tuned for overall ride numbers

Today's Distance: 52.6 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5538.59 km

08/18/2022

Day 80 Misissauga to Ayr, ON

The penultimate day.

After a solid sleep-in (for myself at least), we got ourselves organized and on the road by about 9:30. The air was already warming and thick with humidity as we set out on Derry Road pointing westward.

Crossing Meadowvale amid morning rush hour, we were glad to pass over the 407 and be back amid farm fields, albeit for not very long, given the ever-expanding Milton sprawl.

A breakfast stop in Milton included taking advantage of the indoor air conditioning, as our body temperatures were already climbing on this hot day.

Staying on Derry until its western terminus, we enjoyed being back in the country once more, and zig zagged to continue on quiet roads all the way to #6. Thankful to only travel north along this very busy highway for a few kilometers, we found the end of #97, which we turned west once more on, through Flamborough then Valens all the way into Cambridge.

We narrowly avoided torrential downpour by making a few quick stops in the city, as the clouds continued to threaten all around us.

At the banks of the Grand River, we joined the Cambridge-Brantford Rail Trail, and enjoyed being off of the road for about 10km on this well maintained and hard packed trail.

At Glen Morris, we climbed up out of the river valley and crossed the bridge before turning onto the for a couple of kilometers before arriving at our destination for the night - Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area, where we met both Ian and his daughter, Emily, who had coordinated to drop off the trailer for the final time of this adventure.

Today's Distance: 78.49 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5485.99 km

08/17/2022

Day 79 Shelburne to Mississauga, ON

Adam's Recap:

Feeling particularly fortunate with friends on an emotional day.
After a wonderful evening celebrating Ian's arrival home by enjoying a delicious meal provided by Sue followed by the sharing of a variety of music favorites from each us, we set off from Shelburne just before 8am.
Today was a rollercoaster day, both topographically, and also for me, emotionally.
As we proceeded along secondary roads towards Orangeville, I started to tear up while deep in thought about Greg's current struggles. As we zigged and then zagged towards our destined breakfast stop, the tears turned to sobs, and eventually I found myself bawling uncontrollably at the back of the pack. Approaching the 20km mark, we arrived at the outskirts or Orangeville, where we made 2 stops. First, a hearty breakfast at Stacked, followed by a quick visit with Jeff at Cycling Elements bike shop.
On the road once more, we continued to climb up and down (but mostly up) the Oak Ridges Moraine, arriving at the Inglewood home of friend and former colleague, Marg. To our delight, not only did Marg share her homemade peach muffins, but she also invited Katrina and Carol over to greet us, making a total of 5 of us reunioning from the North Park (Brampton) maths/sciences departments.
Bidding our farewell, we climbed out of Inglewood to enjoy largely flat roads for the remainder of the day as we approached, and then traversed Brampton on McLaughlin then Chinguacousy roads. A couple of quick stops included stocking up with delicious samosas and pakoras from Mike's favourite Indian Restaurant, Bangla Sweets as storm clouds threatened to explode around us, before coasting into Doris' house to enjoy the treats, have a most welcome dip in the pool and spend the rest of the evening celebrating another great ride day with Doris, Kary and Molly.

Today's Distance: 77.55 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5407.5 km

08/16/2022

Adam is almost home!!! Come on out to welcome him back on Thursday August 18th. Space is limited so please reserve your ticket ahead of time!! Please reach out if you would like a ticket!

08/16/2022

Day 78 Owen Sound to Shelburne ON

Adam's Recap:

After a day of rest enjoying some relaxation, we headed down to Owen Sound's waterfront with Ruth, Fred and my cousin Bob, while enjoying some great afternoon/evening live music (check out Madison Galloway on spotify) last night, we said goodbye to our generous hosts, Erin and Dylan, and started pedaling just before 7:30 this morning.

As their house is half way up the escarpment, a strategic route out of Owen Sound to avoid unnecessary climbing took us to the south, and past Inglis Falls, before we turned east for a bit and climbed up to #6.

I was feeling energized this morning, despite being less diligent with my nutrition and stretching routines over the past few days.

Ten kilometers down the road, we reached the junction of #10 in Chatsworth, where we stopped at a Coffee "Time" quirkily changed to a Coffee "Team" cafe, that was looking distressed enough from the outside that we were not confident that it was even open for business, while contemplating this possibility from immediately outside the front door. Sure enough, another patron entered, and we followed suit, to learn that the only product available was, in fact, coffee. We all partook in a cup, and it was particularly tasty.

The following 25km on the #10 was quite hilly as we crested ridge after ridge of the escarpment, and it was beginning to wear on me. Perhaps it was the hills, possibly the fact that 4 days from the end I was not paying attention to my steadfast routines, or maybe it was the winds that were starting to be a bit more confrontational than expected - we paused to reflect on the sensibility of the increasing number of wind turbines in the area.

In Markdale, we took our only real rest break of the day - a delicious breakfast at Kim's Place diner, where we were also approached by a representative for the local county health unit's fundraising initiatives about a potential future cycling fundraiser.

Well sated, many of us felt heavy legs as we plodded southward, often chatting about the fact that this busy highway #10 was really not very bike friendly at all, and at the very least, needed an extra lane in each direction to compete, at least in quality and safety, with many of the other roads that we have experienced in most other provinces.

Once the road flattened out, the wind and frequency of wind turbines increased, and we coasted into Shelburne, home of our beloved captain, Ian, whom we would crash with tonight.

…only 3 more days…

Today's Distance: 85.71 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5329.95 km

08/14/2022

Day 77 Miller Lake to Owen Sound, ON

Adam's Recap:

The Bruce Peninsula.

At 7am we met good friend, Barb, at the entrance of our campground, who would be pedaling with us for the day. Now a team of 7 in the saddle, we finalized our preparations, and said farewell to Corrine and Jeramie, who would be driving home today before setting out.

Back onto #6 for only about 15km, the blue sky started to reveal itself behind the few morning clouds, adding valued warmth to the cool air.

Despite the light Saturday morning traffic, we were happy to get off the more major road and onto secondary roads, headed southbound high above the shores of Georgian Bay.

First full stop: a delicious 2nd breakfast in the lakeside town of Lion's Head. Here, we reflected on our most recent connection: Shortly before stopping, we were flagged down by a woman who was at the end of her driveway when she noticed 7 red shirts coming down the road. Linda's initial request to take our picture was followed up with me telling our story, a few more questions, and a few shared tears. So thankful for another heartfelt roadside encounter, we proceeded towards the village to the sound of Linda vocalizing her response to our meeting.

Up and down some low rollers through pastureland, dotted with stone quarries and backdropped by windmills in the distance to our right, we rounded the bend with a spectacular view of Colpoy Bay, before eventually rejoining the #6 and then bombing down the hill into Wiarton.

Our second and last full stop on the shores of the bay were beside the home of famed groundhog, Willie. Although we failed to lay eyes on the rodent at this stop, we did connect with a local cyclist who happened to be hosting our new friends Vincent and Gisella (the cyclists from Manitoulin) tonight at his house…the world continues to get smaller.

Back onto secondary highways, we headed east then south then east again, eventually enjoying the long downhill run towards the shoreline just north of downtown Owen Sound. Along the Lakeshore once more, we passed downtown, only to pay for our descent by climbing a very steep but short hill along a path by foot, none of us able to remain in the saddle at such an incline.

Two blocks into a lovely neighborhood bordering parkland, we arrived at the home of our generous hosts for the weekend, Erin and Dylan and family. Some of our party (Barb, Peter and Ron) were not content with the distance covered for the day, and so headed off to round their day up to 100km…a goal that, while I fully understand, respect and appreciate, did not feel that I needed to participate in.

Time for a most welcome day off in Owen Sound, tomorrow!

Today's Distance: 91.01 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5244.24 km

08/13/2022

Day 76 South Baymouth to Tobermory to Miller Lake ON

Adam's Recap:

Ferry day plus a short pedal.

All 7 of us were up and on the road to catch the 11:00 ferry out of South Baymouth this morning. While in line, we connected with Dutch septegenarian, Peter (our 2nd), who had left Vancouver the same day that I left the west coast, on his unsupported bike tour across the country. In mostly broken German, we welcomed Peter into our fold as we boarded the boat together.

After the 2 hour boat ride, we disembarked in Tobermory, to strengthen the team with 2 more riders - Mike and Randy (each dropped off by their better halves - both named Susan). Congregating with the expanding crew - now totalling 11- while we check out a bit of Tobermory, we were delighted to be noticed (in our matching red shirts) by Julia - who was visiting the area from her home in Sault St Marie, and whom we met last week through Tracey and Ryan. Julia's family, also impacted by ARVC, has become part of our community of support and saving lives, and it was such a delight to reconnect with her so soon after meeting her and her family.

Coordinating the transfer of the gear of our 2 new riders, we set forth on #6 southbound towards Miller Lake. At our turnoff, we said goodbye to Peter #2, hopeful that we would reconnect with him further down the road over the coming days.

With the troop growing, and the days winding down as we venture further towards southern Ontario, today's short stretch from the south terminus of the Chi-Cheemaun was a clear marker that our adventure was nearing its end.

Today's Distance: 32.66 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5153.23 km

08/12/2022

Day 75 Little Current to South Baymouth ON

Adam's Recap:

Easy riding today.

After a lovely campfire under a clear and starry night in which I stayed awake past my usual 8pm, we enjoyed a sleep-in and then set off onto the #6 southbound shortly after 9:40am. It doesn't get much easier riding conditions than we had today - temperatures starting in the mid teens, blue sky partially covered with wispy high level cloud, and a wonderful tailwind to push us up and over the few ridges that define the topography of this largest freshwater island.

Today, Ron would try his 3rd bike in 3 days…a little Goldilocks inspiration perhaps. This time, it was the very generously donated Rocky Mountain E-bike, thanks to Sophia and family (way back in Nanaimo months ago.) While we have tried the E-bike a few times for shorter jaunts on rest days, today would be the first real test of its performance over a longer distance.

At about the halfway point, we paused to rest on some warming outcrop at the crest of one of the hills. The wide and smooth shoulders were marked as the official bike route, as Ron and I recalled from our adventures crossing Manitoulin Island with Mike just over a year ago.

At the Manitoulin Eco Park, we checked in to confirm our accommodations for the night, and then proceeded further south, where we connected with the rest of the team at South Baymouth for a bite of fish and chips to celebrate our journey through Northern Ontario before boarding the ferry tomorrow. Here, we met Gisella and Vincent for the 3rd time in 2 days, and enjoyed more great conversation with them.

While Peter, Francois and I enjoyed getting a lift from the team back to the campground, Ron chose to push the limits of the E-bike, and pedaled it the return 15km trip, giving him a total of about 65 for the day…the battery lasting for 55 of those.

Today's Distance: 51.15 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5120.57 km

08/11/2022

Day 74 Massey to Little Current, ON

Adam's Recap:

On our second day enjoying glimpses of Lake Huron, we made the turn from the north shore on #17 to the southbound #6 towards Manitoulin Island. Getting there was quite an adventure.

We chose to pass through downtown Massey, and join Lee Valley Road, thus avoiding more time on the TCH, towards the south end of the town of Espanola. This road was rural, largely unmarked, and more full of commuter traffic than we could ever expect. Nonetheless, our approach to the top of of the northernmost channels of Lake Huron, as we approached the foothills of the Lacloche Mountains were a delightful ride, with much to see, smooth asphalt, and lots of opportunity for the four of us to chat (in between waves of local vehicle traffic.) As we approached the boundary of Espanola, we paused as I received a call to interview with Bayshore Broadcasting out of Owen Sound….our next rest stop destination.

In Espanola, we stopped to grab a bite and give a shoutout to friend and fellow rider (see days q to 12), Jason, before we turned south for the remainder of the day.

The rest of our journey would now be on the #6, with its rolling hills onto and off of Birch, then Goat, then Manitoulin Islands.

A wonderful connection made with cycle tourists, Vincent and Gisella from Montreal, with whom we leapfrogged for the remainder of the day, reconnected us with the human world as we traversed this beautiful landscape.

While much of this section of the journey was amid active and relatively new construction zone (providing considerable challenge in the very coarsely graded asphalt undercoat), the real burden became the increasing headwind that limited our progress as we fought to reach the apex of each hill.

On one such hill, a loosely secured and oversized tackle box of fishing gear came dislodged from a very fast moving trailer, coming too close to inflicting harm to Peter, who was leading the pack at this point. Sharing the burden of carrying the gear, we soon after arrived at the Birch Island Indigenous Territory community centre, where we asked the delightful person who answered the door to kindly either attempt to contact the owner of said hear, or otherwise donate its entirety to local youth…a gesture very much appreciated by construction crew member, Marty, who happened to be a member of the same community.

In the second stretch of the debilitating construction zone, François and I stopped to repair a tire puncture, while Ron and Peter plowed ahead to alert the uber-atrentive safety crew of our predicament…mid-traffic flow. Within minutes, road grader operator, Al (from Sault St Marie) stopped to inquire about our needs, to chat about our purpose for being there, and generously agree to support our cause…leaving us (once again) feeling so fortunate to be embraced by so many amazing Canadians!

A few kilometers down the road, we crossed the swing bridge into Little Current, where we stopped for our final refreshment break of the day, and reconnecting with both Vincent and Gisella, as well as a few other groups of people who were both intrigued and supportive.

The last 15km before arriving at the Batman RV Park to connect with the rest of our team, allowed us to reflect on the fact that, despite the physical challenges of poor road, substantial headwinds, and significant hill climbing, this relatively short day was inspired by amazing people met along our route!

Today's Distance: 91.54 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 5069.42 km

08/10/2022

Day 73 Thessalon to Massey ON

Adam's Recap:

The Band Slowly Reassembles

After an incredible day off in Sault St Marie, complete with great hospitality and friendship from the Richards family, as well as a fabulous fundraising dinner and community meet-and-great event last night, we were joined by both Francois and Ron who flew in to join us for the remainder of the journey.

Ian drove the four of us to Thessalon, where we set off, eastbound on the #17 for the entire day.

A few low rollers on mixed quality and width of shoulder, our first pause was at Veteran's Bridge, a part of the Voyageur Trail in the heat of Iron Bridge.

From there, the terrain flattened out a bit, and we increased our average speed as the light breeze from behind began to assist us, now cruising nicely along the banks of the Mississagi River. At one point, we noticed a pair of otters frolicking in the river, and we stopped to enjoy their playtime, only to become the focus of their attention as well. Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the theatrics of our furry friends, and they looked at us as if to say, "Where are you going? Our show is not yet finished."

At Blind River, we reconnected with Ian and grabbed a bite of brunch at Rusty's Cafe.

More flat terrain with the wind building stronger behind us beneath the azure sky, we decided to pause and lay on the grass in front of Roy's Motel in Spragge...a totally welcome idea until the ant infestation took over our bodies, and we cut our rest stop short. Following that, Ron and I held back a bit as Peter and Francois bombed ahead a bit. Approaching Serpent River First Nations, Ron recalled a shop offering delicious smoked fish from a previous visit, and the two of us tried our luck, to no avail, as they did not have any available. As we exited the shop, we encountered Pesca, a self-described artist who was backpacking on foot enroute from Montreal to Vancouver. A few minutes to connect and share adventure stories as well as advice along our respective routes, and we hopped back onto the highway to catch up with the other two.

Shortly thereafter, we got a message to say that P & F had found our final rest stop of the day - an ice cream shop in the hamlet of Spanish. Catching up to them just as they received their order - a cone filled with an extraordinary amount of ice cream, Ron and I placed our order (for a small) and we all sought a shaded picnic bench to enjoy the frosty treats.

20km more in these amazing conditions, and we celebrated another long but beautiful day in the saddle, arriving shortly behind both Corrine and Jeramie as well as Ian to Chutes Provincial Park in the town of Massey.

Today's spectacular weather summary includes: Temps - starting at 12 and rising to 22 degrees; Winds - starting in still air and ending with a nice tail breeze; Cloud Cover - no more than 1% of the glorious blue sky was ever covered with light wispy clouds.

Today's Distance: 126.13 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 4977.88 km

08/08/2022

Day 71 Sault St Marie to Thessalon, ON

Adam's Recap:

A soggy saddle day in the Sault.

With a very muggy night, we expected rain today. We did not expect it to be as heavy as it was, nor did we expect it to last almost all day.

Joined by sisters Niki and Stef, just as we started to pedal from the west end of the Sault, the rains came. A few kilometers into the city, and we joined up with the John Roswell Hub Trail for the second day in a row. The lovely route through town approached the U.S. border, then turned east along the St. Mary's River and then the Sault Locks.

At about the 10km mark, we were joined by Alicia, and the 6 of us headed further east along the 17B as the intensity of the rain increased to the point where it actually stung a bit, at times. For the most part, this road was a smooth, newly paved surface with traffic that was particularly light on this early Sunday morning.

At the "Big Loonie" at Echo Beach, home of the designer of the iconic coin, we met up with Stacey, who would pedal with us for the next stretch.

Happy to have a great group of local people with us, in part to help with strategic navigation, we decided to venture north a little bit once we reached the end of the 17B. Now on Government road for the first of 3 different stretches on that road for the day, we were happy to avoid the main TCH #17 for as long as possible.

The next stop was back down at the highway at the trading post at the St. Joseph's Island turnoff. It was here that we enjoyed a hot beverage and then said our goodbyes to both Stef and Stacey, who were getting picked up there.

Back up to Government Road, we stayed off the TCH for about 10 more kilometers before ducking back down to face the unavoidable busy highway.

10 more kilometers and we decided that a proper indoor and sit-down break was needed from the unrelenting rain and to warm up, so we stopped at the Copper Bean in Bruce Mines for a quick bite. Here, we connected with Tracey and Corrine by phone, and coordinated our pick up 20km down the road in Thessalon.

For the first time all day, the rain lightened and then finally disappeared as we jumped back on the #17 for the final hour of the day. Rolling into the Tim Hortons where Tracey and Corrine were waiting, we were thrilled to have ridden another century ride along side such wonderful people. Thank you so much Stef, Niki, Alicia and Stacey for being such great riding partners, and also special thanks to Corrine and Tracey who made the 100km trek to pick the 5 of us up!

Overall, one of the wettest days that I have experienced in the saddle, but brightened by so many wonderful friends, old and new.

Today's Distance: 100.26 km
Total Accumulated Distance: 4851.75 km