Benway by the Millennium

Enjoyed a friendly afternoon of road bowling with neighbours. And decided to ride home down Benway. I knew it cut into No 1. A zip right and then left on Melville. From there I could relax my guard and grip the handles a little less tightly. The jag from Danforth to Closson is a breeze. It’s when you go down into the swamp that things get interesting. Rain had previously fallen on my chosen path and the pools of water and mud left behind were a challenge. Holding my balance as I tried to keep up speed. Sliding. Glad I took a beater bike. Made in Korea, fat tires, lots of reflectors. And mud flaps thank God. My boots sticking out either side of the front forks. Hydroplaning thru the mud. And that last elevation before Scoharie is a beauty. Must be the highest point in the County, Hillier at least. One can truly see for miles and miles. Glorious sunset to my left. Fields on the right glowing in that magic hour light.

But that was next. First I was tooling along the Millennium, first time traveling on the Hubb’s Creek Wetland portion. Magnificent. Stopped to respect a gaggle of Canada’s finest. Big, fat geese. They were hanging out in one of the smaller pools. Gathering strength? Maybe overwintering? Gorgeous birds. Watchful. They were keeping as close an eye on me as I on them. No sudden movements. This is their home. I’ve lived here a while, not a generational thing, but still into my third decade. And always surprises me. Pleasantly. The number of good karma areas one can enjoy in Prince Edward County. A gem in a world going mad.

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Estonia’s Rein Taaramae leads Vuelta race!

Estonia’s Rein Taaramae of Team Intermarché clinched a surprise victory in stage three of the Vuelta a España on Monday and took possession of the red jersey as the race entered the mountains for the first time with a 202km ride from Santo Domingo de Silos to Espinosa de los Monteros.

The 34-year-old veteran broke away from the eight-man leading pack and hit the front with 2km to go in a gruelling summit finish, winning the second Vuelta stage of his career – a decade on from his first – in 5hr 16min 57sec. The American Joe Dombrowski finished 21sec behind in second with France’s Kenny Elissonde third at 36 seconds. The defending champion, Primoz Roglic, who won the individual time trial on Saturday, finished 1min 48 sec back. It was a disappointing day for some of the other favourites, with the Olympic road race champion, Richard Carapaz, struggling and losing a minute while Sepp Kuss suffered similar agony, being left behind with 3km to go and losing two minutes.

Taaramae’s win gave him a 25-second advantage over Elissonde in the general classification, with overnight leader Roglic 30 seconds down in third.

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Cruising to contact

I sit on the 5-star cruiser and begin my short ride. It’s a lady’s bike and looks it. Fat tires. Wide handlebars. Gracefully curved frame. Chrome fenders. I’ve taped a Canadian flag to the rear carrier. I must look like a slightly mentally challenged rider, sure to prompt extreme caution in any approaching car. A dinner invitation awaits me at the end of the ride. Two bottles of wine in my shoulder bag. Good company. Real, live bodies. I sense a feeling of excited anticipation amongst my friends. Everybody is craving company. Personal interaction. No Zoom. No text. Let’s meet and just talk. About anything. I’ll even tolerate some degree of pandemic in the conversation. It’s not so exhausting anymore to discuss pandemic, since most everybody has been vaccinated.

There’s a general sense of relief when talking to anybody now. And the anticipation and excitement of touch! Wow! I’ll soon be touching people. Again. Touching. Nothing sexual, although I can’t deny that would also be very welcoming! But for now, just a simple hug. A physical contact with another human being. I know I’m not alone in craving this intimacy. When is the last time you felt a warm embrace? Or did not feel apprehension when you got within less than 6 ft of somebody else. It’s been a while. Too long. The birdsong on my route is relentless. A steady stream of avian opera. They herald the coming of a new age, the age of contact. The era of touch. The epoch of comfort and contact. Humanity is making a return from the dark cave which has smothered our joy for too long. Welcome back everybody!

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