Goofy on a Bike

06/03/2025

Last weekend I jumped on my bike and challenged myself to loop over Lake Simcoe and come back home within 2 days.

The first day started with great and warm weather, fast rolling paved bike trails and smooth gravel roads.

Even though I biked to Uxbridge a few times in the past, I keep underestimating the steep, long, exausting climbs before it, so I decided to reward myself with a burger and fries in a nice restaurant along the way.

The second half of the day was flat, long and straight gravel trails which transformed into a bumpy, muddy dirt roads.

Before the end of the day, my left knee started to hurt, most likely due to poor saddle height adjustment, since I changed it just the night before.

I decided to camp before reaching Orillia, the half point of the route, but for the last two weeks it was raining, and almost everything was flooded.

Fortunately, I was able to find a sketchy elevated groove where I camped for the night.

I woke up into freezing cold and wet morning which I didn’t expect, but I was prepared with a warm coat as a backup which kept me dry and warm.

After a few hours fighting headwinds I reached Orillia and had a nice breakfast in a local diner. “From here on, I it will mostly be downhill with tailwinds” I kept convincing myself - even though it was mostly side winds with constant hills.

In Barrie I had lunch and took a short break, before taking on the long way south back home.

After I left Barrie, my left knee was in even more pain than the day before, so I had to constantly stop, stretch, and take breaks.

I kept convincing myself how close I am to home and kept pushing.

Passing Richmond Hill I finally reached a long stretch of a downhill section which was epic.

After a surprising construction closure on the trail which required a detour with a long climb which was very challanging mentally, I pushed my exausted body one last time, and, finally it home safe in the middle of the night.

It was a great adventure for which I wasn’t fully prepared for physically. There were many beautiful sections and nice trails but I struggled to enjoy many of them due to the knee pain and exhaustion.

Overall it was a great experience, and I am glad I did this, because in two weeks, I am going to bike the actual route which I was training so hard for the last few months - The BT700 (Link in the first comment).

05/19/2025

3 days ago I went to my first overnighter bikepacking adventure of the year, from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and back.

I was hot, wet, muddy and I had to take many detours because of construction on closures, but it was fun!

05/16/2025

A few days ago I went out for a casual bike ride in Toronto, and partway through, the heavy rain started coming down.

Luckily, I had my GoPro with me and decided to keep riding and film the experience.

I got home soaked, but I didn’t mind as it was fun.

I went out for a casual bike ride through Moccasin Trail Park in Toronto, and partway through, the rain started coming down.Luckily, I had my GoPro with me a...

05/02/2025

It’s cherry blossom season and we have some trees in Toronto. Me, Raine and Jakey had to go and check them out! They are gorgeous!

03/12/2025

The spring is here!

12/13/2024

Only cycled 10,741 km this year? 🤔

11/30/2024

Summer Adventure to Balsam Lake

I had a great time with Raine and Jakey, aka The Goodu Boyoo. I have been resting and recovering from the long adventure for two and a half months in Toronto, Canada.

We went to Toronto Island multiple times, cooked delicious food for each other, and had deep conversations about our lives, fears, dreams, and plans for the future. These conversations brought us closer and helped us understand each other better.

As summer approached fast and the temperatures became warmer, I started to feel the passion to go on another adventure and explore the area near where I live now.

Raine surprised me by suggesting we go on a bike tour to Algonquin Provincial Park together, including Jakey.

After a few stressful days of preparations, including a few last-minute problems like the trailer not fitting my bike, we resolved everything and left home with too much stuff. It was a moment of relief and excitement as we overcame the unexpected hurdles.

Shortly after leaving, we faced our first big challenge, which we didn't anticipate. Trying to convince Jakey to stay calm in his private taxi trailer didn't work as expected, as he would constantly bark and whimper as if we were trying to eat him.

After experimenting with different solutions and almost giving up on the tour, we found a way to keep him inside the trailer. It was far from perfect, but at least we could keep going.

When we camped just after getting out of Pickering at the end of the second day, the front side of Jakey's trailer was eaten, and both of us were exhausted and tortured by his barks. It felt like we were amid some psychological warfare, with Jakey's barks as the weapon and our sanity as the casualty.

That same day, we realized that our plan to make it to Algonquin Provincial Park might be too ambitious. During the next few days, we constantly changed plans on the go, including stopping by a steak house and eating huge steaks.

Fortunately, after the second day, after we escaped the busy, crowded cities and entered beautiful trails, quiet gravel roads, and small towns, we could let the Goodu Buoyo run along us. Instead of calming Jakey down, we could focus on escaping mosquitoes and deer flies.

Deer flies had bitten me many times, and my left hand and face became swollen. Raine was terrified, but I felt great, so we kept cycling, much to Raine's protests. After five days on the road, we made it to Balsam Lake Provincial Park, where we decided to camp.

During the following two weeks in the park, we spent significant time together recovering, exploring the area, making many trips to the grocery store in Coboconk, moving between campsites because of the busy season, and playing Unstable Unicorns (a card game that Raine accidentally bought at Walmart).

I was astounded by how well Raine adapted to life on the road, considering that this was her first bike tour and that she hadn't cycled for almost 15 years! It wasn't easy physically and especially mentally, but it was a fantastic experience.

We had the opportunity to learn so many things about each other, make memories, and strengthen our bond, which will last for the rest of our lives. These shared experiences, these moments of joy and struggle, have woven us together in a way that nothing else could.

We knew we were a good match for each other, and the trip made us even more confident about our compatibility. Our bond, which was already strong, has now been tested and strengthened, and we are more confident than ever about our future together.

During one of our trips to Coboconk, while hiding from the burning sun below a tree next to a semi-abandoned church, I went down on my knees and asked for her hand - she said, "HELL YES!"

06/25/2024

Cycling From Kentucky to Toronto, Canada

After almost three weeks of rest, I was excited to be back on the road, this time from the southern part of Kentucky.

My right knee was no longer hurt, and the fatigue had recovered. I was excited to return to the road, heading north towards Canada.

The fresh-smelling air after the rains, the cool breezes on warm sunny days, and the vast green farm fields full of butterflies, rabbits, and squirrels - Kentucky was gorgeous.

I contacted my friend Logan, whom I met about four months ago at the beginning of the adventure in St. Augustine, Florida. He told me about his project involving traveling and making videos about engaging people with interesting stories.

After a few days, we met at Cliffty Falls, Indiana, and shared our experiences. The following day, we filmed a video interview, which I hope will inspire others to follow their dreams.

Saying goodbye and heading toward Milford, Ohio, made me feel nostalgic. I visited there about six years ago and always wanted to cycle the complete Little Miami River trail, which was a fantastic experience.

Next, I followed a significant part of the stunning Ohio-To-Erie Trail north toward Akron, Ohio. In the next few days, I planned the following sections. However, I didn't expect that my plans would change soon.

Cycling next to the Erie Lake crossing into Pennsylvania and New York states and made it to Canada at the border crossing in Buffalo.
Excited to meet an extraordinary person in Toronto, I rushed through the foggy Niagara Falls toward Lake Ontario, Hamilton, and Toronto.

I was blessed to meet so many kind and interesting people who opened their houses, shared their inspiring journeys, and motivated me to keep going even when it was tough, for whom I will forever be grateful.

After arriving in Toronto, I was very fortunate to meet a fantastic person with whom I felt comfortable being myself, having deep, meaningful conversations, and, after many years, feeling the butterflies inside my stomach again. I fell in love.

I had to choose whether I was willing to continue my epic adventure around the world or give this incredible relationship a chance - I decided to stay.

Does this mean that the journey ended?
Not really, as life is an epic adventure. We choose to go on an adventure whenever we step outside our comfort zone.

There are many things I want to see and experience, as well as many different cultures, places to explore, and things to do, and this is just the beginning.

05/18/2024

After almost 4 months exploring the USA, meeting so many kind people and making new friends, I just crossed to Canada.

Can't wait to see what this part of the adventure will be like 🇨🇦🤩🇨🇦

05/16/2024

Second one for today and last one before Canada 🇨🇦

05/16/2024

Hello Pennsylvania 😋

05/09/2024

It's outtttt! I was really excited during this interview and I hope it will inspire others to follow their dream 😋

I recommend you to check Logan's other cool videos too and subscribe, if you like them.

Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/ Andrei's first leg on his world-cycling tour was from the Florida Keys to Nevada. I caught up with him as he b...