D1 65.08 / 65.08 Km 3:34 17.4 km/h 756M
I woke up in the morning to find it raining while I waited for Dan to pick me up. I am Feeling very nervous. Julie and Dan showed up with Tim’s coffees ready for trip to the mountains. The plan was to drop me off at Banff but the rain clouds and the time of day Dan offered to go to Lake Louise and that made me very happy. I was using a guide from CANUSA a tour company that started in Lake Louise so now I could try to follow it closer. This was kind of setting the bar high because the guide is for a group of people with no luggage and a wagon to pick them up if they had a bad day.
Well it took me a while to get my stuff together before I road away from my friends. I always have a problem with motivating myself for the first 10K of the day. I went off and stopped at Mosquito Creek for nap, it was nice being there again. I always have liked the Icefield Parkway, and this was no exception. The Bow Pass (mid Pic) was a gradual climb to Peytro lake viewpoint (left picture) and I had a good pace going up and then I even tried to jog up the path to see the Peytro viewpoint a couple laughed and thought that the bike riding was good training for the run up the hill. The downhill was a blast as I remembered how long it took me to get up that side a few years ago. I made it to Waterfowl Lake and was pleasantly surprised at the campground. I found that I forgot to buy some bug spray when the mosquitoes came out, how I forgot that I don’t know. Saw my first bear on this day. I was coasting down a hill and I started to pedal and it started to tick at that moment I heard a rustle in the bush beside me and I saw a young black bear running away. I think we both could have soiled ourselves from fear because he was might have been 10-12 feet away in the ditch when I passed.
D2 71.19 / 136.27 Km 4:03 17.4 km/h 845M
This was one cool morning as I looked at the temperature and it was 6. I hoped that would be a good sign for me when I climbed the Sunwapta Pass but it didn’t hold. I rode along until I got to the pass and at first sight I questioned my sanity. I was not having the greatest of rides to this point. I had stopped at The Saskatchewan River Crossing and talked with a couple riders for much longer than I had planned so I ended up getting to the pass at about 1:00pm which is too hot to do climbing. I met Scotty from down under who is a bike courier there and took a year off to travel around Canada. My bike was also making some terrible noise every pedal stroke that was driving me mad.
Above right is the first view of Sunwapta as you come around a corner. The view point is almost exactly in the middle of the photo. That is where the photo below was taken.
At the viewpoint on Sunwapta a few people were shocked to see that I made it up the hill. One lady said a few years ago she blew a motor on this hill. An older gentleman said he used to race but was very impressed that I had all my gear and made it from the bridge to the viewpoint in 40 min. When his wife asked if I had enough water, he quickly said "no he is good, because he is organized". With a compliment like that I could not bring myself to take any of the offered water.
I made it to the viewpoint on the climb
I arrived at the Icefield Center planning to have supper and then go set up camp. I saw this young guy with a team ONCE jersey on so I had to say hello. Turns out that Matt and his sister Amy had lost their SAG wagon, their brother was left at near the Crossing and they had to pick him up, and their father was somewhere between. I wasn’t doing much and they were trying to figure out where they could stay for the evening so I shared info from my guides and maps. Richard their dad showed up quite annoyed at the driver for getting lost. Somehow they reached the driver and he was in Jasper and was told to get here. So we waited for some time and all of a sudden Amy caught sight of her brother Mike pulling up bad knees and all. Food was broken out of packs to feed him because he ran out of food and looked in really bad shape. I had shared my plans with Richard and we had planned on sharing a campsite and I was invited for supper. Finally Chris the driver shows up but without the trailer. The kids panic and try to warn their dad so he doesn’t blow a gasket on Chris who is not family or a bike rider. The plans change and they decide to load up the truck and get to Jasper to camp for the night and Richard says the supper invitation is till valid if I want a ride. The noise from my bike needs to be looked at by a mechanic before I go crackers so I accept the offer of a ride.
Looking back I should have figured out from clues that this was a religious family but Richard only talked religion for all of five mins just to find out my position and let me know what his was. He said something that made me think I just wish I now could remember the exact phrase. It went something like: There are different degrees of how serious people are about religion. I was very glad that I was in a car full of people that were not so serious.
D3 127.60 / 263.87 Km 5:38 22.6 km/h 497M
I woke up in Jasper and Matt and Richard had decided that it would be cheating to not ride every mile from Utah to Alaska. They had woken up at 4:00 to have Mike drive them back to the Icefeilds to cover the lost miles. I wandered into town to look for a repair shop and was told my Bottom Bracket was shot. But they did not have the right size to replace it so it got cleaned greased and put back on. Oh sweetness it was quiet no ticking, grinding or failing grip on my sanity
So I had a late start to the riding day that is not a good trend. I like to have my riding started while the air is still cool. Stopped at the Yellowhead summit and took pictures and of course someone has to wander over and ask the normal questions. How far can you go (as far as I want), you climbed up that hill (no Scotty beamed me up), You have everything in those bags (no some are invisible), are you scared of Bears (nope you just stop your car and get out for that photo while I go on by thanks, by the way smack him on the nose when he gets close that is how they say hello no really that is the way he says hello to you is it not). This was after I took the above photo. You can see on a larger version of this photo that she is eating something. I realized she was busy so I took this with full zoom and I waited for a car to stop so I could go by, just as the car pulled to a stop A CUB WALKED OUT of the brush!!! Lets just say I didn't stop once I got past.
I had Moose lake circled on my map to sit and have lunch when I got there it was incredibly hot out and the only shade I could find was behind an info sign. I took full advantage of it had a great picnic. By the time I got to Mt Robson a lady said that it was 36 degrees out. I felt like I could have melted. I was not feeling the greatest and thought long and hard over two large freeze's if I should pull the chute and camp here for the night, I mean I was a day ahead of plan. Nope I pushed on and had the longest ride day of my trip, I drank about 8L of water / Gatorade on this day. I went past the viewpoints for Terry Fox and I finally made up my mind how I was going to choose for IKEAN of the month. Now I just had to find someplace with email to send in my speech.
I stopped at one campground that the info people recommended but it was next to a creek and very shady so it was prime for mosquitoes and getting to it I felt like the sites used to be some farmers grazing area that he turned into a campground. I saw my second deer walking across the highway as I was on the access road. I headed into the town and saw more campground signs and found a better one. This one had a motel on the front and it was full of a Korean Tour group. Their leader felt it was a great idea to use whistles like a sheep herder to let his flock know that it was time to do anything. It was funny to watch them go across the highway for supper. They took up as much of the road as it was wide. Both lanes, I swear if the access road was 100ft wide they all would have walked side by side.
I watched where they went and found a different restaurant to eat at. I had the biggest plate of spaghetti I have had in along time but I made the mistake of getting a ceaser salad to start and it was very large as well. So I could not eat all my supper because I felt like I was going to burst but I think I needed the carbs really badly.
D4 93.27 / 357.14Km 4:20 21.4 km/h 375M
this was a nice day of riding. Hot as hell!! Drank 5L of water. Terrain was very rolly. Snacked at 45k should have eat more. 74k had rest stop. Napped & made soup which I think I should do more often, stop and eat at the 60K mark.
I got into Blue river and a restaurant had a sign saying homemade pie and Ice cream well that was an offer I could not refuse. Instead I got one small scoop of ice cream on a not so great piece of pie. I had higher expectations of homemade pie I guess thanks Grandma :). At least the waiter pointed me to a nice campground. It was nice and shady, only $13 and it was walking distance (normal person distance of two blocks) from a little lake that even had a lifeguard. I swam around the dock and sunned myself for an hour. I thought about trying to use this as a training swim but I was very tired and kinda dehydrated. The Lifeguard said it the lake was 15 degrees, it was neat to feel cold and warm patches of water. All I know is that I need to practice in a lake more often.
D5 112.08 / 469.22Km 5:16 21.2km/h 522M
I liked my campsite so much that I thought about taking a rest day here and just relax for a while even go for a jog and a swim. To this day I wish I had done just that, it might have saved me from myself but it was only day 5 of 12 I had planned so it was too early to get tired and take a break so I kept on riding. At the gas station they had green squall Gatorade. I drank half that on the spot. I told myself to ride 20k. If I was still in bad l could turn back. The aid did the trick.
The scenery sucks after being spoiled by the icefields. One word can best decide today "FOOD"
D6 88.72 / 557.94Km 4:21 20.3km/h 360M
why the hell am I doing this again? I had cell coverage at barrier called Wanda on her cell and she was at work. I think it may have been her first day at her new job so I felt bad, I had checked at the lodge for Mom but they said she was in Red Deer I just assumed that they were together shopping. That happens when you loose track of what day of the week it is. At 80k it started to sprinkle. I climbed hill to see sign saying last camp till Kamloops I checked the map and the rain got heavier. With the rotten hot day I had I was not in the mood to test the sign. I think Kamloop is 40k away. A short ride in & find the Race course and veg the rest of the day. I definitely need rest day or I am going to have to bus it.
A caravan of Germans showed up, 7 motorhomes pulled in while I was having a shower it was entertaining to watch them all park and then begin to party. I met a guy that was on a Goldwing in the spot next to me and he was pulling a very small tent trailer. The funny thing was he had a little dog with him that sat in a milk crate strapped to the back seat.
D7 45.00 / 602.94 Km 2:16 19.7km/h 208M
Today l road very easy into Kamloops and watched the Crit races. I decided to stay at the hostel to pamper & rest, this was a good idea because near the end of the last race a storm blew in and later rained very hard that night. I sat with the map and I have adjusted my daily plans incase I decide to try to complete the tour. Tomorrow I am going to watch Road Race.
This is the Hostel I stayed at, fairly cool eh!
In the Ladies Crit there were two from the Bike Shop competing and one of them collapsed from the heat after her race. I was talking to her mates and found that she physically cannot sweat and then she overheats. They have been through this a few times so they were not worried.
D8
Watched the women’s road race and it was getting very hot again. I don't think I could ride and have fun so I headed to the Greyhound. Only to find that they don't have bike boxes. I saw a Sports Mart as I went up the hill so I called them to see if they had a box available. I raced up to put the bike in a very small box. I don't know if it will survive the ride too well. The manager gave me a lift back to the depot but the cargo area was closed. I knew I should have taken a cab back. He is going to put it on the bus tomorrow before he goes to work for me and send it collect.
D9
My bus arrived in Calgary at 5:30 this morning and I am glad to be off that damned thing. All the turns the bus made on the mountain highway made me think it was unsafe for me to ride on it. I had to also get a seat infront of the talkative 10 year-old traveling with his Grandmother. I am surprised at my patience with the stupid runt we all walked off the bus with all our limbs still attached. Arrived at my apartment to see yet another notice that the water is going to be shut off so they can do repairs. I collapsed on my bed for four solid hours of sleep. In Hostels and busses I sleep very lightly so two nights of that took much out of me. I woke up to find the heat wave followed me to Calgary.
I spent the day wandering around feeling quite down. I was very unimpressed with myself that I pulled the pin on the tour. I had been looking forward to this for a long time so I was dealing with some very depressing thoughts. I have come to realize that the decision I made on the road was probably for the best. I have always believed that anger is the most honest emotion a human can have and when used properly it can help guide you in situations. I was very angry at the heat and I was not having as much fun as I had in past tours. This year the main difference in my training is that I am now balancing three events, instead of focusing only on cycling. I cannot do my casual 100+Km/day touring when I am training for a short intense 40K ride. I made a choice earlier this year to do Triathlons and I was kind of foolish to think I could do 1200Km in two weeks without any major distance training and not have any problems.
I am going to salvage the last week of my vacation by hopping on a shuttle to Lake Louise and I am going to go hiking up there. I will get over my disappointment with myself but not overnight, I have to hang on to the good memories of this tour. Lets face it I have had more adventures on my bike than the average person can ever comprehend. I still love my bike.
