Standing in a parking lot at 11:50 on a Friday night, doing the last-minute kit and body checks, the nervous triple checking of bottles in cages, catching up with like-minded psychopaths, er…enthusiasts, and looking to the darkened sky for divine inspiration on rain, fog or wind. It’s something we only get a chance to do once or twice a year. It’s special…some say magical.
So, there we were this past Friday night. John, Volker, Eric and Alan signed up for the Valley 400 with the hope of clear skies, light winds and smooth traffic-free roads. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, it all came together. For those who don’t know Eric, he’s a member of the club from New England. He rides with NER most of the time, but spends some of his summer on the south shore and has done a few rides with us over the years. He’s a tall drink of water and brings about 12 years of randonneur experience and a lifetime of stories to the ride.
The route is relatively simple – ride to Bridgetown and back. Seems like a straightforward approach. And the valley is flat; how much climbing could there really be? We departed Bedford as the clock struck 12:01. The early kilometers at an easy, steady pace. We meandered through the residential parts of Windsor Junction and Millwood, quietly rolling while the world mostly slept. There was no fog. There’s ALWAYS fog, but none to be seen tonight. As we fully warmed up on the climbs to Mt. Uniacke, the group stretched and reformed with clothing adjustments (and perhaps a few bladder adjustments) John set a steady, strong pace that group was happy to follow, but ultimately self-preservation won out over ambition and we decided to let him roll ahead as we regrouped as a following trio. A quick bottle fill-up in Garlands Crossing carried the group to Greenwich – where we arrived just after 4am.
What does it say about our little club when the night shift worker at a random Irving in the valley says ‘oh yeah, I remember you guys. There’s usually more of you’ 😁Our reputation precedes us!
As we slipped back in to the night, the night was slipping away. Faint wisps of daylight were seen on the eastern horizon as we set off across the dyke to Port Williams. Within 20 minutes, we could easily see without headlights – such is the beauty of a ride so close to the solstice. The next few hours were dancing along the ridge of North Mountain, rising and falling with the undulations of the road and hills. Alan was getting a telltale squishiness in the rear tire and stopped to add some air, but he felt something was amiss. As the distance accumulated, Alan stopped twice more, but no catastrophic situation was detected. Finally, at the controle in Bridgewater, the tube was replaced and a tiny wire pulled from the tire carcass. Just enough to weep a bit of air. All sorted now and onto the return leg, filled with a farmers wrap, hash browns and a dark roast.
Somehow, don’t ask me how, we managed to go from no wind overnight and into the early morning to a light tailwind on the return. The group had spread out a bit by this point – each finding their own pace and timeline to be on. Volker was just ahead, Eric following, Alan, slowed slightly with the tire issue, making up time from the back. We converged at T.A.N Coffee in Kentville. Whoever choose that location was clearly a genius. 🤣 The early-afternoon arrival made for a quiet cafe. Half-price sandwiches and potato leek soup was the order of the day, fueling the group on the last third of the ride.
From there, we were pretty much all on our own, setting pace to our individual needs and capacities. The afternoon turned toward evening as we made our way back to Windsor, climbed the last beast of a hill into Ardoise and spun the legs as best we could along the last mostly downhill grind, retracing our wheel tracks from earlier in the day. Was that still just ‘today’? Feels like yesterday. John arrived just after 4pm having had a stellar solo ride for most of the day. Volker and Alan arrived within 10-15 minutes of each other, just before 6pm while Eric, the veteran, opted to take a bit of time in the controles, tending to the body and soul with a bit of stretching and visually taking in a part of the province he doesn’t get to see that much of.
The 600 is just around the corner. Off in the other direction of the eastern and north shores of the province. Care to join?
