And so it begins...

Hey everyone!

I am in Calgary! Woo! After a very long couple of days, I am so glad to be here and settling in before my big ride begins tomorrow. Why were my last few days so long, you ask? Well, let me tell you...

So, the night before I'm set to fly out to Calgary, I stop in to pick up my bike at the local bike shop; the staff of which promised me they would box up my bike following it's tune-up at no charge. I thought, "what a great deal; why wouldn't I take them up on this?". Bad idea...

I get to the bike shop just before 4 pm, and my bike is in pieces, tucked away in the tiniest box possible! There was no room in the box for any of my bigger items like my tent and sleeping bag, and what's more, they had removed so much of the bike that it looked more like a giant metallic puzzle than a mode of transport. Needless to say, I freaked out.

I called up my boyfriend, who quickly put me back together and told me he'd bring home a nice big Greyhound box. I don't know what I would have done without him!

We spent the rest of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning boxing up my bike, packing all the extra items neatly between the frame, and as a finishing touch, we made sure to lash everything down tightly so it wouldn't move around during the flight. I thought I was home safe.

Not quite.

Sending the bike off through the oversize baggage check-in was no trouble - in fact, WestJet didn't even charge me! I was thinking I had finally gotten through the worst of it, and everything was going to be fantastic once I arrived in Calgary. I would get my bike on the other side, take it back to the hotel with me, and easily reassemble what little parts I had originally removed! Of course, this was not the case.

My bike arrived at the oversize baggage claim in Calgary, with no less than two giant holes on either side with both wheel hubs sticking straight out, and the corners of the box sagging and barely holding their own weight. Not to mention, the guy at the baggage claim handling my bike literally threw it down the ramp to me. Not what I'd expected!

I hoped for the best as I drove toward downtown Calgary, and when I finally got my bike up to my 5th floor room (with the help of a nice maintenance dude and the cab driver), I was all set to rip open the damaged box and get to work putting together my bike! I was almost finished - just adding some air to the tires before fitting them on the frame - when I noticed my derailleur looking a little crooked. Hmm.

Great. It's the night before my big journey begins, and my back wheel won't fit on the frame due to this bent-out-of-shape part! Before having another meltdown, I called the woman at the front desk who quickly gave me the address of a local bike shop only two blocks from the hotel. I was so grateful I grabbed my bike and literally carried it the two blocks to the shop - I didn't want to waste any valuable time.

The folks at the shop were a godsend - the girl who was working on my bike didn't even charge after she heard my story. All she asked for was a green tea latte in return for her hard work, and I gladly obliged (I needed some serious Starbucks at that point myself). I came back to the shop just in time to see her pumping up my tires, fixing the alignment of my handlebars, and tightening up my brakes! I walked back to the hotel, latte in one hand, and wheeling my bike with the other, feeling like the biggest weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Now I can (hopefully) relax a little more while making sure my gear and panniers rest just right on my rack tonight - after today, I don't think anything will surprise me. I just have to thank the bike shop folks and the other friendly Calgarians who helped me through the day. I doubt they even know it, but their hospitality kept me sane!

So, as you can now see, I am truly grateful for the end of the day, and excited to hit the road tomorrow and really get my bike in motion! I'm hoping that my bad luck has finally run out, and I can head out with the Otesha crew tomorrow with no worries! (At least for now... )

Okay, I must go find some food, but I will be sure to post again as soon as I can! I'm not sure at this point when that will be, but I can definitely say the next post will be a good one - training week begins tomorrow! What's not to love about team-building, ice breakers, games, and theatre??

Take care everyone; miss you and love you!

Kisses and hugs,

Sarah