The first big ride

A few days ago I mentioned something about doing my first official 100km cycling day but I hadn't thought of a destination. Spending entire days on my bike is nothing new to me but usually this is just riding aimlessly without a goal. But this time I have a destination worth riding to:

This is Fort Chambly, located on the Richelieu river on the South Shore of Montreal. Built in 1711 by the French, it was taken over by the British in 1760, and was reinforced in 1812 to make sure Quebec didn't suddenly become a US state. 'Aight enough history lessons, you can read all about the fort here. The place is nothing new to me because I spent my early youth about 20km from there, so I've been there on many school trips, ridden there when I was still living in my home town, and also went there a few times for the annual Beer & Flavor Festival; there simply cannot be a better place for that!

But to come back to my riding addiction, because I now live a bit farther away on the South-West part of the island of Montreal, the ride will now be a better challenge as according to Google Maps the fort is now 41.1 kilometer away via bike paths. I know a few places where I could cut corners but this is not the point. So there and back again I'm looking at 82.2 clicks, but don't forget, I'll be riding through my home town of Longueuil so I will take a few detours to places I haven't seen in a long long time, and will also pay visit to a few old friends. And on top of that, on the way back I will not be heading straight home because this will be one of the Montreal Meet nights at Brutopia. I don't think I will party like a madman but it will end the day rather beautifully. So with the detours and the final ride from Brutopia to my bed I will surely bust the 100km mark. To spice things up I will try to take streets I don't usually take and neighborhoods I don't usually go through. I will most likely photo-document my ride so around the 20th of July I should have a fun blog post :)

The ride will happen on July 16th 2011, and only the crappiest of crappy rain days will hold me back; if I do get some rain I may have to come back home before heading to Brutopia but even then, it will be worth the experience. If I want to go on bigger adventures I literally have to Harden The Fuck Up™. Just like my planned trip to Mont-Tremblant, I will leave just before the sun rises so when morning is in full swing I will have covered a lot of ground already thanks to mostly deserted roads. And if I hit 100km sooner than I think? Fuck it, I'll ride farther !!!

Ride it like you stole it

o7

The path from my place to Fort Chambly