Day 4 Hope to Merritt 68 Miles

Today was the first real test of the tour.

Having done the usual housework and feeding duties, a group of us left the camp site at about 8am. The instructions were fairly simple; turn right and climb up Coquihalla Pass for 22 miles, then descend for 18 miles, turn right and pedal along the valley for 28 miles and pitch your tent next to the wood mill.

Sounds simple doesn’t it; I can assure you it was not. The climb literally started as we got out of the camp site and just got progressively steeper as we got higher. (Ranging from 8-10%)  After about 10 miles we were all down in what I refer to as baby gears and then it was just a case of hanging on and willing yourself to the top.

The weather was kind though and although it was cloudy and cold there was a slight tail wind which helped a little and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. About two thirds of the way up we went past gun emplacements which they use to fire shells into the snow during the winter to prevent avalanches, and then rode through snow sheds that protect the road from rock or snow fall.

Having eventually ground my way to the top I soon realised that although I was boiling and sweaty it was not a good idea to dis-robe as it was only 10 degrees, after about a mile I had to stop to put something over my ears to prevent them being frozen off.

As we ate lunch near the top the sun came out and for the first time since we arrived we were able to get some of the extra layers off.

Then came 18 miles of steady and at times steep descending; at one point I got up to 47mph without needing to pedal.  I held on as long as I could but I sat up after a huge lorry went past me and its' wash caused me to have a little wobble.

At the bottom we turned onto a more rural road and the last 28 miles took us through beautiful rolling Cowboy Country. The smells of the flowers, trees and Indian reservation fires  all made for a really pleasant ride.

Merritt is a cowboy town; mostly based around beef and wood. There is a massive wood mill on the outskirts of town and then the town itself is just what you would imagine a 1960’s Western town to be even down to the swinging doors on the entrance to the pub.

I was on cooking duties today so we had a busy couple of hours and then a group of us headed into town for a wander about which turned into a Karaoke session in the local bar.

Tomorrow  is a rest day and a chance to catch up on laundry etc and then we hit the road again on Thursday; I will be cooking breakfast for the group so will be late leaving but I’m told it’s a flat day with only one climb of about 2 miles at the end; with a tail wind we should shoot along, after all its only about 87 miles!

I finally managed to Skype Zoe and Lois today, it was really good to see and hear them rather than relying on texting; hopefully over the next few days I will have better internet access.

Day 3 Mission to Hope 68 miles

After a pleasant evening with a trout dinner overlooking the Iake I hit the sack at about 9pm and had a fairly decent night’s sleep. The tent was warm and the mattress comfortable and although I had a couple of coughing bouts all in all I had a good night sleep and woke at about 6.30am.

I got dressed into the days riding gear, which in itself is no easy feat in a tent, and emerged to find half the group had been up for ages and breakfast was already well advanced. The weather was overcast but the mist was low so having learned from yesterday I made sure I had all my waterproofs to hand.

Breakfast consisted of what they call French Toast, I call it “eggy” bread, it was very good and a pleasant change from oatmeal.

At about 8am a group of 12 set off , all wrapped up against the rain, and headed east along Highway 7 through Dewdney and Errock before stopping for a warm drink at what can only be describes as a rather strange Café. I fear they had been marrying their own parents for a number of generations, it was quite weird.

We were in the valley and on both sides of us there were some spectacular hills/mountains swathed in mist and looking quite menacing. The conditions were filthy , made worse by  some of the riders in the group not having mudguards; when you are tucked up close behind them trying to get out of the wind you end up getting a face full of water sprayed up from their rear wheel.

We were tonking along at around 20 mph when all of a sudden after about 30km I started to feel as if I had no energy left.  I was dropped by the group as we went up a slight climb and had to ease off and eat a few of my power bars in order to get a burst of energy. It was the strangest feeling, my legs just started to wobble and I couldn’t keep up. I think the cause was that I hadn’t eaten enough breakfast; I don’t care much for cold cereal so I went for the French toast only and with the back to back days of riding I think I just ran out of energy.

I did have a bit of laugh though; I stopped off at a garage and had an interesting encounter with a Chinese woman who clearly didn’t understand my accent or understand what I meant by cereal bar.

After a while my legs came back and I was able to get going again. I joined another few riders and after a few km I caught up with the larger bunch as they had stopped to get their wet weather kit off.

After a couple of gentle climbs I had my first significant decent, I managed to get up to 45mph, the fastest I have ever been, and had to negotiate a near 90degree bend, interesting in the wet, but all ended well.

About 50km into the ride we took a quick detour to Harrison Hot Springs for lunch. The views were quite impressive but because of the weather the lake wasn’t its famous bright blue. I quaffed a mushroom and cheese burger and chips and then we set off for Hope.

The rest of the ride was relatively flat with the odd gentle rise until we got to Hope; the world famous home of chainsaw carving. There was carved wood everywhere and I have to admit it was quite impressive.

After Hope we took to an old railway track and cycles through some fantastic old railway tunnels which almost defy belief in terms of how they were built. They were blown out in the 1850’s I think, the combination of tunnels and the river canyon below was very impressive.

I got into camp and got straight to work getting the tent up, which only takes me about 10 minutes, and then sorted out a shower and changed into fresh clothes. I cleaned the bike, which was absolutely filthy and then settled down to blogging and beer.

Tomorrow will be a challenge, we have a 30km climb up Coquihalla Pass. Vegetarian shepherd’s pie awaits!

Onwards and upwards, tomorrow literally!

Day 2 Vancouver to Mission 54 miles

Despite a favourable forecast the day dawned damp and cloudy. As it turned out this was to be the driest part of the riding day but unfortunately the consensus was it would brighten quite soon and so I didn’t bother with my waterproof booties, something I would regret.

The day started at 8am with a group photo and then a trip along the coast to a beach where we dipped the wheels in the Pacific Ocean.

Having completed all the traditional bits and pieces we headed off across Vancouver City. It was slow progress as we went right through the city and were constantly stopping at traffic lights, the group soon became split up and I ended up in a group of about 10 people all of a similar speed. About an hour in we rode into the suburbs and things got a little easier as the roads became less congested.

Two hours riding coincided with a Starbucks stop where I made the mistake of asking for a large Hot Chocolate; I think there was about a litre of fluid plus 3 inched of cream and I couldn’t finish it but it certainly warmed me up. We moved off and it was at this point that the drizzle we had been riding through turned to heavy rain, I was ok on my top half but my legs and feet were soaked.

The rain persisted for the rest of the ride but thankfully, as we pulled into the campsite at Mission, it dried up just long enough to get my tent up, have a shower and sort out tomorrow’s clothes. The camp site is small and based around a trout farm so its fish and rice for tea.

Not a long day but it was good to get going and I am pleased my legs and lungs didn’t let me down. Tomorrow is broadly similar but day three will be a step up as we get to the coastal mountains.

Onwards and Upwards!!!

Induction Day UBC.

Day 1

Today was all about introducing us to the regime we will be subject to for the next 10 weeks.

After a cold breakfast we have been through the storage of gear, cooking duties and all manner of bits and pieces.

I have picked up the dinner chef role in a team of 7, but the menu is fixed and the recipies tried and tested so I just need to follow instructions. The scale of the cookery will take some getting used to as I’ve never cooked for 43 people before. Tonight the Crew Chiefs cook so I am looking forward to spaghetti at 6pm.

I have picked up my two additional shirts, which are very good quality and packed all my stuff into the truck. I was a bit concerned about the space we have been allocated but I managed to get everything in so will just have to see how things go.

I'm off now to test the bike just to make sure all is ready for the morning and then no doubt a couple of beers and some carb loading ready for tomorrow.

Tomorrow the journey begins! Onwards and Upwards!

And so it begins.

I am typing this from my hotel room in Vancouver.  After a year of thinking about this trip I am actually here!

It’s been a long day, Zoe and I left home just after 5am and its now midnight UK time. We had a easy drive down to Heathrow and arrived at about 7am, too early to check in as they were still checking in earlier flights.

After a very difficult goodbye Zoe left me in departures and I had to wait about half an hour to check in. The guy on the desk was brilliant, he waived the extra bag charge, I only paid £22 for the bike box and he checked my tent in as a third bag for nothing, top bloke.

I shot upstairs and amazingly walked straight through security and found myself with 3 hours to kill before our gate opened.

I was still coughing and spluttering so I bought some drugs and had a bite to eat and then just wandered about until we boarded.

I wasn’t looking forward to the flight, but I had forgotten I had reserved a bulkhead seat so I had loads of leg room. Even better though a young lad asked if we could swap seats so that he could sit next to his mate and I ended up sitting at a door seat with about 6ft of space. The stewardess sat opposite, the couple next to me and I struck up a conversation as we took off and she spoilt us for the rest of the trip. If I hadn’t been coughing and sputtering I could have got hammered!

Two films, Invictus and The Hurt Locker, food and a bit of dozing helped pass the 9 hour flight and we touched down on time in Vancouver at about 1230 local time ( 8 hours behind UK time). 

The bags came through quite quickly but I had a bit if a scare when I saw the bike box had been banged up a bit. I dare not open it at the airport so I jumped onto the hotel shuttle and got sorted at the hotel before looking at it.

I got chatty with the driver and he’s already agreed to run me down to the Purolator office to drop of the box in the morning, he then sorted out a meeting room so I could have plenty of space to rebuild the bike. They also gave me $60 of food vouchers so I can have a free dinner and breakfast.

The box had been bent a little but as I opened it the locks reset themselves and it all appears functional, I think they must have yanked it when picking it up. The main thing is there is no damage to the bike and as I sit here typing it is rebuilt and leaning against the wall in my bedroom.

The hotel is a bit far out of town but I’m only here for one night and the town centre bus goes right past the front door so I’ll pop on that in the morning and get my shopping done. Sometime late tomorrow I’ll get a taxi up to the university and meet the other riders. This will be my last night of luxury for a long time.

The big news here is the shocking weather across the middle of Canada; they are having unseasonably bad rain and thunder storms with Tornadoes and very high winds. There has been quite a lot of damage.  I hope it clears before we get there as I can’t see my tent lasting long in those conditions!

That’s all for today, not sure how often I will be able to update but I’ll try again before we set off. I just hope my cold clears up before we set off on Sunday.

Onwards and Upwards!!!

All ready and raring to go!

No riding this week but I have been kept busy with last minute bits and pieces.

Packing was an interesting experience; it took all the strength of a local bike shop service engineer and a lengthy lever to get my pedals off. I had lubed them before I put them on but should have used grease, apparently Teflon based lube dries out and the metal had stuck.

Having sorted that problem it took me over two hours to take the bike apart, add all the padding and get it into the box. I then tried to pack as much of the spare parts, rack, bag and other bits into the case and when I finally closed the lid it was about 5KG overweight.

On Tuesday evening, Lois and I dropped the caravan back off at Nuneaton and as luck would have it Mel mentioned he had a Laptop rucksack I could try. Once back home I spent another couple of hours moving stuff from bag to box and box to rucksack trying to get everything in and all packages underweight, but I just couldn't achieve it.

Finally I came up with the idea of taking the tent as my carry on bag. This enabled me to create a large gap in my clothes holdall and move some stuff about, so that not only could I get it all in but both the bike box and the holdall were underweight, just. The laptop rucksack had plenty of space for books etc for the flight and the other bonus is the rucksack will be useful on rest days and for popping to shops etc during the trip.

The rest of the week has been spent watching the World Cup, not particularly inspiring, and getting ready for a family BBQ on Saturday night.

Saturday’s BBQ was good laugh, sports related fancy dress was mandatory and we played a few games and had a sing song. It was late night but all in all a good one. Sunday has been spent recovering.

The last few days before I leave will no doubt shoot past. Work is hopefully going to be fairly relaxed although there was a murder on our patch over the weekend so there will be a few bits and pieces to do no doubt.

So that’s it then! All is ready and now it’s just down to the small matter of 72 days and nearly 5000miles. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be and providing the local volcanoes behave themselves and the baggage handlers don’t smash or lose my bike, I should arrive In Vancouver on Thursday in one piece.

Thursday evening will be spent rebuilding the bike. On Friday I need to drop off the bike box for transit across Canada, and do a bit of shopping for pillows, deck chairs etc before I report to the University of British Columbia where I’ll meet the 40 people I will be spending the summer with.

With luck my next blog will be just before we set off next weekend.

Thanks to all those who have wished me well.

4 sleeps till take-off. Onwards and Upwards!!!

Taper time!

This week has been a little easier with me only completing about 80 miles and no long weekend ride.  Zoe and I spent the majority of the weekend introducing Georgia to the world of caravanning.  We only took the van a few miles away to Grafham Water but the weather was kind and she seems to have enjoyed herself, I know we are both knackered from trying to keep her entertained.

The plan was to use the weekend to test out the TDC camping gear, but I wasn’t able to put up the tent next to the caravan; I had to make do with sleeping in the pup tent and a quick practice putting the tent up in another part of the site. It certainly brought home how small my home is going to be for the 70 odd days of the trip and how important it will be to plan which kit I need and when I’ll  need it.

The self inflating thermal mattress was a success and much more comfortable than I had feared, the only issue is that it’s a little narrow and if I’m not careful I’ll roll off it as I turn over at night. My sleeping bag and liner worked well, it was about 8 degrees C overnight which is at its limit, but I reckon that with a set of leggings on it will be fine during the cooler nights.  I’m sure the smaller tent will be warmer than the pup tent anyway so all in all things went well, but I know I’ll miss my bed!

On Sunday afternoon I stripped the bike down to practice packing it into the bike box, everything was fine until I was unable to get the pedals off. I tried quite hard but was worried about putting too much effort in just in case I broke something. I will whip it down to the local bike shop tomorrow and they will soon get them off.

The positive thing is even with the pedals on I was able to strip it down and get it almost packed without too many problems.  It took longer than I thought it would and it’s a filthy operation; I think choosing a mainly white colour scheme bike may have been a mistake as getting it clean is a nightmare!

Looking ahead I intend to pack the bike as soon as I can, making sure I can get as many of the spares etc into the box as I can. (Lois has bought me a weighing hook so I know I won’t be over weight).  I’ve got a few bits and pieces to sort out during the week, the caravan needs taking back to Nuneaton and we’ve got to tart up the garden furniture ready for a BBQ next Saturday, so time is going to be limited for cycling. I will set up the mountain bike so I can keep the legs moving but it’s going to be maintenance rather than anything too strenuous, if I haven’t done enough now there is little I can do about it anyway.

The other major job this week is to sort out and pack my clothes, all the experts tell me the best thing to do is lay out what you intend to take and then get rid of  half of it.  I’ve used other tourists packing lists as guidance, but when you add in mess kits, camping gear and laptop etc it soon mounts up and space on the support truck is very limited. I think the mantra has to be “take little and wash often”!

 Hopefully all will be ready before next weekend arrives and I can enjoy my last weekend at home.


Only 11 sleeps till departure....Onwards and Upwards!!

I think that’s about it

With only two weekends left before I depart I have all but finished the preparation for the trip.

On Saturday I went out with a group of friends from work and enjoyed a 40 mile ride across some beautiful countryside with the sun on our back and little or no wind to speak of.  There were a couple of testing little climbs but it was mostly just rolling country and I finished with loads of gas in the tank. This was our second ride of the week as we had also been out on Thursday evening and completed another pleasant 35 mile loop in glorious evening sunshine.

Next weekend Zoe and I are taking Georgia, our granddaughter, away in the caravan for the weekend. We planned this trip some months ago not realising it was going to clash with England’s first World Cup match against the USA so we will need some careful timing to make sure we still get settled in time for the kickoff.

The original plan was that the girls slept in the van whilst I slept in the TDC tent; however, I think the Caravan Club can be a bit testy about tents and awnings on one plot. I think I’ll probably end up in the awning; still, it will give me a chance to test the sleeping bag and thermal sleeping pad.

Hopefully I’ll still manage to get a long ride in on Saturday, there is a 10 mile loop of the reservoir so I could take the mountain bike and do a few laps or I might take the road bike and have a pedal around Cambridgeshire.

We will need to get back home sharpish on Sunday morning as Matt has his first 10km run at Stanwick Lakes. Hopefully the weather will hold and we can than all come back home for a Sunday evening BBQ.

This week is going to be busy, we’ve got to get the caravan washed, garden furniture re-varnished, I need to grab a few final bits and pieces and get a few 2 hour rides in as well. In an ideal world I’ll have everything I need by Sunday night so that I can get packed early the following week giving me the final weekend free for my pre-trip party.

With only 18 sleeps till departure I am starting to get really excited about the trip but I am also a bit nervous, particularly about my ability to ride day after day after day. It’s also starting to dawn on me just how long I’m going to be away from Zoe and the family, by the time I get back it will be autumn!