Day 44, August 2, Gatineau QC/ Ottawa Ont. to Lachute QC

We didn’t leave Ottawa until 10:00am, and began our ride out of Gatineau around 11:30am. After we left the city, we were on the same highway all day. There was a bike trail for the entire ride, which was incredible. We haven’t had shoulders like this since Alberta.

It looked like it was going to be the first hot day in about 2 weeks. It ended up raining about an hour into the ride, and didn’t quit for the next 4. The shoulders made it easy to ride in. However, it’s difficult to spot the odd pothole when they’re filled with water. Vanessa and I both had a close call with one in particular. Vanessa had two flats today, and I had my first one in over 2000k. It was warm out, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable changing the tires in the rain.

As we made it into Lachute, the rain was subsiding. We all had a coffee at a Tim Horton’s to decide what the plan was going to be. Vanessa and I were completely drenched. We decided to stay in a hotel for the first time since Surrey. There weren’t any campsites for 40k, and most of our stuff was wet and needed to be aired out. Having a nice bed to sleep on, and the thought of a light day tomorrow at 90k, makes for an enjoyable night.