And wait, it gets better!

So last night at the bicycle film festival, I was introduced to a guy that’s also riding up to Toronto from NYC for the CMWC’s along with 3 other dudes. I was invited to join and at first I declined, I mean...crap...I've been planning my trip seriously for the past two months though the idea has been in the back of my head for even longer, I couldn't just change it like that! I also brushed off the idea because their ride is longer (800 + miles). The extra mileage is because the group is riding to Montreal first to join with a larger group of cyclist also riding to Toronto. I kinda hate to change my plans on the fly like this, but I couldn't pass up riding in a group, I'm in!

The departure date is now June 4th .

The rides going to be more grueling, for instance the plan now is to ride to Albany in one day rather than two days like I had originally planned, this means 140 something miles in a day…meaning that bringing my fixed gear bike would now be even more of a crazy idea, so I've decided to take my road bike. I didn't originally want to take my road bike simply because of the plane trip home. If something were to happen to my track bike, I would cry, but if something were to happen to my road bike...well...I would cry more ;) , but I'm going to bite the bullet and take my chances, with over 800 miles and longer days on the bike, I don’t have a choice.

Another big change is sleeping arrangements. There will be no hotel/hostel stays until I get to Toronto, now it’s all about couch surfing or camping along the way, meaning now the trip will be cheaper, but I'll have to pick up a sleeping bag this weekend. To be honest the camping part hasn't been fully planned out, I'm definitely ill prepared for it, I won't have a tent because I’m limited to what I can bring, so I'll have to hope that someone else has room in theirs, or I'll find some other place to sleep for the night. I also watch too many nature shows, so I’ll have bears on my mind while camping, especially in Canada! I know bear encounters are rare, so I’m not too worried…but still…I mean, a bear might mistake me for a chocolate candy bar :)