 On my fourth lap around the course today, I took the right hand turn back onto Toulette from Main Street and as I passed by the trail (which intersects the road) I looked to the left and saw none other than MY HUSBAND about to cross the road. What a coincidence!
I did a quick u-turn in the middle of the road and called his name. He stopped, now on the other side of the road, looking a bit disoriented. I went over and gave him a big hug. He told me to get back out there in the race! I had been so conflicted this morning about whether I should just be on the trail waiting for him, taking some photos and videoing the momentous occasion, or whether I should do the race as planned.
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 It's all uphill from here: John described the trail from Bishop's Falls to Grand Falls as some of the worst. It was all uphill and at this point, his stomach could not tolerate what he was putting in it.  He made it! Posing here at the finish line in my parent's lush back garden. Update 5: 1321hrs NLT
He's finished!!! John finished earlier today in GFW at 10:36AM which brings his final total to 43 hours 10 minutes over a rocky and brutal 451.3km. Elevation was 5,041m which sounds like it took its toll, particularly in the final 100km. His Wahoo (bike computer) has him scaling Everest about twice, so the elevation is taken from the Ride With GPS app.  UPDATE 4: 0645hrs NLT
John is on the homestretch now! Heading towards Norris Arm, he'll be crossing over that trestle at Bishop's Falls before we know it! It's very bad timing for me, as I'm off to a little 72km race of my own and have to leave shortly. Argh. Would love to see him in, but will have to settle for seeing him after the race. That's how ultra cycling is, though, whether it's an organized race or your own adventure - it's always pretty anti-climactic at the finish. No crowds cheering for you, no fancy celebrations or medals. Just the pure satisfaction that you set a goal and you pushed yourself beyond your limits to achieve something that you weren't quite sure you could even do when you started out. So proud of you John!! Cathie's cooking and baking are in your near future and there's a Crafty Radler waiting for you in the fridge! 😄 He's heading towards Port Blandford at the moment and he said the gravel is brutal. Piled high and he is just sinking in it. I know how hard that is...it really sucks! It's slower than anticipated, but he's still feeling strong and got resupplied in Clarenville.
 UPDATE 3: 2100hrs NLT Is anyone else feeling the itch to do a big ride now? I know I am!! John has just called from Gambo! He loved the last section of trail and made really good time. He is hoping the next bit will be the same, but we will have to wait to find out.
He's just stopping quickly at the gas station and then it's onto Gander where he will see how he is feeling before the final 100km push through the night.
Bear in mind by the time he reaches Gander, he will have ridden somewhere around 200km today and that's having ridden through the night with only 2 hours sleep! We are looking forward to seeing him when he gets here and my mom wants me to let her know when he's coming to she can get up and cook him a nice big breakfast. Go John!!  UPDATE 2: 1800hrs
NLT John is continuing to make great progress today! He’s stopped for a burger and fries at Terra Nova and he must be getting on with it as I haven’t heard from him since he placed his order. Probably the best burger and fries he’s ever eaten ;) ☺️ Oh wait, just got a text. He’s off again and headed to Gambo on this next leg of the journey. Amazing job!!  John waking up on the T'Railway this morning after a 2-hour nap in his bivvy It's going to be our first Canada Day on Canadian soil since we met, and it's going to be a memorable one. I'm visiting my family in GFW this Canada Day weekend and John decided he needed a bit more of an adventure. So he loaded up his Rocky Mountain hardtail (Vertex) and he is biking the 447km along the T'Railway to meet me here.
 Two days in row of the first short-sleeve riding weather!? I'll take it! I was having a glorious afternoon ride yesterday, deciding to take advantage of the last day of spring and the second day of warm sunny weather in a row. You couldn't ask for a better day. The sky was blue and the drivers were polite and courteous at around 1:30-3:00PM while I was out. Well, most of the drivers anyway.
 A bit of the trail that levels out before a slight decline by the Hydro plant (heading North) and onto the big smooth rock-and-roll section that shakes your brain around in your skull. I was hoping for a lovely long ride today but I bailed on the plan and turned back because it is STILL ONLY 5 BLOODY DEGREES HERE!!! (And I made some poor clothing choices.) It was cold and damp and after pushing over the really rocky bit by the Hydro plant, I was sweaty and I had chosen wool which actually made me colder because I forgot to wear a base layer (thinking it would warm up enough). Anyhow, I just wasn't feeling it, so decided to turn back and come home.
 The fog was beautiful and creepy surrounding Bell Island as we rode along the coastal road in the morning. We hopped on the bikes this morning for 112km and around 1400m of climbing around the Avalon. A stop at our friend Heather's for a cup of tea, followed by a little lunch at The Grounds in Portugal Cove to keep us going. Beautiful day back home in CBS, foggy everywhere else!
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