I’m a local legend!

Strava has awarded me the title of “Local Legend” for a segment of our usual ride called “Marine Science Climb”. It’s a fairly steep hill which goes on for just short of 1 km which I’ve climbed 13 times in the last 90 days. While this seems impressive, I don’t think there’s anyone else in St. Andrews cycling this hill on a regular basis and posting it to Strava. My husband, for example, has done this hill more times that me in the last 90 days but he’s just not using this platform. Oh well… I’ll take the accolades where I can get them.

Happy New Year!

It’s time to reset the odometer back to zero. What will 2023 hold? As we get older, our interests are changing. We still love cycling but the roads in Charlotte county, where we now live, are not the bike friendliest. In 2022 we completed a 10 day wilderness backpacking hike and we are hooked. Cycling can certainly play a role in our training but I predict that walking/hiking will likely take more and more of our time in the years ahead.

100 Mile Wilderness Accomplished

We successfully completed the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine. We ended up taking 10 days to finished. It was very challenging but very rewarding. Want to read about our adventure? Check out the link below

161 MILE WILDERNESS

Off track in preparation for off-grid!

My cycling mileage towards my goal is way off track this year but for good reason! We’ve been walking and hiking like crazy in preparation for our 8 day hike of the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine, USA. In order to finish in the 8 days, we will have to hike an average of 12.5 miles a day or approximately 20 km per day.

“The Hundred-Mile Wilderness is the section of the Appalachian Trail running between Abol Bridge just south of Baxter State Park and Monson in the state of Maine. It is generally considered the wildest section of the Appalachian Trail, and one of the most challenging to navigate and traverse.”

SOURCE: Wikipedia

Here we are testing out our packs with almost a full load. I had 25lbs! The most my pack will probably weight over the course of our 8 day hike is 28lbs so a pretty good test.

Curves ahead

2021 was a year full of curves! COVID had us on our toes wondering what was coming next. This feeling can be exciting when cycling a new route but is a real drag when it comes to our health and the pandemic. 2022 will no doubt throw us more curves… let’s hope they are the fun downhill kind!

Happy New Year!

THE ANNUAL PHOTO PROJECT

2021 (Age 54)

I started getting my husband to take a photo of me once a year along one of our cycling routes. A fun little project. In the beginning, most were taken on the Kingston Peninsula but after moving to St. Andrews-by-the-sea we’ve been mixing it up a bit. The last couple of years the photo was taken on the Van Horne Trail behind our home.

Check out all the photos HERE

Mid-Season Performance Stats

Hubby and I enjoy tracking our stats with mileage being the most important stat of all. We are generally more concerned with the distance of each ride and how that puts us closer to our annual goal versus how fast we are riding. That being said, now that I have over 1,000 km in, the stats do show that my average speed is steadily increasing i.e. I’m getting stronger, fitter and faster.

Strava shows that, on this recent 66.3 k ride, our average speed was 24.5 km/hr and I achieved two PR’s (personal records) on segments we regularly ride. Even though going faster is not one of our goals, it is fun to see the stats and see how performance changes over time.

You can follow me on Strava here >>> https://www.strava.com/athletes/steffturner

Adventure planning for 2022

Hubby and I are planning an adventure and thought you might like to follow along! Since COVID-19 hit we’ve had to cancel two planned Katahdin Climbs (more on that can be found HERE) and we’re getting the itch to go back to Maine for an adventure. Rob has been toying with the idea of hiking the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail some day. After careful consideration, I’ve decided that walking all day for 5-6 months doesn’t really appeal to me. After that realization, he asked if I thought I could handle 8-10 days. So it was decided… we are hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness from Abol Bridge near Katahdin to Monson Maine next July. We have started to purchase gear so this is happening! Check out our new website…

50% of 2021 Goal Achieved

My husband retired in the spring and he’s been a cycling machine ever since. He’s already racked up 2,000 km and it’s not even the 1st of August. Me, on the other hand, I’m still a workin’ girl! I have been working more from home due to the pandemic, so I do feel I can sneak away during the day for 30 kms a couple of times a week. Weekends were traditionally where we really put in the miles but, as we get older, we are finding that we are not as keen to do the 100km ride anymore. Oh well… 1,000 km before the 1st on August puts me on track to reach my goal before the snow flies.

Cycling the Globe

From our first 11 k ride to together, we’ve now cycled over 50% of the circumference of the globe (21,308 km). Our annual mileage accomplished together has averaged around 2,000 km. With retirement looming on the horizon and therefore more free time in our future, 3,000 per year doesn’t seem like much of of a stretch. At that pace, how long will it take us put in another 20,000 km? 6-7 years?

NEW GOAL. To have cycled the equatorial circumference of the earth together (40,075 km) before Jan 1st 2027!

Happy New Year!

What a strange year 2020 was! Can’t say I’m sad to see it in the rear view mirror.  Here’s to smoother roads and sunny skies in 2021!!

Resting Heart Rate

Living in Atlantic Canada does not allow us to cycle year ’round and we don’t really have a winter sport that we enjoy doing together (other than walking to the pub all bundled up) so we tend to spend the dead of winter in front of the roaring woodstove with a glass of wine in hand and a Netflix marathon on the TV. It’s not ideal… We gain a little weight, lose some muscle mass and notice a decline in our cardio fitness. We are not the kind to measured these things closely but our pants are a little tighter and we get a little more winded during our winter outings. That being said, my fitbit does provide this insight. A fairly steady improvement in resting heart rate between January and July. I feel good and my pants fit a little better.

Happy New Year 2020

Winter has arrived in to our corner of the world in Atlantic Canada. A hike in the woods today was a real treat in the sunshine but even the hiking trails were ice covered… road could be tricky/dangerous in spots. I realize today that I had not uploaded the last ride on my Garmin so just did that. Fell short of my annual mileage goal but we still had a great season of riding. As I was digging around my gear for my Garmin,  I also noticed that it might be a good idea to throw all of our cycling clothes in the laundry before we settled in for our long winter nap! See you in 2020…

Creative breakthroughs while riding

I came across an article this morning on the mental health benefits of cycling. I’ll be honest “healthy addiction” was listed as one but I can’t say, even after all these years, that I’m addicted to cycling. There are days when it’s still a struggle to suit up and get out on the road but I’m always glad I did for several of the other reasons that are listed such as 1) promotes an overall healthy lifestyle 2) improved self-esteem and 3) better sleep.

One of the benefits listed is reduced stress. I can see how it could reduce any stress I might be feeling related to works and/or the kids, for example, but riding in traffic can create a different type of stress for me.

They also list “creative breakthrough” while riding. I ride almost exclusively with my husband and this definitely applies to him. While I might be focusing on the pretty flowers in the ditch, he’s thinking about problems at work and how to solve them. I can always tell when he’s deep in thought because he slows down. I sometimes have to snap him out of it in order to get back to our normal pace. Me –  “what ya thinkin’ about?” Him – “oh…sorry…work”

Want to read the entire article? Click HERE

50% of goal achieved

1000 km down… 1000 km to go!
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#roadcycling #goals #giantbikes #livcycling #stravacycling #garmin

Riding in Cap-Pele NB

Accepted an invitation to Cap-Pele again this summer. Our friends have a great cottage there on the Northumberland Straight. After a quick breakfast we hit the road. Our friends have been renovating their summer place and admitted they had been so busy that it was there first time on their bikes this summer. Yikes!

It’s always windy in Cap-Pele but the relatively flat terrain makes up for it. Our friends biked with us for about 20 km and bailed… we stretched it out to 34 km. After the ride, our friends took us to a sweet little restaurant and art gallery called Le Chat Bleu which is housed in a historic general store in nearby Baie Verte, N.B. We shared a few delicious plates…my favourite way to try a new restaurant!!

B.K. Ride

Getting back in the swing of things with a nice long ride on a sunny day. This is a route we’ve done many times. The first section (18 km)  is a hilly route through Bayside NB with no shoulder (nerve wracking!) then on to a rural road with a nice shoulder. A 30 km stop a Burger King in St Stephen, NB for a little energy break (1 cheeseburger) then on to the highway for a little stretch (not as bad as is sounds) taking us back through Bayside and back in to town. 66.5 km total ride..

 

Inaugural ride of 2019

Mother Nature finally blessed us with a beautiful day to go riding. We recently got our bike tuned up and we’re promised they would perform “like new”. They did not! Neither of our bikes would shift gears properly. We got our mandatory minimum 20 km’s in and then loaded the bikes on the car. Back to the shop they go…

Odometer still 0!

Yikes! We are getting off to a slow start this year. The spring has been cold, wet and windy. It was an icy winter which meant a lot of sand was spread on the roads and the bike lanes are still full of grit. To make matters worse, our road bikes have been in the shop for weeks. They both have more than 10,000 km on them and our bike mechanic informed us they needed some significant maintenance. When he quoted us $600 per bike, we considered just getting new ones but to replace the one we have now we’d be looking at $2500 each so we said “fix em!” I know this all sounds like a bunch of lame excuses for not riding and you are probably right. Hoping for a nice weekend to break the dry spell!

Cycling with my Valentine!

My husband and I have cycled over 18,000 kilometres together. That’s close to 50% of the circumference of the earth and we’re just getting started! Yes, we are in our 50’s but we foresee even more cycling in our retirement years. At 2,000 – 3,000 km per year it should take less than 10 more years to reach 40,000 km

(The circumference of the Earth in kilometers is 40,075 km).

“Combining your hobby or exercise routine with time spent with your significant is not only efficient, but it can increase your emotional bond. When you ride together, you are in a way coordinating your actions. You’re moving in the same direction, with the same movements, and matching your pace can create a connection that goes beyond your time spent in the saddle.” Source: www.ilovebicycling.com/cycling-with-your-partner-why-you-should-ride-together/

My wish for you…

missed my goal in 2018!

We had a busy year! I’m using that as an excuse for why I fell short of my cycling goal. We built a new house and had a lot of fun doing it but it was distracting. To compound matters we had a short autumn. The cold arrived very early which prevented us from enjoying those typical great fall cycling days. Yes… I’m a wimp. When the winter winds start to howl, I’m curled up inside with a hot toddy!

2018 Goal –  2,000 km
Cycled  – 1,485.47 km

There’s always next year. Stay tuned for another year of spinning the wheels in 2019…

Saint Andrews map

Spending 3 weeks at our new summer home in the historic resort town of Saint Andrews by-the-sea, New Brunswick (Atlantic Canada). What I’ve come to observe… there are hills here too! and the map of one our favourite 25 km cycling route looks like a rocket ship!

Canada Day

Spent two nights in Cap Pele NB with friends at their cottage. Day 1 had us riding in to Shediac and back. It was a beautiful day… not too windy!

Day 2 was very windy so we took a 35 ride with the wind and had someone come pick us up. It felt a little like cheating but after a night of Canada Day celebrations it was all we could muster. We enjoyed an ice cream cone on the church steps while waiting for our “sag wagon” to pick us up!

Canada Day eve sunset

waiting for our ride!

Day 1 Map

 

Charlotte County Ride

We are building a home in Saint Andrews by-the-sea. It’s a seaside resort town in Atlantic Canada. It will be a weekend and summer place for a few years and will eventually be our retirement home.  Spent my hubby’s birthday cycling in the area.  It was a great 61 km ride with a stop at our new home builder’s office in St Stephen to drop off an installment cheque.