| Newsletter - RM 1200 Route Proposals |
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Submitted by Dan McGuire, February 15, 2011.
Oyama Triangle 1200
Traditional Triangle Route, Counter-clockwise, Oyama Start
I suggest a route similar to Roger and Ali's "traditional" proposal, with a few variations...
The Start / Finish at Oyama, a small community just north of the Kelowna Airport. This would give a route length of ~1203 km. Oyama is on a lake with a nice beach so it would be pleasant for families waiting for their cyclist to finish, and for early finishers to hang out. An alternate might be to start just north of Vernon and finish near Kelowna's city hall, on Okanagan Lake.
The route would go counter-clockwise. Some nice features of this are:
1. The cyclists would be on the busiest part of the route early when they are fresh, rather than when they are very tired.
2. The prevailing winds would be more helpful - generally from behind on the busiest Hwy #1 areas, headwinds along the Lake Louise to Mt. Robson part where the major climbs and descents would be less affected.
3. The sun would be more from behind on the most picturesque stretches.
4. Some hazards would be reduced on the Rogers Pass cycling through the snow-sheds on the sunny sides rather than the dark side; eliminate the narrow lane climb from Donald west.
5. The long descent along the North Thompson when the cyclists are tired, and maybe a tail wind there.
6. The route is the shortest distance around this loop; no short-cutting possible.
If this is of interest let me know and I can do some more work on the map and route details. I could also try help with event preparation and operation.
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