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Well this year didn’t go quite as planned. Fundraising and training went really well, but I overlooked the timelines for renewing my passport.

All the team members were all heading the airport to go to France. I was ready and standing at the check-in line. My bike neatly stowed in my bike bag. Elsie waiting patiently behind me. But there was one small problem. My passport was not acceptable to France.

The Air Canada staff were amazingly helpful, offering lots of suggestions on how to get an emergency passport. However, the earliest that I could be on a plane was Wednesday. I would be ready to ride Thursday, but the ride ended Friday.

Hugs followed with apologetic texts to friends travelling to ride who were expecting me there.

Rather than pouting, I flew to Montreal, then rode the train to Kingston to see my son, who was deploying to Latvia a few days later (military). And to Honour our Fallen there.

Then I caught the train to Gatineau, PQ and unpacked my bike again and rode to Ottawa to see our memorials.

I also rode around Gatineau while visiting with my daughter and her family, who are being transferred to Bagotville, PQ in a few weeks (military).

It wasn’t a total right off. I learned how to travel with a bike bag. I learned how to assemble and disassemble my bike, several times. I spoke French with many people, even having a 30 minute political discussion with a taxi driver about Burundi & Rwanda. In French.

Air Canada was amazing. They did everything they could to assist me, except phone France :). They handled my bike with care and it arrives safely. The check-in staff, baggage handlers, online system & telephone support all were exceptional.

Via Rail was a bit more of a hassle. The staff were really helpful when they heard my sad story. But in each of the 3 train rides they refused my bike at first. Different stories, “we can’t take the bag, only a bike”, “we can’t take a bike, it must be in a bag but we have no room for the bag”, “ok we will take it this time, but we won’t take it from Ottawa to Montreal”. However, regardless that heir webpage said they take bikes, it was a hassle each time. In the end, I decided to fly out of Ottawa rather than go back for my Montreal flight home. Again, Air Canada fixed everything for me.

I’ve started my fundraising for The Netherlands 2025. Please remember to visit my sponsors page. I couldn’t do this without their support. Click “Donate” to show your support.