Sleeping in a bed is such a nice change from the usual. I wake up refreshed and ready to go. A big spinach salad may be an odd thing to eat at 6:30 a.m. but it works well for me as a pre-breakfast snack before a long day of biking.
I leave at 7:30 a.m. and follow Fred and Mike (a different Mike, we have three Mikes) for the first section today at a fast pace into a headwind. Highway 5 is fairly flat in this area so it makes for a much easier ride.
I’m not in any hurry today, so I peel off the back of the paceline with the guys so I can set my own pace. I stop at a fruit stand in McLure when I see a sign for local cherries. As I’m sure you know by now, I can’t turn down fresh fruit.
The weather is fantastic today, even with a slight headwind. I stop briefly for a food break in Barriere after 67 km, then again in Little Fort after 100 km. Breaking up the distance into smaller chunks makes it seem a lot more doable for me. Segments of 20 or 30 km are easier to wrap my head around than 157.
Marshall is just arriving at the gas station in Little Fort when I pull in, so I join him for lunch on the patio. Longer rides call for a lot more food, so today’s stash includes a couple of almond butter and banana wraps. They really hit the spot.
Not long after that, the headwind dies down and we’re left with no wind at all. And the scenery just gets better and better as we go along.
The last 30 km are the most difficult on a day that’s this long. I like to set small, visual goals to distract myself, like reaching a particular road sign or crack in the road, then choosing another sign, and on and on until I reach my destination.
Vavenby is a very small, friendly town with just one store that’s down the road from where we’re staying. We’re at the community hall tonight, which means our cooks, Mike and Nik, get the use of a full kitchen.
There aren’t any showers here unfortunately, but at least we’re inside and away from the bugs. Simple living is what this tour is all about.
Then I join some of the others at 8 a.m. for a walk to Tim Hortons.
Harold and I manage to catch the last set of the Wimbledon final, then I do a Superstore run for some spinach, carrots and sweet potato. The blueberries, watermelon and chickpeas also look too good to pass up. I’ve really been craving vegetables more than anything lately. They’re my favourite for post-workout recovery.
Not long after that, the same group of us go for lunch at Lynx’s Grill. Their veggie pizza really hits the spot.
My stash of wheat-free oats is running low, so Travis and I walk to a nearby health food store and stock up. I wish we had one of these at home!
A little later on, David offers to give a lesson to all of us on how to very quickly change a flat tire. Not only is he an accomplished bike racer, but he’s also the mechanic in the group. We’re lucky to have him.
At 6 p.m. the whole parade goes to Earl’s down the street for another meal. We’ll be covering a lot of distance over the next few days. We need all the fuel we can get.
Less than an hour later I pull into the Quilchena Hotel for a break. It’s one of the only places on this road, and it’s marked on the map as a worthwhile stop.
The hotel went up in 1908 when the owners thought the railway would be built close by, but unfortunately that never happened. It closed in 1915 and was reopened by the grandson of the original owner in the late 50′s.
I sign the guestbook and get back on the bike with 78 km still to go. A few minutes later I see Mike, Marshall and Bernice on the side of the road removing extra layers as the temperature starts rising. It feels like it’s going to be a hot day.
I continue on as I watch the numbers on my odometer climb closer and closer to our destination while marveling at the amazing view. After awhile I start getting hungry and tired, so I decide I’ll stop when I reach 60 km, which is only 2 km more.
When I get to that point, I’m in the middle of a fast descent and I don’t want to ruin it by stopping. Okay, 65 it is. I tell myself I’ll stop at that point and take a break. The trouble is, there’s nowhere to sit and there’s no shade so I keep pedaling for another 20 km in 30 degree heat.
Then I hit a steep 4 km climb with just 19 km to go. I never stop on hills – it’s too hard to get going again – so I grind through it with an audience to my right.
I’m quickly approaching the final stretch, a fast descent into Kamloops, and starting to bonk (bike speak for “hitting the wall”) from lack of food and water. Sometimes it’s just easier to eat while I’m pedaling.
For the next two days we’re staying in a residence at Thompson Rivers University. I love that I get to sleep in a real bed tonight. No bugs, no flashlights, no morning chorus of tent zippers. Monday morning we begin again.
I catch up with Mike and Anna near the bottom, and then Elaine farther along. We’re all hoping that the 88 km that follow will somehow make up for this torturous climb.
As I approach the top, I get angry and charge forward, pedaling as hard as I can until the road flattens out. I started this hill two hours ago and now I’m fighting a nasty headwind with a shiver-inducing chill in the air. It doesn’t take long before I lose feeling in my fingers and toes.
I fight the wind a little longer and get a much needed surge of energy with two more bananas. I catch up with Bernice resting at the top of a hill and stop to chat. Our driver gave her a lift up the first hill of the day. Travis pulls up a few minutes later and looks equally as tired as we are. Then he says, “I’m gonna get a t-shirt made that says ‘I survived Ashcroft to Merritt’.”
An hour later, as I’m stopped for a water break, Steve pulls up riding solo as well. We like to keep a similar pace, so we stick together the rest of the way, pausing frequently to take in the view.
The chainsaw carvings are really quite remarkable. They’re on display all over town.
Once we leave Hope, we switch to Highway 1 and follow the Fraser River through seven tunnels with frequent bouts of rain. The tunnels, unfortunately, are not much wider than the trucks that speed through them. It’s scary being on a bike with nowhere to go when a truck approaches from behind.
In the first tunnel I am pressed against the wall on the right side as I walk my bike along the narrow passageway. I hear a vehicle coming and just as I turn my head to see what it is and how close it is to me, I am inches away from getting creamed by a bus.
A few food breaks help chip away at the distance and allow me to fully appreciate the beautiful view of the Fraser River. Only the last hour of the ride is completely free of rain.
I am utterly exhausted when I get to camp. Even pitching my tent seems like a lot of work. There are only three other riders there when I arrive shortly after 2 p.m.
It’s getting late – time to get some sleep. It so happens that four of us have the same brown MEC tent. What are the odds of that?
Just 4 km later we come to the toughest hill of the day. With a 20 percent grade, I have to stand on the pedals for the vast majority of the 1.5 km. I can only maintain a speed of 6.5 km/h as the bike slowly moves side to side and my throat burns from the hard effort in combination with the humidity. Each pedal stroke is a single unit of accomplishment for me as I pass a number of people who have dismounted and are walking their bikes up.
Throughout the day I ride a few sections with David from Toronto, Steve from Sudbury and Fred from North Vancouver. Since we all left at the same time this morning on account of the group photo, it makes it easier to drift around and get to know a variety of people. And since we all share a passion for cycling, there’s always plenty to talk about.
It starts raining just as we enter the campground and rains intermittently through the afternoon and evening. A hot shower and a hot meal work their magic as we prepare for a much more challenging ride tomorrow.
