Day 137

September 26 - Vancouver (161km)

My mind was tired and my body was exhausted, but I knew I only had to push for just a little longer. Today’s ride was going to be a big one - thankfully, it was mostly flat. There was one hill, however, that had an 11% grade over 2km. I didn’t know what that number meant before this journey, and if you didn’t either, all you need to know is that it’s steep. REALLY steep.

But I did it like I did every other hill - one pedal at a time. When I reached the top, I remembered all the hills I struggled with in Newfoundland and how much I’ve progressed as a cyclist and a person.

I tried to enjoy these final moments of my journey. Cycling had been my life for over the last four months and I would soon be returning to normalcy. I was going to miss this life, even with all its hardships.

Speaking of hardships, no bike ride of mine is complete without some bike issues. I had to stop on the highway because the chain was giving me some problems. Despite being on a time crunch, I did not feel panicked at all. I was used to this.

I will never forget the ride into Vancouver. It was chaotic, it was dark, it was exhausting - but beautiful. My friend Spencer was waiting for me and I thought of how lucky I was to have such amazing people in my life.