Ride Day 13: I have now cycled 1,050 miles from Vancouver to Regina, crossing the Rocky mountains and entering the vast Prairies. This has taken 13 days and I had 2 rest days. Not bad considering I have been pulling a hefty bike-trailer with tent and kit in. I have been blessed with several wind-assisted days and some excellent company along the way. Yesterday my Dad, Roger, arrived from the UK and his support has already been invaluable. I gleefully shoved the bike trailer into the hire-car and felt on-top-of -the-world riding without it. Felt like having the rear brake taken off! I managed 90 miles yesterday in temperatures which reached 34 degrees and the Prairie views have been fantastic. The yellow fields of Oil Seed Rape ('Canola') stretch all the way to the horizon and there's often not a cloud in the sky. I often bike alongside the Trans Canada Railway and the trains take 10 minutes to pass me, they must be a kilometer in length. By the time we reached Regina, I must admit my legs were a little on the sore side and friction with the saddle has led to some loss of skin on my bum! Sorry, too much information... Am thoroughly enjoying a couple of days rest before we hit the road again. 2,600 miles to go!
Ride Day 12: Easier day today, thankfully! The wind at my back for a time. Covered the distance in 7 hours instead of yesterday's 10 hours... Had huge pancake breakfast in 'Gull Lake' gas station restaurant which the owner, upon hearing about the ride / Rob Gauntlett Trust, generously gave me 'on-the-house'. Suitably fuelled with copious amounts of maple syrup I made good ground to the town of 'Swift Current'. I then continued past farmland and oil pumps under a cloudless sky to the tiny village of 'Chaplin'. Here I got chatting to a local couple, Willem and Erna Wensvoort who kindly invited me to stay for the night. Have enjoyed wonderful hospitality (food, a shower and a tour of the area) and once again I'm humbled by just how kind and giving many people can be.
Ride Day 11: A tough day... On the road from 8am to 8pm, actually pedalling for 10 of those hours... Managed 100 miles from 'Medicine Hat' to the little Prairie town of 'Gull Lake'. Hard work against a strong wind, feels like the brakes are on and you have to pedal even when the bike's going downhill. I'm going to have days like this, it comes with the territory, Canada is the second biggest country in the world... Nice and warm today though, 30+ degrees. I found a little motel right next to the rail road, the trains here take 5 mins to go past and are about a kilometer long! Am excited to see my Dad tomorrow evening and i'll appeciate his support hugely.
I was fortunate to meet 2 of the kindest people in Calgary and I wanted to say thanks to them... Firstly, Karen Martin (a friend of a very good friend) put me up for a couple of nights, let me take over her lovely flat and just generally spoilt me with delicious food. You are a star Karen! Also, the father of someone I met on the bus in Vancouver 2 weeks ago (!), Curtis Fitzgerald, showed me the sights, gave me food and maps and even inner-tubes. He showed me his beautiful house and I met his amazing wife and family. Curtis, your generosity of spirit is unbelievable and I really can't thank you enough.
Ride Days 9 and 10: Have put in 2 good days on the bike from Calgary. The scenery has totally changed - not a mountain in sight now; it's completely flat. There's only farmland and oil drills and a shimmering Highway that is as straight as an arrow for as far as the eye can see. The sky is just amazing though, vast and deep blue. Yesterday I did 11 hours riding from Calgary to a little town called 'Brooks', 116 miles in all. Today I suppose I paid for this exertion and struggled in the heat a bit. I made it 70 miles to the town of 'Medicine Hat' in 6 hours and decided to rest-up. Thank goodness for ipods and jelly babies, am convinced I'd have given up without them! There's still 300 miles to Regina where, happily, my Dad 'Roger' is coming out from the UK to help out. Hoping to get hold of a car and am looking forward to putting the bike trailer in it, it weighs a ton!
Ride Days 7 and 8: Amazing couple of days. Made it from 'Golden' through 'Lake Louise' to 'Banff' through classic Rocky Mountain scenery. Highway winding through towering mountains, steep forests and turquoise lakes under a deep blue sky. Did two 11-hour biking days and tackled 'Kicking Horse Pass' (1627 m) and numerous other lengthy uphill sections. I enjoyed excellent company from Chris Elmsley and great support from his Dad, Dave Elmsley and we camped out and shared a beer in Banff. Yesterday I covered another 90-miles, mostly descending from the mountains and eventually made it to the city. Over 600 mountainous miles covered so far, 3000 miles to go! Have at least left my first Canadian province (British Columbia) and entered the province of Alberta. Also, I crossed my first time-zone and i'm only 7 hours behind the UK now...
Ride Day 6: Huge day today, some of the most amazing riding I've ever done... Managed 8-hours on the bike, nearly 100-miles in all. Negotiated 'Roger's Pass', the highest point on the Tran-Canada Highway (1330m) and loved the scenery all day. Towering 3000m+ snow-capped peaks all around, classic Rocky Mountain cycling. Also met another Canadian cyclist and enjoyed having some company on the road. Currently camping in 'Golden' and heading to 'Banff' tomorrow.
Just to remind people, there's a Facebook 'group' about the ride too. Simply log into FaceBook and search for 'Canada Coast 2 Coast bike ride '09'...
Ride Days 3 -5: On day 3 i rode 90 miles from a town called 'Merritt' to a little place called 'Chase'. I took the 'Old Highway' and enjoyed a wind-assisted morning along a road which hugged the shores of lakes and passed verdant farmland and forest. I carried extra water and food to avoid the previous day's shortage! Passing through Kamloops i called in at 'Full Boar Bike Store' and picked up some spares and some good advise from the owner Trever. I camped by a river and slept from 9pm (when it got dark) for 10 hours... It's freezing at night despite reaching 31 degrees in the day...
Day 4 consisted of 60-miles along the Trans Canada Highway via the endearingly-named 'Salmon Arm' to the pretty, lake-side town of 'Sicamous'. With tired legs i stopped mid-afternoon and camped next to the river in Alpiner Motel. Thanks to Ken Garrow for allowing me to pitch-up!
On day 5 i slept in and had a leisurely morning, enjoying a breakfast of bagels and donuts (my calorific intake has happily gone off the scale this week...). I then biked 45 miles into increasingly mountainous terrain to a picturesque town called 'Revelstoke'. I have found a good hostel and I might rest my weary legs here tomorrow... It's a jump to go from biking around Bournemouth Bay and the New Forest to biking for 7 or 8 hours a day - i'll need time to get conditioned to the routine!
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