Richard Cloutier, co-host of the News on 680 CJOB, 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays, is sharing his adventures during the Cycle of Hope in support of Habitat for Humanity.
Redwood, Oregon
I have never climbed a mountain, until Sunday.
Not by foot, but on a bike with the sun beating down. It was 35 degrees Celcius.
Less than a metre separated us from the guardrail and holiday traffic whizzing by. The only thing to do was peddle and peddle and peddle.
RELATED: Richard Cloutier: 2018 Cycle of Hope — Eugene, Oregon
There are 35 of us trekking through Oregon raising money for the 2018 Cycle of Hope.
The ride celebrates 25 years since the Jimmy Carter Build in Winnipeg and marks the first leg of a six-year journey across the United States. The money helps Habitat for Humanity build homes.
Sunday we covered 120 kilometres including a 15-kilometre range of hills and mountains east of Eugene. It was tough, exhilarating, exhausting.
And you don’t do it alone. It’s all about team work. Henry, Mike, Gary and Joanne — we work as a team. Someone gets a flat, you fix it together. Tired? You pull over for water. When fatigue really kicks in, and it did, you watch out for each other.
Hydrate before the ride, during the ride and after the ride.
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You learn to rely on people you have only met a few days earlier to keep you going, and given the traffic, to stay safe.
Climbing mountains requires strategy. The younger men and women on this ride can do it easier and faster. Our group is slower. You use your lowest gear most of the time but stand and lean forward on a fifth gear to gain some speed on your climb.
I avoid looking at the top.
Forward a few metres, a sign and the cyclist ahead. Focus on the attainable immediate goal. Cars, trucks with campers and tractor-trailers screeching past you are a reminder any wrong decision could be catastrophic.
RELATED: Richard Cloutier: 2018 Cycle of Hope — Tillamook, Oregon
The summit brings a long fast decent into a valley — desert really — and the midday sun. Hot, hot hot. More hills await, another flat and a celebration of accomplishment.
Lights out at 10; wake-up at 5 and back on the road 90 minutes later.
Click here to support Richard on his ride.
Click here to track him on GPS.
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