...Ken Bonner also worte a message to Richard Blair with a few words about the Interior 600.

The Not Santa Rosa 600
Kamloops 600 Report #2
by Ken Bonner

Hi, Richard!

How did the Interior 600k ride go? You missed a great ride -- it happened in Santa Rosa --- check out the photos .... I don't see ANY rain!! .... also, it looks warm. Next year, you might consider starting the Interior 600k at the Kamloops Airport parking lot .... we then ride our bikes to the Airport Terminal Bldg and fly to Santa Rosa ... then use the Santa Rosa route sheet for the remainder of the ride. My understanding is that a BC Brevet just needs to start in BC, it doesn't have to finish there, and I don't think it says anything about flying part of the way ... the only "sticky" part is how to fly to the 1st control within the control opening/closing times!! :-)

Seriously, many thanks for organizing this classic north-west brevet. It had everything ... sociable people; flat tires; muddy-road construction; good sleeping facilities (Red Coach Inn); good food (Tim Hortons); lots of climbing (I recorded 17,000ft/5163m this year); light traffic; lots and lots and lots, etc. of rain and more rain and then cold, cold, COLD RAIN! (5 degrees C); then a nice, long, foggy 8% descent to Little Fort to be welcomed by a headwind which tested our wind-fighting skills as it got stronger and stronger as we approached Kamloops; and finally, a luxurious 11k tailwind to the finish before it started raining again!

What planning! You've got to know something is up when the brevet organizer disappears to enjoy hot toddies in front of a cozy open fire to listen to the rain pound on the roof and watch the water slide down window glass! Ah, a job well done!! :-) When the rest of the BC Randonneurs hears about this ride you'll be overwhelmed by riders next year.

You also did a great job of eliminating encounters with wild life (other than some folks around Williams Lake) ... not one bear, cougar, deer, or mastodon was sighted ... wait a minute, I think Keith Nichol said he saw a coyote, but it was late at night and he might have been seeing things.

Hope the above ride report is satisfactory ..... Ken

p.s. If Bob Boonstra is not still wandering around in the rain, he has our control cards in his van .... I think "Big Bob", Keith and I finished in about 34h and "something minutes"

Ride Results

June 13, 2005