Well, between an iffy weather forecast and a bout of burnout, Hairshirt North almost didn’t happen for me this year and leading up to the day, I really didn’t have a good idea if I was going to be able to ride or of who was planning on participating, which in previous years I always kind knew who to expect. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see thirteen other riders ready to roll at 6 am at Meridian Place! I’ve found that adding the alternate routes the last couple of years to the Hairshirt North ride plan have encouraged riders of varying interest to join the party, including four riders who were stepping up to the 400k Dawn to Dusk challenge!

Luckily the weather started to dry up after we spent the first several hours riding in persistent scattered showers and by the time we got to Midland for lunch, the Sun was on our side again for the remainder of the ride.

After the self-titled Tanktop crew broke away onto the 140k route, six of us continued on at an aggressive pace to the Big Chute Loop where, shortly after a food and water stop we agreed to split up as two of us weren’t interested in the more intense pace. Peter and I enjoyed a 330k adventure while Chris, Mark and Mark hammered on to finish the 400k route in an impressive elapsed time of 15 hours, averaging 32 kph! Unfortunately, Jason dropped off of their ride after no longer being able to endure some serious joint pain at around 210k.

For the compromised condition I started the ride in, I was more than happy to finish 330k with the generous help of many strong pulls by the indomitable pedaller, Peter, who after dropping me off in Barrie, nonchalantly carried on for a couple more hours to also finish a 400k route! Remarkable, really.

All in all, despite the weather and lower number of riders than previous years, the fourth annual Hairshirt North was successful, after all. What constitutes success? Fourteen riders stepping up to an unusual challenge, suffering together and then basking in the completion of a challenge that relatively few riders have conquered. Success!