By Rea Thomson

Anyone who takes on the challenge of bicycle touring, especially on a tour that covers a couple of thousand kilometers over the second largest country in the world, is inevitably going to develop a special relationship with their bike. A rider's bike becomes their trusted, reliable friend and companion. On Otesha, we all named our bikes and usually spoke of them as separate entities to their owners. I had a very unique, but strong bond with my bike.

One very important and valuable lesson I learned is that your equipment is not always going to do what you need or want it to do. Bike touring can be extremely tiring, frustrating, and irritating at times. You need to release this tension and acknowledge your emotions in order to stay sane. On occasion I was known to get angry at my bike but there was always a respect there for him. When I kicked him it was on one of his sides where he was protected by a bag, or in the back covered with a sleeping bag roll. When I just let him drop (once or twice in a ditch) it was always on his non-derailleur side. Your equipment is your best friend on the road because without it, your life would be just that much more difficult.

Some of the other personal lessons I learned while biking across Canada included:

A new appreciation for, and ability to practice, patience. I discovered that life is not a race and even though I knew that I could get there in just over two hours, getting there the fastest is not necessarily the best or the most rewarding. I learned this very valuable lesson from the bikers' friends 'Mr. Headwind', and also his cousin 'Ms. Flat Tire'.

Being stubborn is not always a bad thing. There are days when I just didn't want to go anymore. What I was doing was not enjoyable and some days it was just down right painful but I found that no matter how bad it was or how much I wanted to stop I was determined to get into camp. Quitting was not an option and when I did actually arrive into camp there was this overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. I had to learn where my limits were so that pushing too hard one day would not prevent me from riding the next, but our recovery time was pretty fast so pushing yourself felt good.

I had an accident in 1997 that left me with a 90 percent chance of being paralyzed. Thank God I was not, but doing a trip of this caliber with that in the back of my mind just made me appreciate and value my limbs and health so much more. When I started to get down about other things in my life I just looked around me and thought about how truly lucky I was and it made everything else irrelevant.

I really learned to respect myself as an individual and to respect my own inner strength. I had so much time to think and to reflect on my bike. We had a fantastic and supportive team, but being able to say to myself, "I did it" was a tremendous rush and sense of accomplishment. I am very proud of myself and everyone that shared this incredible experience.

I learned so much from Otesha and the values that we advocated. I have entirely changed my lifestyle to live by these values and enjoy speaking to others about them. It is interesting to see the contrasts from the person I was before and who I am now and how I view things so differently now. I was just unaware of my actions and values before and am very grateful to have 'learned the way' (haha)

Last but not least, I found a new love and appreciation for so many things that I took for granted before this trip. For instance your family and friends. Not only were we away for over 5 months, but sometimes we went days without access to phones or internet. Some of the things that I make note of now in my life are; tables, chairs, beds, warm blankets, hugs, juice, and bathrooms I try now to not take anything for granted and to be thankful for what I have.

Kit List:

• First aid kit
• Bike hand pump
• Patch kit (tire irons, glue, extra patches)
• Extra tubes (know your tube size incase you need to borrow or buy a new one)
• Allan key set
• Saddle bags
• Bungee cords
• Bike lights, reflectors
• Tent (your own or sharing), sleeping bag, mat (most used thermarests)
• Helmet!
• Jacket (waterproof hopefully!)
• 4 L worth of water bottles
• Tupperware, cutlery
• Change of clothes
• Sunscreen, sunglasses
• Chain oil and rag to clean your bike
• Garbage bag to keep your gear dry
• Optional: bike gloves, a good seat, biking shoes (clip-in or cages both help on the hills), mirror, bell, spandex or equivalent, wool sweater or fleece, towel, bathing suit, camera

General Bike Safety Rules:

1. It is always good to know your rights as a cyclist on the road but it is more important to know how to be a safe cyclist on the road, rather than where you are allowed to be.
2. Always be aware of how visible you are to others sharing the road (reflective tape, bright coloured clothing, vests, lights, etc).
3. Communication between other riders and yourself is imperative. You do this with hand signals to point out obstacles on the road for riders behind, and by yelling 'stopping' or 'slowing' to let the other riders know your actions and can follow.
4. Ride single file when the shoulder is not wide enough for two riders side by side (this can be annoying because conversations are limited but this or getting smoked are your two options).
5. Be very aware of the back right corner of large vehicles such as large trucks and RVs (most drivers of large vehicles cannot see this corner and may not even be aware if they clip you).
6. Be conscious of motor homes and RVs (truck drivers need to pass a test and get a special license to drive a rig... you do not need anything of the sort to drive an RV).
7. It is nice to be able to switch between a vehicle and a pedestrian WHEN APPROPRIATE (be careful that when making the switch, others around you are aware of what you are doing and where you are going)
8. When changing direction make sure other vehicles know exactly where you are going (make very direct and deliberate hand gestures to where you are going and make eye contact if possible. DO NOT think that people will anticipate your movements).
9. Pack clothing and un-frequently accessed items in the Left Pannier (the side you should lay the bike on to not damage the gears) and frequently needed items (rain gear, sunscreen, bike repair tools) on the other side

Bicycle maintenance:

Before a long tour I would suggest getting basic training in the following:

• Changing a tire:
  

  You will be doing a fair bit of this along your trip so it is better to learn now than on the side of the road. Be sure to always have a spare (new or patched) tube.

• Cleaning your chain:
  

  Preventative maintenance will save you money and time in the long run. If you look after your chain everything will run just that much smoother and you won't need to replace your cogs or chain as frequently. Chains should be replaced ever 3,000-5,000 km to prevent unnecessary ware on your cogs.

• Lubing your chain:
  

  Know what kind of lube you are using. A wax based lube needs to be applied more often than a synthetic lube (every one of two days compared to three). Wipe chain clean with an old shirt/rag and lubricate every 200k of road riding, every 50-100k of off road riding, or every time you wash it/or after a ride in heavy rain (after the chain dries). Doing this will protect your chain from grime and dirt from the road.

  Avoid chain crossover. This is when rear chain (cogs) is on opposite gear from front chain (chainring). Bad for chain, gears, and changing gears.

• Adjusting your brakes:
  

  It is not too hard to make fine adjustments on your brakes. Your brake levers should fit at least a thumb between them and handlebar when squeezed. It would be beneficial to have some knowledge on how a bike's brake system works.

• Getting on your bike:
  

  The first thing you should do before you even get on your bike (or load up your gear) is to pick it up and drop it on a flat surface and listen for and identify anything that doesn't sound 'right'. You should learn what your bike 'sounds' like and be able to identify strange rattles.

Nutrition and Hydration:

• It is important to know ones body and listen to it when on a long trip. You can start by practice spinning, 80-100 rpm's to save precious anaerobic energy (count your rpm's on one foot for 6 seconds, multiply by 10).
• Try to avoid pushing on a heavy gear which stresses your knees, burns energy versus stored fast, and produces lactic acid which will eventually make your legs feel as though they have turned to pudding
• If the temperature falls below 16C be sure to cover your joints, especially your knees, as joint fluid begins to solidify at that temperature. You lost a lot of heat through your arms, and it takes precious body energy to produce extra heat to keep you warm
• Use a vernouse (the thing that hangs off the back of the helmet) to protect your neck/spine from sun. Skin cancer affects 1/7 Canadians by age of 30 because of no protection from UV!!!! If you don't burn, you are still absorbing UV! Highest UV rates in Canada occur in spring and fall.
• Carbos! get them from grains, rice, and oatmeal. Fuel up at least ten hours before, it takes that long for the body to convert carbs to sugar and fill up your "tank"
• Protein, not so good.. takes a lot of energy to digest, but you still need some!
• Fruit is the best on-the-road fuel, has fructose, instant energy, easy to digest.
• Fat stores are your last energy, if exhaustion starts to kick in, eat a bit of sugar to initiate fat burning.
• Homemade gatorade: pinch of salt (sodium is necessary for neural transmission, clear thinking), tbsp of sugar, must drink a gulp/10mins, 750ml/hour, while riding!!
• It is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure that you eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty!!!