Your Story; Sarah Good

There are times in one’s life when we believe we have a plan yet life conspires to change things quite nicely.  When that happens we are inclined to moan about things not going our way.  With the passage of time, however, we soon see that everything always comes together just as it ought.  This could mean not getting the job we thought we wanted only to land a life-changing career with an other employer.  At times we cry about the loss of a lover only to find true love in the heart of another.  Such is the story of cycling-touring.  We think we have it all figured out, we think we have a plan or a route.  Then life happens and we happily find ourselves riding the path we really ought be upon.

For Sarah Good, changing plans and looking for adventure have always been a part of life.  Even before moving to Ottawa to earn a degree in Geography and Geomatics, Sarah spent two stints in the Virginia[USofA] high-school system; you can ask her the reason for her premature departure, though it had nothing to do with her Goth clothing or blood-red hair.  At age 17 she moved herself to Montreal and has spent time living in various Ontario cities.

Last summer a good friend of Sarah’s announced he would be cycling across Canada during the summer of 2013.  Sarah, a non-cyclist with very little thought about what she might be getting herself into, agreed to join.  In November she went online, purchased a used Trek 520 and with the help of friends, began to outfit that bike for cycle-touring.  She would stare at her new bike, petting it from time-to-time, considering where to ride, what adventures she might discover.  As university ended, relationships continued to evolve, as too did her plans for the future.  But that Trek bicycle remained, just waiting for Sarah to simply start riding.  With the support of her parents and at the behest of other friends, Sarah decided to spend the summer cycling around Ontario.

Last week, Sarah left her parent’s home in Cornwall, riding south-west towards Kingston, destination Egbert and the Ontario Vipassana Centre for a ten day meditation retreat.  As she rode, Sarah began to discover that while her cycling friends may have had the best of intentions, her bike just wasn’t very comfortable.  Fortunately for her, Sarah was about to have an other of those life-changing adventures; she arrived at the Bloomfield Bicycle Co.  For a young woman new to cycle-touring, there really is no better place than the BBC to help get you started.  Heck, it’s a great place to land, no matter your sex, age or level of cycling experience.

Kt and Ali were soon helping her understand about bike fit, about the marriage between saddle and crotch.  She learned the value of clip-less pedals and proper cycling shoes.  While she test-rode multiple saddles, Rick helped to correct the awkward handlebar position she had been forced to accept because of an even more awkward saddle.  She asked lots of questions, absorbed all the myriad advice given her by Kt, Rick, Peter, Ali and myself while providing her sore ankle a few days rest.  She also enjoyed all the craziness that is the BBC on a long weekend.  Thursday afternoon, Sarah was ready to hit the road.Though I did not get to see Sarah depart the bike shop for the open road, I am certain she will do well on her tour.  She will have good days and bad days; she will discover the euphoric natural wonder of this great Province and will suffer through setting up camp in the rain when hungry, lost and with a flat tire.  She’ll meet all sorts of people and explore many new locations.  Most importantly, she’ll learn to appreciate that plans are great for getting organised but truly, the best rides are those with no plans, just a willingness to accept life as it comes.  And Sarah seems well suited to do just that.

Sarah at the start of her first bicycle tour.

Bike fit and the right saddle; the difference between happiness and suffering