On June 2nd and 3rd, some members of Team Maxmedia participated in a two-day cycling tour in order to try out our legs and practice for what is to come: the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, a 1000 km cycling marathon that will take 1000 experienced and devoted cyclists through the province of Québec in Canada later in June.

During those two days, we faced all kinds of weather and this gave us the opportunity to try out some of the latest gear and tools available on the market (kindly sent to the team by www.probikekit.com).

On the first day, we left Canada’s national capital region under menacing skies and 12 degrees Celsius for the approximately 150 km (93 miles) that would take us to Mont-Tremblant in the beautiful Laurentian Mountains of Québec. We geared up with everything we had for cold and wet weather: arm and legs warmers, over shoes, wind proof and water repellent jackets, gloves… and a smile.

We filled our pockets with food and gels and our water bottles with water and energy drinks and, along with 100 other friend cyclists, we left for some group riding up the mountainous terrain…

The Bicycle Line jacket is an amazing windbreaker, extremely light, compact and stylish but is not designed for heavy rain. The Sportful No-Rain cycling leg warmers and Endura Road Cycling over shoes, however, showed to be extremely resistant to heavy rain and we were very happy to have them to keep the lower third of our bodies dry! They are easy to put on and are sturdy. The neoprene booties are however easy to scratch.

Food wise, High5 Enery Gels are high in carbohydrate and enhanced with caffeine for increased endurance and explosive effort. We love High5 gels because they are not too thick thus extremely easy to swallow and taste good.

The second day of the tour was more kind with us weather wise and we were able to wear our Maxmedia jersey without over layers. We took care to use some of that wonderful PBK Chamois Creme prior to riding another 150 km for a second day in a row. The cream helps prevent saddle sores, chaffing wounds and skin irritation caused by friction and perspiration during exercise. Surprisingly, it is not greasy

and does not stain clothes. It offers awesome protection. We love the cream and it sure will be practical on the Grand Défi, when each Team Maxmedia member will ride over 450 km (280 miles) in 3 days!

After 300 km, our babies were ready for some TLC. We removed the dirt with PBK Mud off Bike Cleaner and with our Barbieri chain cleaner.  The Barbieri chain cleaner is an easy to use tool that will clean your chain in no time! Cleaning your chain once in a while (after cycling in rain or when it is no longer shiny) will make it work better and last longer. Finally, we re-oiled the chain with Morgan Blue PBK Race Oil.

After riding close to 300km in two days, we realize that we are ready for the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie. Our legs held up to the course and the 31 km/hr average speed, we are (almost) chafe-free, we have great gear, and mostly, we are armed with motivation and excitement for the big adventure!

One week to go!