A cyclist’s wet dream

Ever since I started bicycling, I complained about the pot-holes and obstacles on the road with the most dangerous of those being absent-minded people who opens their car door the second before you pass by. People just aren’t aware of their surroundings nowadays, going through their days like a zombie. These difficulties made me dream about the biker’s wet dream: long paved and uninterrupted road without pot holes nor cars. In Montréal, it’s called the Green Line 1

I stumbled upon it 3 weeks ago and have diligently been trying to conquer it every weekend and as a result, I finally did manage on my third try. Let’s take a look at the path from Google map first. (Click here for the Google map location)

My first try was child’s play and I turned back after crossing the Champlain service bridge. It was an exploratory run with light gear, definitely not enough to sustain me through the brutal 42.38km trial now that I look at it with hindsight. But that day, I was happy, I had a smile that stayed on my face for the better part of the week. Co-workers thought I got laid big time. I believe, that you too will understand once you have the sea wind in your face, the sun behind your back and a long straight path going into infinity. Kind of like this panorama.

Here are some more picture on the service bridge.

My second try was another futile attempt because I couldn’t judge how far it actually is and drank most of my water half way through the path. I did however took some good pictures though.

I completed the whole thing on my third try. It was brutal and I was dehydrated by the end because I opted to bring my camera instead of an extra bottle of water. When you are biking such a long distance, a small change in weight can mean a lot. It was twice as long as I imagined and I fool heartedly charged through the end without thinking about the way back. End result? One hour to get there, two hours to get back.

Here is a panorama of the whole path.(This panorama shows the path that I took. It’s not a straight line)

Why did I go through with it? If I must bring it out in words, I can only say that it was the sun, the open endless road and the promise of a heaven at the end that drove me to complete it. I find solace in hearing the winds in my ear on a completely abandoned path where the end cannot be seen. Merged with the quiet noise of nature, there’s almost a mysterious beauty to it. Or perhaps I just love it because it gets me away from people. Too much people that suffocates my mind during the week.

So, if you are in Montréal and enjoys biking. Try it out.