On Sunday, after the Inline Skate for MS in Thunder Bay, Morgane Echardour, Hal Lightwood, and I skated some mid-afternoon sprints up the Dufferin Street hill and then on the Belrose Street climb in Thunder Bay.
My brother introduced me to the Dufferin Street hill on Satuday after we spent the late-morning enjoying dragon boat races. On our way back home from the boat races, I had the opportunity to push my nephew Sebastien in the Chariot all the way up the hill.
The Dufferin Street hill is only about 100-yards from my brother’s house. It was easy to get to on Sunday after Morgane had an early-afternoon nap after the winning the race.
The steep climb is a leg killer with a sudden and sharp incline that leaves the best of skaters gasping to pull air in their lungs and trying to rush blood to their legs so they could support their own weight.
The Belrose Street climb, introduced to me by Hal Lightwood, features a longer and slightly more gentle climb than Dufferin Street. Don’t be fooled though, it’s still a tough killer.
Both climbs offered their own beautiful views to those who dare suffer and climb over and over again.
I really enjoyed my time in Thunder Bay. Between the adventures of driving the Sultan Industrial logging road, seeing a bear- still alive- suffering & dying just after being hit by a car, catching up with my Mother before she headed back to Mississauga, enjoying dragon-boat races, really really enjoying my two awesome nephews and their parents- my brother Oliver & his partner Marlene (the real reason to come up to Thunder Bay and get the extra bonus of having a race out of the trip), and skating with friends, I look forward to coming back to Thunder Bay the weekend of the Northshore Inline Marathon in September.
Morgane Echardour nearing the 1/2 way point of the Dufferin Street hill- her skating ‘looked’ better than this 3 strides before. She was rolling over to me just as I shot this picture.
Hal Lightwood- he didn’t sleep last night, he organized a race, and he ate up these hills like they were desert! Can you spot my brother Olivier holding Sebastien (hint- he’s wearing the red fire-fighter hat that he’s been wearing every day for the last 3-months), and Marlene holding baby Felix (hint- she’s talking with a taller man)
SpeedSkateWorld.com’s very own webmaster, Peter Doucet- in the house!! I really enjoyed skating in front of my nephew Sebastien and the rest of the gang! He was even cheering me on!
This view is quite a view after each sprint up Dufferin Street.
The Belrose climb keeps going and going.
Morgane surveying the Belrose climb before attacking it hard.
It;s quite the beautiful view from the top of Belrose.
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