Hi!
I'm back! I decided to cut my trip off early for many reasons. After 3 full days of biking, I made it 429km (to Kimberley from Calgary) in 23 hours of cycling. I realized along the way that I was cycling the WRONG way...since there was a headwind, even though most of days 2 and 3 were southbound (Hwy 93). Here is a breakdown of the trip:
Day 1 - Calgary to Canmore (134km - because of detours)
I followed the 1A out of Calgary, which is Crowchild trail. In the morning I had found out that my bike pump didn't work and I ended up deflating my rear tire and couldn't re-inflate it. I walked the bike to MEC to exchange the pump and also purchased some good rain gear since it was raining. I eventually left MEC at 11:30am and headed NW. I stopped for lunch in Cochrane at 1:30pm or so. At the turnoff for the Kananaskis, I noticed a dark cloud and thought about stopping, but wanted to see how much further Canmore was. The sign said 20km when I cycled ahead to read it. I was thinking, "I can make it, it'll only take an hour or so". At that point there was a huge crash and the rain started. On the other hand, I thought, maybe I'll just stay at the Kananaskis Lodge for the night. I went back the other way to seek the lodge. I think I was on the 1X at that point. I cycled but couldn't find the village! It started to rain heavier, and what I did find was the Bow Valley Park Visitor Centre. It was closed. It had a large overhang and some benches which did fine to shelter me from the thunderstorm. I waited for an hour for the rain to pass. When it did, I was close to the #1 and thought I'd just take that the rest of the way to Canmore. When I reached the next sign, it said 27 to Canmore - GRRRRR. It had only been 20 more on the 1A. Anyway, what could I do? I kept going and reached Canmore at 7. I could have made it to Banff but since it was day 1 I thought I'd take it easy and not push too hard. Plus I needed time to find a decent place to stay at a reasonable price. Keep in mind it is peak season.
I found a place with ease, had a bath (I never have baths, but it seemed like a really good idea at the time) and went for a short walk around town. The rivers are really high this time of year with spring runoff and it looked like every river was about to flood! My legs were tired and the walk was kept short. I do love Canmore though, see FB for some shots of the town. It's in a perfect location for outdoor activities!! I went to bed around 10pm so I could get well rested for the following day.
Day 2 - Canmore to Radium (159km)
Following my high carb breakfast of cereal, toast and coffee, I departed Canmore feeling strong at 8:30am. It was cool so I wore my light jacket and pants. It could all be in my head, but the more I wear, the less weight is in the panniers to drag along. I saw a few other cyclists out on the road, some on my side, some on the other, but it was largely deserted, save for the usual motor vehicle traffic. When I reached Banff, I had really just started for the day and didn't need a break yet, so I didn't even stop. I took the 1A exit again that went by Johnson Canyon - which I also didn't stop at - since it looked shorter on the map. That and the two women cyclists that passed me went that way. This route has a lot of climbs, and there started to be a headwind. There is nothing worse than a headwind while climbing. Well, maybe if it were over 30C and you are carrying weight. Which it was. And I was. (LOL) I started cursing my decision to take this route and fantasizing about the #1 which snaked along the bottom of the valley by the river. I played mindgames with myself to keep going. Things like: You'll be stronger at the end of all this, Pretend it's a tailwind, or, Maybe it's worse the other way. Things like that. I did make it, though, and ended up at Castle Junction where there were some cabins and a store. It was noon and time for a rest stop. I sent some texts, made some phone calls, took some photos, ate, drank and stretched.
When I checked the thermometer on my bike computer here, it was at 39C. It did drop to 38 by the time I hit the road again. Is that crazy or what?! For those of you who are familiar with the area, the 93 between Castle Junction and Radium is pretty deserted. I knew this going in, and I also knew it went over two passes. If you don't know what that is, it's the part of a road that crosses a mountain range - cyclist interpretation - steep long hills. It was hot, and I had this persistent pain in my right rear shoulder blade. I started the climb in a low gear and just kept trudging along. I sang songs, listened to the ipod, looked at the view, and kept going. And going. When I saw the sign for the continental divide I had an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment. I was elated! I had thought it would be worse. I actually made it and still had gas in the tank. I thought, wow, if this one was this easy, there is hope for the day. I reached B.C. that day at 1:24 in the afternoon.
But as I later learned, the day was far from over. I kept going...and going. The temperature hovered at about 36C most of the day. I hit the stupid headwind again that just seemed defeating. Even though I was going south at this point, it was still there. I had moments of relief, but when there's a headwind, you can't go as fast, and then the heat starts to affect you. I can cycle in heat, no problem, because the airflow keeps me cool, but not at low speeds. I came to Vermillion Crossing, another store/inn/rest stop. It was 37C and 36C in the shade. I stretched, ate my apple, used the toilet, purchased water, rested, the usual. This was the last place to buy water for 50km, until Radium.
I resumed the trip around 3:30 I guess. The time dragged and the headwind sucked. It sucked the life out of me. I started thinking about going home, because I had lots of time to think about it! I really wanted to be cycling the other way, just WITH the wind for a change. It was demoralizing and demotivating. I tried to stay strong, because there was really only one way to go! In life, when you make a decision, you must see it through to the end. We don't just give up because we hit hardship. My purpose was to go for a long bike ride, and here I was, doing it.
I conserved my water, kept pedaling and singing, and carried on. When I hit the Sinclair pass, I was completely out of steam. I would stop periodically to rest and nibble and stretch. At the pass, I got off and walked for awhile, rode for awhile, and walked some more. I knew I was near Radium since it is at the bottom of the pass on the other side. I did see some deer on the road, that vanished when some cars came whipping by, so that was nice. I kept going, uphill, for what seemed an eternity. Some clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped to the high 20's for awhile, which was nice too. I eventually reached the peak and got on my seat for the final descent into Radium Hot Springs.
My butt was so sore I barely enjoyed the 60kph speed I reached on the 8 degree decline. I stopped at the first place I saw, which was directly across from the hot springs. They had a room, I took it, and when I reached the room I felt like a zombie. I was so tired I could barely move, shower, eat, or anything. I have probably never been more tired in my entire life. Anything will seem easy after this.
When I checked the bike computer, I had been moving for 8.5 hours. That's like 2 marathons back to back. Oh dear. I knew my goal was ambitious, and I am proud of myself for achieving the goal I set that day, but MAN, I'll give more thought to trip planning in the future. I never would have learned without doing it myself though. I went to the hot springs for all of 5 minutes, sent out some necessary work emails, ate some food, and went to bed. I spoke to Dave on the phone and told him the situation and that I was considering returning home. If the entire trip was going to be against the wind, it wasn't worth it, I said.
Day 3 - Radium to Kimberley (136km)
In the morning, I had another very high carb breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, toast & peanut butter & coffee. Despite it being BC, nobody had much fruit around, although I suppose I could have had eggs. I felt pretty good all things considered. I didn't wear underwear under my bike shorts, since the day before they had caused a rash (I know, gross). It was much cooler, 22C, and overcast and I had slept well. I spoke with Dave quickly and he had looked up flights for me from Cranbrook in case I needed an escape route. That was really really sweet of him to do. I am grateful to him still for doing that.
I started out at 10:30am. There was an initial descent into the town of Radium and despite being told there was a large hill leaving Radium, when I got there it was minor. That or I was energetic and well rested. Or both. The day started out very well actually, and I started thinking that maybe I would keep going after all.
The terrain was flat for the most part, and I was making good time, covering good ground. There were more towns, less wind, it was all good. At this rate I was hoping to make it to Kimberley in 6 hours. I'm not sure exactly when it started, but around Fairmont and Skookemchuk, the headwind kicked in again. There is a place called Canal Flats that, while flat, was so windy that I had to pedal going downhill. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was cycling into the wind. No songs or headgames could overcome that fact. In addition to the previous day's burn, rash, and exhaustion, I also started running low on water. I kept thinking that I'd be in Kimberley soon and if I stopped it would take even longer to get there. So I didn't. I kept going and so did the wind, and pretty soon all I could think about was the flight home. My condo, my bed, lying down and doing nothing... So, I'm cycling and cursing my direction of travel, and thinking about getting on a plane. I was done. By the time I reached Kimberley, I was tired (of course) and frustrated. Instead of 6 hours it took 8. I calculated there to be a 10kph headwind which means that after 5 hours of cycling, I was 50km behind where I would have been. If I had a tailwind, I would have been 100km further. So you see the frustration.
I went to Dave and Sue's house, my friends in Kimberley. It was wonderful to see them and it energized me to spend the night with them. The shower helped a lot too. I packed haphazardly because I knew I'd be getting on the plane. When I told them I was considering going home, they seemed disappointed, but Dave told me that there were 8 more passes to cross before reaching Vancouver. EIGHT! In my mind I was thinking, you know, without the headwind I'd tackle them, but not on your life am I doing it going West. I lied to them and said I'd keep going. I don't know why, but it was only day 3 and it seemed too early to give up I guess. But I don't honestly regard it as giving up. I had to stop before I hated cycling forever. Before I got sick. Before I fell over dead by the side of the road. I don't regret coming home at all.
Day 4 - The End
In the morning, my plan was to cycle back to Kimberley and take a taxi to the airport in Cranbrook! (LOL) but since the town centre was uphill from Dave & Sue's house, I decided to just bike to the airport. I told my legs, you can do another hour, it's your last one. I took some turnoff that was intended to eliminate hills, and after climbing the first hill after the river I crossed, I stopped, dialed 411 and got a number for a taxi. Then I called 411 for Air Canada. The taxi arrived, took me to the airport and I managed to catch the 11:35 flight to Vancouver. At that point I would have done ANYTHING to get on that plane. I may have even left my bike in Cranbrook. Maybe. I was SO desperate to come home that it was the single most important thing on my mind that morning: making it to the airport in time. I remember chuckling and thinking that my story of desperation and being rescued by Air Canada would make a good story for the EnRoute magazine.
As I flew for 1.5 hours over the nonstop mountain ranges, I sighed with relief at not having to cycle over them. It would have taken me over a week to get home at the rate I was going. I did the right thing. I didn't even cycle home from the airport.
Right now there are people outside cycling, walking and rollerblading. It's gorgeous out and I don't even feel bad for not being one of them. That has never happened before, so I know I am still worn out from the riding. I'm planning a few short trips to Squamish and Abbotsford, and compared to last week's adventure, they will seem easy I'm sure. My goal of someday cycling across Canada has been erased, never to return. Now I know, take shorter trips, go with the wind - even if it's uphill, and have more realistic expectations.
Whew. Okay, back to the grinding and trail running ladies!!
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rejuvenated
sick
