Today is Day #39 of The Road To Valour

On today’s ride I was joined by:

• Ehsan Ebrahimnia
• Ernie MacDonald

Leaving Brandon, we stopped at a local Walmart to pick up a few essentials and then it was off to The Trans Canada Highway and what was promising to be another windy, rainy day. However, that’s not quite how things turned out. Yes, the wind was there and on our nose, but not as strong as the previous few days. And the rain did not materialize. In fact, the sun shone through most of the day. That at least made the wind a bit more tolerable.

What was less tolerable was the road construction that we encountered. At first, there was new fresh asphalt creating a very wide and smooth shoulder. The new lines were not yet painted in, but we were zipping along in spite of the wind. What made this especially enjoyable was that in almost all resurfacing projects that I have encountered, the new asphalt was reserved solely for the motor vehicle lanes and the shoulders (a.k.a. the bike lanes) were left with the patchy broken up pavement. This was a pleasant treat. Then, the hammer fell. The new pavement ran out and we were onto lumpy ground asphalt. After about 15 km of this we got to the end of the construction zone, but our arms and legs and backs were like jelly.

Shortly after that we found the only highway cafe/gas station between Brandon and our destination that was open. Time for a late lunch and bonus we got to watch the first 15 minutes of the South Africa/Canada soccer match.

On to the campground, but rather than camping, we opted for a cabin to avoid the rain that was once again threatening.

Just three days to go.

The finish line is now close enough that I can almost see it, but, no matter how tempting, my thoughts cannot be on the end. They are on the road that still lies ahead. 190 km to go,

Every day of The Road To Valour has brought something unexpected—a conversation, a story, a lesson, or an act of kindness. Those moments have become just as meaningful as the kilometres themselves.

There will be plenty of time on Canada Day and the days afterwards to reflect on the journey and everything it has meant. For now, my focus is simple: ride safely, finish strong, and honour the purpose that has guided me from the moment I rolled through the big blue doors of the Seaforth Highlanders Armoury 39 days ago.

Riding The Road To Valour