After work today, I rode to the south west end of Ottawa for an interview with reporter Jennifer “Apples” McIntosh of the Nepean This Week newspaper.
All day, it snowed. On my way to work, it snowed. On my way to and from a lunchtime meeting, it snowed. A large group of protesters graced Parliament Hill all afternoon and into the evening. Not sure what they trying to get by protesting, but they got snow. Me too.
The Nepean This Week office on Colonade Road ends a very nice ride along the Rideau Canal, past Dows Lake, around the traffic circle and along Prince of Wales. It’s a great route out of downtown with very few traffic lights (shhhhh!).
Our interview was very enjoyable. I think we covered most points like the Ride, why I am doing it, my bicycle riding history in Newfoundland as a teenager, starting to ride again in 2005, my continued passion for riding, the price of bicycles in China, and the price of tea in Canada.
After the interview, Jennifer took my picture outside with her lovely Nikon SLR camera. Too bad I was having a bad helmet day. As Arctic Sea ice started to encroach on the parking lot, and just before hypothermia threatened to spread the good good good vibations from my teeth to the rest of my body, I started my ride home.
Normally, with 27 different gear combinations, we change gears often to achieve consistent cadence around 90 rpm and a constant level of effort to keep our heart rate around 120-140 beats per minute. I’m not very scientific about my riding, so if my tongue isn’t hanging out, fluttering in the wind, I figure I’m good. With master-of-my-domain confidence, I flicked the gear change lever. Nuthin’. Flick again. Nada. Frozen. Fortunately, the gear I was in before I stopped was good for flat terrain riding around 28 kph at a comfortable intensity. I mocked the elements and rode on. Save for the one motorist who sounded his desperate desire to pass me and accelerate to a halt at the knot of traffic at the red light 20 meters in front of me, the trip was as uneventful as my gear changing.
Upon arriving home, I couldn’t really see, so I assumedly brought the bike into my front hall. It might as well be there along with the rest of the last three months of my existence. Exchanging my riding glasses for a pair in the front hall (I have a few pairs distributed in opportune locations), I noticed a sludgy growth on my bike. I tasted it and yup, it was frozen road sludge. Here are a couple of pictures through which you’ll see why the gears might have frozen:
My Continental Duraskin tires held up!
For bike people, my commuter is a Giant OCR3.
