On a humid and delayed Tour de Île

It was a bit like the Tokyo Olympics, really, if the bibs the participants wore is anything to go by. This example worn by my friend J.P.'s daughter C. is anything to go by. Note the editing done by her parents!

 

I saw another bib on which the wearer had crossed off the 2020 and written in below: "2021 or bust"!

J.P. is the one who first got me to participate in the Tour de l'Île as a volunteer bike mechanic, or bénévélo-méchano. He showed up at Lafontaine Park a shade late having misread his "heure de convocation." I hadn't seen him in nearly two years, so we spent much time chatting and catching up as we waited for the start. Our Mayoress was on hand to witness the start of the Tour. There was also the Federal culture minister and two provincial cabinet ministers, who barely count given the lack of Montrealers in the provincial cabinet.

Because of the need for social distancing, there were 8 starting location distributed around the 33 kilometer course. Thankfully, I had been assigned the one nearest to chez moi, at the aforementionned Lafontaine Park which not coincidentally, was next to the headquarters of Vélo-Québec.

While waiting, I assumed myself by placing my helmet on a traffic cone to show what a hard and dangerous life Montreal traffic cones live.

 

Once the start was given, well after it's planned start of 9 AM, J.P. and I set off to tend to our flock so to speak. I raised two seats, changed one inner tube, removed one mirror and assisted J.P. with an involved attempt to properly secure a "giraffe" to a bike to be towed. The fundamental problem was that the giraffe or towing bar wasn't really the right size for the fork of the bike to be towed. The familly had used it with another bike previously, but the kid had recently changed bikes and they hadn't used it before with that bike. A complication was that this was about mid-trip for them, the lad having biked the previous half. Also, they were about to face the climb up Berri Street. We managed to jobber something, using, among other things, a punctured inner tube! (Re-use, recyle.) 

J.P. and I met up with his significant other and their two daughters in Maisonneuve Park across from the Olympic Stadium. We then crossed under Sherbrooke Street using one of the classic routes of the Tour before doing something the Tour had never done before in my experience. We went through the Olympic Stadium!!!

You read that right: through the Olympic Stadium!  If you still doubt me, please examine the pictures!

J.P. and Family in the Olympic Stadium

A little later, I stopped to photograph a tandem Bixi. I had read about one that Boris Johnson had built as a self-promoting wedding present for William and Kate, but hadn't tought any more were made.

 

As we made the long climb up Berri Street, J.P. and I encouraged C. (age 6) as she pedalled up by chanting her name.

The weather was cool, overcast and rather humid. Thankfully, it didn't rain.