Rest Day: Golden

Today I took it easy, taking full advantage of the rest day to relax and also putter away at some tasks. One such task was to get a new tire. The reason I had gotten a flat the previous day was because there was a small slash in my tire which was likely caused by a rock. I did not have a spare tire on me while cycling but I did have a piece of cardboard. This is a great tip. If you get a small slash in your tire and you do not have a spare with you, you can stick a piece of cardboard between your tire and your inner tube to prevent the tube from going through the slash as you pump it up, thus preventing further flats. I only brought one spare tire with me on the tour. Bob assisted me in putting on my spare tire and since that one was now being used I decided to purchase another just in case I would get another slash in my tire later on during the tour.

I went with Bob and Irene to the bike shop in Golden to get a new tire. I also got one of Irene’s spare saddles put onto my bicycle. Since the group had become aware of my saddle problems, Irene in particular would ask how I was doing. While she was training for the tour she also experienced saddle problems. She brought along two other saddles with her so that if her current saddle was irritating her she could always switch it for another. She offered to lend me one of her saddles to try out and determine if there were any improvements. I took her up on her offer and I am so thankful I did. I rode with that saddle for the remainder of the tour. I still experienced some saddle discomfort, but that was inevitable because of the long distances we had to cycle each day. However, there was a significant improvement in comfort in comparison to my previous saddle. I am incredibly grateful of Irene’s generosity. Because I switched my saddle with hers the enjoyment of the tour increased immensely. Thoughts of quitting the tour had been swimming in my brain and these thoughts stemmed from my saddle discomfort. With the saddle switch I was able to complete the tour.

An additional highlight of the rest day in Golden was seeing big horned sheep. When cycling into Golden I saw signs to watch for big horned sheep. Upon seeing those signs I hoped that I would be able to see some and I did at the campsite :D I was looking at a mountain face behind us at the campsite and heard rock falling and saw dust in the air. Then I saw approximately half a dozen big horned sheep coming down the mountain, it was awesome! Unfortunately I could not take a picture because they were too far away for my camera but I thought it was fantastic that I caught a glimpse of them.

Next thing I knew the rest day had come to a close. Tomorrow would be the beginning of part 3 of Tour du Canada and the end of British Columbia.