These are just captures from my blog but I thought the detail on the routes might be helpful

What a fantastic training ride!
I did about 80 KM on Monday. I wanted to do two days of long rides back to back to see where I was in my training. I had a great ride with some harrowing experiences but all in all it was a really good day. I am taking the day to recover although I did have to walk about 10 km for work today.

I started at home in New Westminster and rode out to the Fraser Valley. I found out that the Patullo bridge is really not the best route so next time I am going over the Queensborough and Alex Fraser bridges. The hills in the Bridgeview area of Surry are a killer but safer than King George Hwy. Riding in Surry is a challenge as there are very few areas with a good shoulder on the side of the road. I should have looked at the bike map more closely. That sentiment is echoed throughout the trip but I learned a lot from the experience. Once you get to Langley the roads are a bit better and I rode through a quite new subdivision on the way to Langley City to see some friends and hit them up for donations. From City Hall I rode out to Fort Langley. This was the best part of the whole ride. 203rd over the over pass and all the way up to the north side of the Freeway on 208th are pretty good with a bike lane. Then out along through the provincial park, what I discovered was the long way to the Albion Ferry. That part was the best; very few cars, nice smooth road and even a little sunshine to take the chill off. The Fort Langley area is still one of my favourite spots in the Lower Mainland. To top it off they were filming another Air Bud movie in the village. Too bad I didn't get a call to work for that one, apparently the animal coordinator is from LA so he used all LA dog trainers, too bad...

I took the ferry across to Maple Ridge which was a good quick much needed 10 minute break with facilities on the far side. Then River Road, a bit scary as there was no shoulder and I ended up riding in the dirt whenever a truck went by. The bypass was ok until the shoulder narrowed so I took a side trip up the hill on 225th past our old house on Brickwood. You should have seen the hedges Dad planted they are HUGE. I stopped in at the doggy daycare out there to say hello and try to drum up some business and hit them up for a donation. After that, I headed to Poco. Most of the time I had to ride on the sidewalk until Pitt Meadows where the shoulder got wider. I ended up going over the handle bars when some guy backed out of a shop with his eyes closed. That was the low point of the ride. At least I was going slow enough that I didn't break myself or the bike and only ended up with a slightly skinned knee and some dirt on the pack. I am so glad I have that air horn I bought, I think it saved my life.

Lougheed Hwy wasn't too bad until you get over the Pitt Bridge then it gets a little dicey I took the first turn off and tried to take back streets from there. At this point I was really tired and I knew the only way to get home was to go through Port Moody and up the bike route parallel to Clark Road but there was no way that I had that much left in me that day. That hill is one of the steepest I have ever done so I called in a favour and went to visit my good friends Brian and Lory. But between me and them was a very large hill and almost 15 km. I planned on taking David street through Poco and over to Lafarge park but I had no idea how steep the hill was on Coast Meridian and virtually no shoulder. I rode up that hill in the dirt and was exhausted when I reached the crest of the hill around Oxford Street. The down hill part was a blast though and once you get on David there is a bike lane. I rode very slowly into Brian's driveway and was completely spent. My friends are so good. All of them are so supportive but being greeted with a cold water and a cold beer and a really amazing Mexican dinner was a great way to finish my day. Brian loaded my bike in his truck and gave me a ride the rest of the way home. I was only a little disappointed that I didn't make it all the way home but 100 km was too much for that day. Besides, I would have missed out on a great dinner and the support of my friends. Thank you Brian and Lory for your well timed and very appreciated hospitality.

by Ron Gordon on Wed, Nov 19, 2008 @ 12:41 AM

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Training and Fundraising
I am not sure what is more difficult the training, motivating myself to get out in the rain and ride or the fundraising.
The goals I set for myself are to raise a dollar for every kilometre that I ride in training and to ride 50 KM a day this month and hit the gym on the weekends.
I am out the door now to go for a ride. My legs feel like rubber and my back hurts in places that I didn't know I had, it is raining and it's dark but I have to do 50 KM a day this month. Once I get into the whole Zen of the ride it actually feels great and I remember why I am doing this. So I am off to find a nice quiet stretch of road. Rush hour traffic is just too crazy for me. I did 50 KM yesterday to Vancouver and back and it was not restful or relaxing at all. This time I am sticking to the back roads regardless of the hills.
I finally got some contacts entered into the database and after a bit of technical difficulty was able to send the first official fundraising email out. I need the ride to burn off the frustration of dealing with the computer. It is my hope that those friends, family and colleagues will dig deep and make each kilometre one step closer to the fundraising goal. It would also be great to have some more people to join the team and ride with me both for training and the ride itself. It is very challenging to motivate yourself when you are alone.