To say that today I climbed 1380ft on a bicycle seems crazy! To say I did that in the first 22kms of a total 90km day is....I’m not sure what it is. I pushed my limits today and I am so proud of myself! The day had its interesting moments for sure.
I woke up at 5am and hit the road at 6am. From there it was a 5km down hill which I tried to enjoy despite knowing exactly what was coming. Once in the valley bottom my climb began. 1380ft over 19kms, this was a big test for me and it had been in the back of my mind since I first left Canmore. Higher than I’d ever cycled in one burst, and a short burst at that. In total it took me an hour and a half. An hour and a half of solid pushing and grinding and sweating. The uphill wasnt the only challenge in the section either. I had snow sheds to contend with. snow sheds are tunnels constructed on mountainsides to shelter traffic in the case of an avalanche. They have almost no shoulder to cycle on and the traffic kicks up clouds of mist at you as It passes within inches of you. I think I passed through 6 of them but I lost count.
Once all of that was out of the way it was a huge drop into Revelstoke. I was looking forward to this but my excitement died fast. The whole 65km stretch has skinny or dilapidated shoulders and at one point I hit a large crack which threw me off the bike.
After a quick body check I was quite sure I had escaped the fall without even a scratch. However, the bike wasn’t so lucky. Nothing serious, just a sheared bolt holding one side of my rear bag rack to the frame of the bike. It rattled around and swayed on the tight corners but it wasn‘t so bad I couldn’t continue the ride.
I spent the next few hours being conservative with my speed so not to cause a larger issue with the bag rack and managed to nurse myself to Revelstoke by 11.30 am.
First stop, bike shop! The guys at Skookum we’re super helpful and took it in even though they were chock-a-block with other stuff. (They has it fixed within 2 and a half hours).
All in all an interesting day.
I ended my wildlife streak Which is a shame but I pushed myself further than I thought I could go.
Current Feelings
Proud, stoked, sore, Proud
Daily Specs
Distance: 90km
Elevation gained: 1380ft
Time elapsed: 5.5hrs