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Interview with Sandra about her ride at Le P'tit Train du Nord (NEW)
By Rafela Grabert

I have been riding for many years, in England we cycled everywhere. When we moved to the US I purchased a light weight road bike (Cilo) and later after my first hip replacement a Mountain Bike with full suspension.

Before my first hip replacment I rode mainly road up to 100 miles in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. After the first hip replacement I was more concerned about traffic and rode more bike trails on both the road and mountain bike. One of the longer rides was from Leesburg, VA on the C&O Canal path to Grand Falls and back.

About one year after hiking the Grand Canyon, down the South Kaibob Trail and out by the Bright Angel Trail I started having right hip pain. The pain persisted and when it affected my ability to sleep at night I researched hip replacement.

I had to stop playing competitive tennis and then hiking. Climbing stairs became a major problem and ultimately it affected my sleep.

4. Shortly after your first hip surgery you managed to ride 40 miles. Can you tell us about that experience?

It was the 4th July week. The replacement surgery was in March and that week in July we went down to the Cape Cod rail trail in Denis and rode to Wellfleet and back. I was nervous at road crossings and when there were other people on the trail. Beyond that it was good to be back on the bike!

5. After going through your first hip replacement, how hard was it for you to have a second?

The second was unplanned! I fell and broke the perfectly good left hip. I was taken by the emergency services to a hospital in Methuen, the diagnosis was a broken hip joint and the surgery proposed was repair. I called my husband and we agreed that I should go to New England Baptist Hospital for a consultation with Dr. Bierbaum who performed the first replacement. The recommendation was a full replacement and I was transported to New England Baptist. On the first replacement I went through a lot of preparation, co-blood donations as well as training sessions on what to expect. No time for that this time but I had been through a replacement once.

The second was unplanned, also the muscles still had full strength, and recovery from the second was easier than the first. Flexibility returned earlier as did the strength.

7. Was it difficult to switch to a trike, after years of riding an up-right bike?

There were some minor adjustments but overall it was very easy. The ability to stop without dismounting was a major advantage. Steering is very light, there are no starting and stopping problems. I switched to full clipless pedals after the first 20 mile ride. I can ride to the same level as on the upright road bike cruising at 16mph and capable of reaching 20mph on the flats.

I have been used to riding between 20 and 40 miles, I wanted to start riding the same distances. The first two rides of 20 miles demonstrated that I could easily ride that distance. As a bonus I found that I could climb hills securely and more easily than on an upright bicycle.

Great! No aches or pains of any type unless you count sunburn! The riding position means I need to be more careful in applying sun block on my legs.

10. After all of your health problems, how did you feel emotionally after realizing you could ride long distances?

Great! This is what I wanted to achieve and now looking forward to similar rides.

11. Tell us about your experience riding the “P’tit Train du Nord”, in Quebec?

I was searching for a ride on the internet in Quebec, last year we went to St Jean sur Le Richlieu and rode the Chambly canal route as well as the Lachine Canal in Montreal. This year I had planned to go to Quebec city when I found the P’tit Train du Nord trail. This looked ideal especially with the transportation taking us to the northern end of the trail and carrying the luggage between the different Auberge. Having ridden 20 miles, 35 to 40 per day was modest.

We booked the trip through Auberge Beau Rivage and arrived in Ste Jerome on June 30th. Sunday we were transported to Mnt Laurier. The day was cool with scattered rain showers. The northern section is paved and was easy riding. The trail has plenty of stopping points and shelter in old rail cars. The first overnight was at Auberge Beau Rivage were Bernadette and Philippe prepared an evening meal for us. This Auberge is on the shore of Lac Nominigue.

After breakfast we were transported back to the trail and continued south to Mt Tremblant. This part of the trail followed the North River. At La Belle the trail changes to stone dust. We knew the trail changed surface but had no concerns having ridden simila surfaces the year before on the Chambly Canal. The 'trike was no problem to handle and and was more stable in the soft shoulders than an upright bike would have been. After La Belle the scenery changed from woodlands, rivers and lakes to more open farm land. "Hello Sunburn", the weather was perfect! Our next overnight was at Mnt Tremblant at Auberge le Voyageur. Linda and Jean-Claude were our gracious hosts. Our evening meal was in the town and breakfast was "the best".

The third leg climbed from 600 feet to 1500 feet before descending to Ste Adele. I was able to sustain a steady pace on the climb, the weather was once again perfect with blue skies. I'm sure I would not have ridden that hill as easily on my upright bicycles. After the summit we coasted down to Ste Adele passing saw mills, golf courses and views of ski slopes. We arrived at the third and last overnight at Auberge de la Gare de Ste Adele. Dinner was in down town Ste Adele.

The last day was the shortest leg back to Ste Jerome. The trail joined the North River again and was a steady down hill. The final mile was paved with some busy road crossings. This was the first time on the whole trip that we saw significant traffic. Back in Ste Jerome we picked up our luggage from the caboose and left for the trip back.

Yes! I am looking at rail and similar trails in Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. My husband has ideas of riding in Western Canada, I'm not sure about those rail trestles!

I'd been thinking about doing a cross country bike tour for a while. And, since I'd recuperated from medullary thyroid cancer, leg paralysis and the surgeries, I figured this was the time to do it before "something else happens!" I knew it was time to do
something spectacular in my life once again!

After being out of commission from the car accident, it was amazing how quickly my muscles atrophied. I worked with very knowledgeable physical and occupational therapists to get my nerve fibers and muscles in working condition again.

Once I was in the "clear," I was able to go back to my normal fitness activities at the gym, as well as outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling.

In order to "tune up" the muscle areas that would be used on a recumbent trike versus an upright bike, I cycled on a recumbent bike at the gym until I received
my Catrike (which was only about two weeks before leaving on my trip).

I've always had great cardiovascular fitness and endurance, as well as a hefty dose of willpower, so I knew I would be able to conquer the physical aspect of the trip.

I reviewed books, articles and websites about various cycling routes in the United States. I love the desert and wanted to visit loved ones in Arizona along the
way, so I decided on doing the southern tier of the U.S.. I purchased maps from www.adventurecycling.com, which also listed everything needed along the way such as stores, bike shops, hotels, etc...

The purchased maps seemed to be taking me on some absurd roads, so starting in New Mexico I frequently routed myself by seeking information from local people, calling the highway departments and a lot of research on-line. I had to determine the distances between areas I wanted to travel, find availability of hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, libraries and all. It was quite time consuming, but definitely worth all the effort.

How did your family and people along the way reacted to what you were doing?

My family and most of my friends were against what I was doing, especially because they saw me go through so much with the surgeries. They thought it was too soon to be putting extreme demands on my body.

The very day I was able to walk again, I checked myself out of the rehabilitation hospital in Boston, against medical advice, taking a taxi home in my stocking feet through the snow...

I was determined to do things "my way" and with out-patient physical therapy after that. I guess I can be a bit head strong...

I knew going alone would be best for me, and I also knew I would encounter other cyclists along the way and could tag up some if I wanted to (which I did a couple of times).

My family was totally against me going alone, so I ended up "muddling" that aspect and began to converse about riding with other cyclists and even contacted some from a cycling companions wanted list.

Even if I had never gone any through any trauma, they would have been of the same mindset. Some people think it's madness to want to ride a bike across the country...

Before the start what was the biggest challenge you thought you might encounter?

I'd get up in the morning, take my Synthroid right away (I'd have to wait about an hour before eating), get dressed, have breakfast, review my maps, put my pepper spray on my wrist with the Velcro strap (which gave me a tremendous feeling of security) and set off riding. I would typically ride for ten to twelve hours a day!

As soon as I got to my hotel, I would jump into the shower before anything else, I really dislike feeling all sweaty and dirty...

I'd done a few weekend/week long cycling trips before, and numerous, lengthy backpacking treks. Even so this trip was the most difficult event I've ever done, not so much physically but more emotionally.

Constantly watching vehicles in back of you to make sure they see you, watching out for dogs, making sure of safety people-wise, remembering to contact family members so they know I'm okay, making sure of turning on the correct road, following the weather channel especially in tornado season, riding with headwinds, hoping you make the destination that day, hoping restaurants would be open etc..

Even writing the journal entries became a "pressure", since I knew that people were expecting to read something from me.

I even ended up falling in love with doing the journal entries. And, I love the fact that I could "touch" so many people’s lives in a positive way through my cycling and through my writing.

I was energized by and couldn't wait to read guest book messages, e-mails and voice mails from people, most of whom I've never met before but they were so interested in what I was doing and were so encouraging!

I took a pro-active approach with all people I encountered along the road, smiling at them and waving a big hello. And, every single person I met, while riding or while stopping at a store to get a drink and at hotels were kind, caring and wonderfully supportive.

It brings a smile to my face to recall encountering really hot, humid days that would be quite challenging for cycling and yet at the end of the day being able to "wash it all away," romanticizing the difficulty and being ready to tackle it again with joy the next morning!

And, I've had people already tell me they were buying Catrikes since they read about my trip (most recently a guy from Iowa), and are planning to do their own tours on them.

2007 Catrike Road is terrific and most importantly, a reliable trike, even for long distance touring!

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