Penticton 300
by Richard Blair

Tina Hoeben found a delightful mix of flats and hills when she put together her Penticton 300k ride which Geoff Cook and Richard Blair rode Saturday, September 17, 2005. The route headed north for a necessary 10km "tweaking" out of Penticton before reversing back through Penticton and then west on Highway 3A to Keremeos, Hedley and Princeton. From the Princeton control we rode a nicely-surfaced back road to Coalmont and into Tulameen were we did a 180 degree turn and headed back to Penticton. The 54km scenic round trip from Princeton to Tulameen was a real grunt with a multitude of hills containing some really gnarly grades: Blair floated through in his granny gear while Cook pounded out the hills with his 39 ring. The weather was sunny and relatively warm throughout the ride, although the outbound route was slowed by a head wind which troubled us all the way to Tulameen. Thankfully, the wind remained as we returned and the speeds went up accordingly. Deer, coyote, and bear were seen at various points and traffic was relatively light. The route had shoulders but for the Tulameen portion, but on that there was little traffic to bother us. Finish came shortly after dusk at 8 p.m. ending 14 hours after we started.

Penticton Results

September 19, 2005