Day 54: Batchewana to Garden River- The "Velorution"

Up at 6am and 40 km done by 10 am... a new record. Why? To arrive at opening time to get our bikes fixed at "Velorution" in Sault Saint Marie. Velorution is a phenomenon. If you ask another trans Canada biker about bike shops, the response is always, "Have you heard about the bike shop in Sault Saint Marie?" We knew it had a free campground for bikers but we preferred our lake and early morning ride to sleeping next to the Walmart. We arrived before 10 and there were already several people in line. They listened attentively to our bike woes and said they would have them done by afternoon. The repair guys were nice but not dramatically inspiring. So we headed to the nearby restaurant for brunch.
It was there that we discovered the passion behind Velorution. The owner, a physiotherapist (he sells you the bike and then fixes you up when you mess up your body on it) came over and enthusiastically started chatting with us. Soon he had joined us for brunch and gave us some insight into what had been accomplished in Sault Saint Marie. He had led the charge to successfully create a multi million dollar 75 km loop bike trail around the city (Glyn would drool as it is only for non-motorized vehicles). He is now working on a trail from Sault Saint Marie to Sudbury (350 km) as an alternative to a particularly bad section of the trans-Canada (we can attest to the need for this one). In short he is hoping to lead a velo revolution, and accomplishing a lot. He figures that to get "your average folks" on a bike, they need segregated bike paths, and his goal is to get everyone on a bike resulting in healthier people and a planet. He has tons of ideas, strategies and passion, hoping we could carry the torch back home. When you see what some places we have been have done, one has to be depressed by the sorry state of bike path infrastructure in NS. We are the laughing stock of the country (could there be hope in Bridgewater Leon?). It is neat to see how one person is making a big difference, though his prime tip is to form coalitions and let the politicians own it as their idea. There is lots to do!
Alan



Distance: 68.77 km
Time on bikes: 3:38:55
Average speed: 18.8 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 4312 km
Start: 7:45 am
End: 6:45 pm
Wind: west ( tail-light)
Conditions: sunny


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Garden River, Ontario