Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past Saturday/Sunday's
400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went from Lougheed and
Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back. The route sheet and first
half of the route profile is here:
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/routes/04_routes/lm_400a.html
Weather was quite nice; not much sun, but fairly warm. Highlights include:
Beautiful scenic climb up Chilliwack mountain. We were told there would
"probably" be a secret control point. Organizers seem to like putting
these at the top of a hill in the first third or so of a ride, and sure
enough there was Michel Richard at the top, with a big water container.
Sit down meal at cheapo diner in Hope. Asked for side of mayo for my
fries, was given Miracle Whip or similar. Bleah. Ate it anyway. Old
woman on a walker "really liked" my blue hair. Sun had come out at this
point, stripped down to shorts and sleeveless jersey in preparation for
climb up Coquihalla. Wedged my MEC wool jersey between my GoreTex jacket
(strapped to my rackpack) and seat bag. It seemed pretty secure (cue
ominous fore-shadowy music).
The climb! First up Othello hill, a "Categorie 2" climb. I was not too
proud to use the granny gear. A brief, quick descent past turn-off to
Othello tunnels, and then the long slog begins. The Coquihalla is
actually not that steep, with a similar grade to Burnaby mountain. The
main part of the climb is probably similar to biking up to SFU four times
in a row, but with much nicer scenery (mountains on both sides, and some
good views of the Coquihalla river below to the right). I'm riding with
Lindsay Martin, who soon becomes a speck in the distance as we start
climbing. I still have to work on getting a little more POWER into these
legs.
I pass the summit, which is followed by a bit of a descent to the toll
booth. Arrgh! I have to climb this again!
Finally, the toll booth control point. It turns out Lindsay has only
been waiting a few minutes. I gorge myself on cookies, donuts, etc.,
provided by the organizers. It's a lot cooler up here; we can look down
and see patches of snow still on the ground. Hell and Damnation! My
wool jersey is gone. At $63 it's not terribly expensive for wool, and
fortunately I also brought along a "polar fleece".
http://tinyurl.com/yqco4
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=674807&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=663355&bmUID=1085080439607
(Not a "cycling jersey", but functions as one nicely with pockets provided by
a short sleeved synthetic jersey over top)
Now we get to ride back down! Strong head winds make this a little less
exciting; my dream of coasting most of the way back to Hope is
shattered. I also can't see over the concrete barrier in the highway
median, and never find my jersey. Sigh. Almost everyone else is in front
of us, so I don't expect to get it back.
The wind in my face, combined with a full stomach, produce a strong
soporific effect, and I find myself starting to nod off as we descend.
Feeling less than safe, I signal to Lindsay and we pull over for a two
minute power nap. A nice warm tingly sensation suffuses my whole body.
endorphins, perhaps? I am then awake enough to continue, thinking about
coffee in Hope. Strangely, the journey back down seems even *longer*
than the way up.
Feeling more awake at Hope, we decide to press on to the Seabird Island
Cafe control. There are some strong head winds coming out of Hope, but
we soon get to more sheltered roads, and the wind is probably dying down
as evening approaches.
Seabird Island Cafe. We run into Claude Theriault polishing off a bowl
of Cream of Mushroom soup and mashed potatoes. This looks really good at
this point, and we both follow suit. It is dark at this point.
The rest of the ride is mostly an uneventful journey back along highway
#7. I become drowsy several more times, and Lindsay is kind enough to
wait for me as I take 3 or 4 more power naps, probably ranging from 2 to
15 minutes each.
Woodside Hill! After cycling 300 km, and approaching from the steeper
side, this is not an insignificant climb. Once again, the granny serves
me well.
http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/Resources/maps_etc/woodside.jpg
We almost miss the turn-off to Mary Hill bypass. Not caring to go back
40 meters, I hop my bike up and over the concrete median. Mary Hill
bypass is less than scenic, but is vastly improved by a barn owl gliding
along the highway beside us, maybe 5-10 meters away, looking ghostly in
the street lights. It lands in the ditch ahead of us, and we get a great
view of it head-on as we pass.
Knight and Day restaurant: we're finished! It is now 4:44 am, 20 hours
and 44 minutes after we started. We sit down with Karen and Michel, and
polish off a couple slices of now-cold pizza, nevertheless delicious. We
collect our finisher's pins, which are of course the real reason we do
these rides. We are now a mere 4 km from my house, so I bike home, quickly
rinse off in the shower, and ... BED!
--
Benjamin Lewis
A small, but vocal, contingent even argues that tin is superior, but they
are held by most to be the lunatic fringe of Foil Deflector Beanie science.