Road Warrior

The next leg from Rimouski across to New Brunswick made me stronger. That's what happens if it doesn't kill you right? The warranty on my bike and gear must run out after 5000 km because that's when things started to fall apart. It's all a bit of a blur now but in that short time I broke a wheel, got rained on hard, had 3 flats, blew a tire (this one I was kind of proud of since it was a new tire when I started), got stranded without a spare after a spontaneous combustion of one tube (I was saved by a fellow cyclist), got rained on some more, broke my front rack (it's still waiting for a weld, be strong zip ties!), had my first full on wipe out on the highway (hello asphalt), lost kms while riding back to get my water bottles (don't ask).......you get the picture. During this same time I was racking up the showerless days. I started to feel like a hardened road warrior. Dirty. Sun beat. Wet. Tired. But anyone who has done longer outdoor trips knows that once you cross that hump, it's ok and the thought of a shower isn't as exciting anymore. You know longer care what you look like to others, parents shield their chilren. It's now been 10 days straight of riding without a day off but I have finally had a shower and washed my clothes. It took a bit of my edge away but I guess it's worth it.