Brian Richardson
Friend’s bike has recently been in need of some maintenance: as of this morning, it had worn headset bearings, a bent derailleur, and two loose hubs. According to our map, Wallaceburg has one of the only bike shops along our route through Ontario, so Friend decided to stop by this morning before hitting the road. This bike shop, called Ken’s Cycles, was run out of the garage of a local retiree and cycling enthusiast. When Friend, accompanied by Usher, rolled up at 9am, Ken happily provided all the requested maintenance (and then some) for just a 20$ recommended donation.
Ken’s Cycle bike shop in Wallaceburg, ON
While Friend and Usher were at Ken’s, Michael and I posted up at the Wallaceburg Tim Horton’s. Here we had two or three breakfast sandwiches and too much coffee, caught up on some chores, and talked with a group of local motorcyclists. Although bicyclists and motorcyclists have their differences, I feel a sense of camaraderie with our combustion-engined cousins. At the end of the day, we’re both adults that wear silly outfits and have fun biking around with our friends. We love the open road and fear inconsiderate motorists. At the Wallaceburg Tim Horton’s, Michael and I shared with the local bikers our favorite highways for riding, and they shared with us how to use metal locks to smash the mirrors of trucks that pass too close. We smiled and nodded like this was a strategy we might adopt.
Michael throws down some loonies at Tim Horton’s
With Friend’s bike fixed up, and Michael and I more than adequately caffeinated, we finally started our day at 11am. On a 90-mile day like today, such a late start gives us little time to find a place to camp and leaves us one mechanical hiccup away from finishing the ride after dark. For these reasons, we usually try to start biking closer to 7:30am. But today we were blessed with (i) a confirmed Warm Showers host in Port Stanley and (ii) no flats or other mechanicals, and so we were able to enjoy the shifted schedule. I especially enjoyed riding by wheat fields and windmills during golden hour, watching our shadows elongate in the late evening light, and catching a sunset on Lake Erie right as we arrived in Port Stanley.
The perks of a late evening ride
Throughout this trip, we’ve heard a lot of comments along the lines of: “I wish I did that in my 20s,” “do it while you’re young,” or “what a great thing to do before you enter the adult world.” When my grandpa visited us in Mackinaw City, he said, “You guys are gonna remember this for the rest of your life. I’m serious—forty or fifty years from now, you’re still gonna remember this.”
My first reaction to these comments is to say that you don’t need to be in your twenties to enjoy and benefit from bike travel. We’ve met people of all ages doing trips that range from weekend rides to transcontinental journeys.
But my second reaction is to reflect on how having these experiences in my teens and twenties has shaped my life. It’s not an exaggeration to say that all three of these trips have changed the way I see the world. I recognize that I’ve been lucky to have had the chance to do these trips; it’s a real gift to have the necessary time, resources, health, companions, etc. all at the same time. And while not everyone is interested in cycling, I think everyone should have a chance to pursue their passion—whatever it is—as a young adult, and—unfortunately—not everyone does.
When Sophie Steiner, the namesake and inspiration for the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, was receiving cancer treatment at UNC hospitals, she found that it was hard for patients her age to explore the world as a young adult and to pursue their passions. For Sophie, these passions included poetry, dance, yoga, and photography. Following Sophie’s vision, the Foundation was started in 2014 to give adolescent and young adult cancer patients the resources they need to continue pursuing their passions during this critical phase of their life. The resulting program at UNC Hospital was the first of its kind and has grown substantially over the last 11 years.
Over the last week, Bike Loud has received a flood of donations, landing us upwards of $15,000, every dollar of which goes towards actualizing Sophie’s vision. This support from friends, families, and strangers means the world to us! Our goal now is to reach $18,000–that’s one dollar per person per mile ridden.
