Me finishing the day!…

  Yesterday I rode my bicycle the 145 kms, 90 miles, around the circumference of the island of Montreal again. For the second year in a row I did so with an old friend who raises money for a good cause in the process. It’s my way of supporting a friend and his worthy cause (Alzheimer’s). 

  And that sort of exercise, that sort of laborious trial, is what forges friendships more than the good times, the entertainments enjoyed, the leisurely hours spent quaffing a few cold ones or say playing a round of golf. 

  There’s plenty of laughter and numerous stops. There’s coffee in the morning, photos ops along the route, lunch including a beer—but just one!—in Old Montreal, then more brief breaks in the afternoon as the discomfort and then pain take hold. Our tender butts get sore, then the arms and neck start feeling it, and of course the legs cry out for mercy as the hours wear on.  

  All of it is part of the fun, and a big part of the satisfaction we feel when thirteen hours after we set out we roll down that final blessed slope and swing our legs over the saddle for the last time. 

  You see, we aren’t the sort of geared and suited up weekend warriors who routinely blast by us on the pathways rocking sleekly expensive looking racers and calling out “à la gauche,” “…on your left!” as they zoom past. We’re strictly amateurs with helmets and regular average bikes. We love riding around during the hot summer months, but never stoop to ‘training.’ The Tour de L’Ile is a one time ordeal for us in the year and as such supremely fun.  

  No complaining, no whining and no excuses! Only laughter and the knowledge that the miles aren’t going to roll by on their own. 

  And of course, the work is its own reward, for the destination is right back where we began. 

  And yet we are better and stronger for having made the journey…

  Ain’t that Life?!….