Riders on the Storm

Route / Event: Railway City 200 - pre-ride / 100km scouting mission [ Ride Log ]

The mission was simple: scout the back 100km route of an upcoming 200km brevet event. A little rain in the forecast -- maybe some thunder, but otherwise a nice clear day according to weather forecasts. It's only 100k after all...what could possibly go wrong? 

Photo credit: Adventure Cycling Association

When I rode the Railway City 100 populaire a few weeks back, I was told that the vision for this route was that it was the first half of an eventual 200km brevet. The idea was that the first 100km could terminate at the departure point (Railway City Brewery), proving an opportunity for self-supported riders to restock from their own parked vehicles (and enjoying a refreshment of course). The only thing was that the back 100km had yet to be designed. 

Following that ride, soliciting feedback from local London-based randonneurs Marc Deshaies and Michel Hebert, I took on the task of mapping the back 100km with a leg that left St. Thomas, and went up through Delaware, Komoka, and up to Coldstream, before doubling back through the west side of London and Lambeth. And today was the day the three of us would pre-ride it to make sure it was free of lions and tigers, and bears (oh my!). 

And that's just it -- most of the ride was pretty uneventful. We reached the control, located about 50km into the ride in roughly two hours. It was only 10am, so the diner was closed but we were comforted by the fact that it would be open during the hours that randonneurs would be heading through, 150kms into their brevet. We sat on the patio for a spell and marveled at the great weather we were having. 

It was when we were headed south along Woodhull Rd. (~70kms) that I felt the first blast of refreshing wind from the west. Looking westward revealed a navy blue sky. So much for beating the rain, I thought. 

"Have we been riding all day? It looks like nightfall is upon us" I joked to my ride-mates. We picked up our pace slightly, knowing we weren't going to get out of this ride dry. 

We had just turned eastward along Sharon Rd. when the wind struck us right in the back. The sky had taken a deep emerald green colour and the rain and hail was fierce, blowing in all directions. Tree brush had already started to become a common obstacle on the road. 

By the time the wind was at it's peak, it was hitting us mostly from behind, but at a slight cross whose gusts risked pushing us into the ditch. What little traffic remained on the country road had pulled over; hazard lights a stark reminder of our current situation. Up ahead I tracked Marc's tail light to the center of the road, and followed his lead, maximizing the pavement real estate to avoid getting pushed into the shoulder.

RANDO RAMBLE: 'Derecho', spanish for 'straight-line', is a straight-line band of strong wind and thunder storms which can cause hurricanic force winds leave tornado-like damage in it's wake. Derechos are a warm weather system that occur mostly in June, July, and August in the northern hemisphere.

"Should we pull over somewhere?" I yelled at Michel behind me. 

"Sure...but where?" Michel responded, confirming my conclusion that there wasn't really anywhere we could shelter. This stretch of road contained field on both sides with barely a ditch to speak of. Feeling that continuing to ride was dangerous, but not knowing what else to do, I freewheeled for a bit. The gusts alone continued to propel me forward. I checked my Garmin watch -- 32kph without even pedaling! "Well, at least it's a tail wind!" I yelled back. 

A few minutes later I saw Marc motion toward the right. He was pointing at a farm silo; the first we'd seen since the storm hit. I guessed he intended to seek shelter there. This was well-timed because my nav was prompting us to jog north, forcing us into a crosswind we would not be able to endure. 

We pulled into the driveway of a farmhouse, and hiked our bikes up onto their uncovered porch. We knocked, but there was no answer, so we took this to mean implicit permission to stay here and wait out the storm. I took my phone out of my top box and sent my my wife Kim a quick text: 

"FYI. I am sheltered and safe."

Wanting to keep my phone dry I didn't wait for a reply, and stowed my device again. I would later learn that Kim had been working in our basement, and this text message was the first early indication she had that anything was out of sorts. (Our house lost power almost immediately after raising this awareness). 

It was about twenty minutes later that the winds died down so we resumed our route. We stopped in Lambeth at Cyzzle Cycle. Here we waited out the rain and the staff kindly refilled my water bottles. After the obligatory conversations about the storm, and supply chain issues, we proceeded on our way to close out the route. 

By the time we returned to Railway City Brewery it was a glorious summer day -- little to no indication of any foul weather. I called Kim to confirm my ride was done and she relayed to me that most of London had no power, and there were downed trees all through our neighborhood. 

I do apologize for the lack of pictures, or video to support this event. I am, after all, not a vlogger, and reaching for my camera was the furthest thing from my mind when this ride was at it's climax. 

I am, however, looking forward to repeating this loop on the tail end of the upcoming Railway City 200 brevet. 

Lessons learned from this ride: 

• Never pass up a 100kph tail wind. (probably not a lesson, but still good lived experience). 
• Weather forecasts are only a suggestion
• I should probably just run cameras on my helmet or bike because I am just not good at capturing the moments as they happen, except in prose.