If you don’t like the landscape you are riding through—keep going—there is a new one just around the corner. Vancouver-Vancouver-Vancouver. As the name suggests, we started in the city. An early start allowed us to make good time with very little traffic. We passed through quiet residential neighbourhoods, past warehouses, retail and all kinds of industry. We pedalled along the river’s edge, crossed bridges and meandered through parks. Everything an urban ride can offer.
After the city, we had some quiet, rural roads to our first control at historic Fort Langley—considered to be the birthplace of British Columbia. There are plenty of places for coffee and pastries but it was too early in the ride to stop. We continued on through forests and farmland. There were apples everywhere—including on the road.
We rode east through Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Here it was more farmland than forest. The scale of the farming operations was impressive. We passed cornfields where the corn was taller than a person. The greenhouses covered acres of land. The malodorous dairy barns held hundreds of cows. Along the way we saw sheep, goats, horses, cows and even some donkeys.
Up to this point the weather had cooperated. We had a moderate tailwind pushing us to the turnaround at Hope. Then we hit the highway section. It was fine at first. Traffic on the highway was relatively light, the shoulder was wide and the road was dry. Until it wasn’t. The rain came. It didn’t take long to deliver a good soaking. Now the highway was wet. Every passing truck threw up clouds of spray. We got a temporary reprieve from the highway on Laidlaw Road. It was lovely riding without traffic. By the time we rejoined the highway, the rain had stopped so the final stretch into Hope was tolerable.
We refueled at the control in Hope and then started the return to Vancouver. Into the headwind. We had been riding as a group of three but now it was time to tighten up. We would be cycling into the headwind for hours so riding in a tight group was essential to keeping the pace without getting exhausted. We each took our turns on the front. Then there was the incident where one of our little group gorged on cookies at a stop. After that, he hung out at the back for half an hour leaving two of us to do the work on the front. He eventually recovered and took the lead.
As evening approached, the wind died down. I was struggling to hold onto the group and eventually fell back. The urban riding was painfully slow. I seemed to arrive at every traffic light just when it turned red. I wasn’t too concerned about the time so I allowed myself nearly 5 hours of sleeping time.
Day 2 was beautiful. The winds were light and the sun was shining. I had about 240k left to do but my legs were tired. I don’t think I had fully recovered from the Van Isle 1000. I was moving slowly. First there was the urban riding, then a gravel section, then some hills. By the time I reached the long, straight section on 0 Ave, I was well behind the pace I needed for a successful finish. The time for dawdling had ended. I continued on to the turnaround in Yarrow with a renewed focus. I started making good time but instead of the planned lunch stops, I did most of my eating while I was pedalling. The good news was that my average speed was climbing nicely.
The course had been carefully planned to avoid the steeper hills in the area. Except for one! I am down to the last 25k, the finish is close, I’m no longer worried about the time limit, I’m enjoying the end. Then I find Cumberland Road. It may not be as long or as steep as it seemed but it was steep and it seemed to go on forever. I eventually made it to the top. And then quickly descended back to sea level.
I have 10k of flat riding and then the final ascent to the finish. The last climb is not too steep but I’m happy to have it behind me. I finished with 50 minutes to spare. It’s not a race.