Tour de Pierre, or VB's summer vacation

[veinbuster]

For years I've tried to ride every day of the Tour de France. When I retired I kind of made a game of it. One year I decided to ride the stage winner's time every day. That was a lot of work. So was riding half the stage distance every day.

This year I needed to travel during the Tour so I decided to ride a different place every stage. Here is a bit of the photo journal.

Westward Ho.
Stage 1: Willow Lake, Illinois
Being Canadian, I thought it was funny to see Canadian Geese be the only things out and about.

Stage 2: Fargo
There might be a lot of sunrises, since I road my bike early before driving to the next location.

Stage 3: Billings, Montana
Weather forecast was for big rain, but it didn't look terrible starting out

I headed to the bluffs

But turning back west to the hotel...

I spun my legs as fast as I could and got back to the hotel just as the sky fell.

Stage 4: Lethbridge Alberta

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What? You were out here and didn’t come for tacos?

 

[veinbuster]

A couple days in the foothills, where my daughter lives.

Stage 5: Bow River Trail Calgary, Alberta
This is part of a trail that is eventually supposed to cross the country

Great river scenes. I wished I had my rodeo kayak with me.

 

[veinbuster]

What? You were out here and didn’t come for tacos?

We shot through kind of late. We thought of you and waved on the way by.

 

[bodia]

What? You were out here and didn’t come for tacos?

I had the same thought! At least a swirly drink!

 

[bodia]

Looks like a great trip. Certainly was a very entertaining Tour this year.

 

[veinbuster]

Server errors might make this more fragmented than intended. Sorry.

Stage 6:
east of Canmore Alberta
My daughter wanted to ride from Calgary to Canmore. I felt that might be too far for me on a traditional bike (I mostly ride recumbents), so I drove supplies and my older daughter to Canmore and rode back to meet her.
On the way east, I met the Sheep family.

I stopped at what I expected to be the highest point between my daughters home and Canmore for a snack.

Then we met and found the Sheep family again.

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 7
Legacy Trail, Banff
I love sunrise in general, but have always been fascinated by mountain sunrises. In particular, watching the sun rise down the east face of the mountain.

Looking for the pass through

Stage 8
Canmore gravel

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 9
north Calgary
A bunch of people were flying out, so I lapped the airport to say goodbye

Stage 10
Helena, Montana
We weren't supposed to be here, but the hotel I had booked at Radium Hot Springs had decided we weren't worthy and cancelled our 3 day reservation. I found accommodations for one night and were on the road again.

Stage 11
Casper, Wyoming
I happened to get out at exactly the right moment

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 12
Colorado Springs lower level
I had come here to test a bunch of recumbents. This one was the fastest.

Stage 13
Garden of the Gods
Here my mission was to stay around 2000m and see how the air was.

The moon was the best guide to get back to the hotel. Some of the roads turned enough to be disorienting

 

[toothace]

Great pics!!! Safe riding!

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 14
Aurora, Ontario
We were back home, so I finished with a variety of rides in the area. This one south from my back yard.

The headwaters of the river at the end of my yard

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 15
north from home to the lake
This is mostly on country road. I took these photos from the trike, so you can sort of get an idea how low it is to the ground. Its an older version of the black one I road on Stage 12.

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 16
south shore of Lake Simcoe
Mrs came along for this. The white bike is hers. The green one is my 35 year old mountain bike.

Stage 17
Holland Landing
This is the river I showed headwaters for a bit earlier, but 30km downstream

Stage 18
Orillia, Ontario
Mrs came again to ride the west shore of Lake Simcoe
I wore red

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Such a healthy vacation!

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 19
Caledon, Ontario
This rail trail is a part of the Trans Canada Trail being developed. Over 3000km from the bit I rode in Calgary

 

[veinbuster]

Stage 20
King City
West of my home on the Oak Ridges Moraine
View west from the top

View east back to my house, which is over the next ridge you might see in the photo

Stage 21
Today I went east along the moraine, wearing yellow of course

 

[veinbuster]

Such a healthy vacation!

You can only imagine what we ate.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

You can only imaging what we ate.

I saw some of it on Instagram, but at least you worked some of it off... even if it was just paying off the interest.

 

[mark cassidy]

Well done!! Being from Alberta I am very familiar with the shots of God's True Country!