Newsletter - 2013 Archive |
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Kamloops 6-Pack Reports Day 1 - A River Runs Through it (204.8 km) Day One was the super scenic "A River Runs Through It" route, ridden by 9 intrepid Randonneurs, intrepid because it was a Monday (when most people are normally working) and because the weather had gone from 34 degrees last week to rain and 19 degrees on Monday. Weatherwise, everyone hoped for the best, and some fared better than others, in terms of avoiding the "showers." The thunderstorms started after all had finished, but some finishers were
Day 2 - Logan Lake / Merritt (202.3 km) Day Two weather was significantly better than Day One, with dry roads for most of the day and sunshine for parts of it (but still with a few showers). The route for Day Two was the traditional Logan Lake-Merritt route, which starts the day with a significant climb, and ends it
Day 3 - North Shuswap (202.2 km) Day three was a new route (although I generally do this ride at least once in the spring and fall), featuring a straight 50 km on Hwy 1 to Squilax, then crossing over to the North Shuswap for
Day 4 - Salmon Arm / Falkland (208.0 km)
More sunshine!This route doesn't quite go to Salmon Arm anymore. I always used to show about 212 km on the old version, so I used some back roads to reduce both the highway and overall distance. Nigel rode off into the distance at a speed only he and very few others are capable of. I was in a bit of a hurry too, as I had planned a stop at work to take care of a few things (coincidentally the first control). I hit the bottom of Jade Mountain at Chase with a 30.9 kmh average. Nigel was long gone. How fast was he going? Descending the other side, I hit one of the rough bridge joints at speed and heard a distinctive hissing sound. Pinch flat? No, then what? It seems that a bagel in a zip lock bag sliding down the road at 40 kmh sounds just like air escaping from a tire. For the second time this year I had lost my lunch on a ride. This time I went back and got it. Thankfully the gravel portion of Tappen-Notch Hill Rd. was in good shape, and the only riders who commented on it enjoyed it. After I finished what I had to at work, I looked out and saw Eric answering the control question. I still had to change out of my coveralls so I decided Day 5 - Little Fort (204.8 km)
Back to Cheryl organizing, which meant Eric and Nigel had to get up a bit earlier to be at the start with the paperwork, but Bob and Randy still beat us there, keeners! The route has spectacular scenery, that same river that runs through it, plus interesting farms and big open pastures most of the way. Traffic was not bad, lots of trucks but most took us wide, one of them probably terrifying an oncoming RV, but all in all very courteous considering there were a few corners with not a lot of shoulder. Weather was perfect, not much wind except for the usual headwind coming in from the train station, nice, warm and sunny. Yesterday was tough for me, my body was feeling a bit beat up, and I didn't think riding today was going to be a good idea, but I decided to visit the ice machine and devised a method for sitting on Nigel blazed off into the distance again today, and when passing us on his return leg, yelled that there was no pub in Little Fort (question for the information control). Apparently he rode an extra 2+ km looking for it. Nigel asked a local about it, and she supplied former Pub's the name (which was the control question). The rest of us found the pub no problem - boarded up and for sale, right at junction 24. Of note were the grasshoppers on the shoulder leaping in all directions as we rode through them. Will try to get a photo tomorrow. Also one of the sages is in bloom (there are still quite a few plants in bloom alongside the roads), which has a nice aroma, added to that of the ponderosa pines. Thanks to Susan Goodison for welcoming riders at the finish each day! Day 6 - Cache Creek (202.8 km) The weather forecast for Day Six was poor all week, with a POP of 80%, but by the morning it was 80% with less than 2 mm expected. Of course raindrops on the windshield driving to the start didn't help... Gary and Barry were undecided after thoroughly enjoying the Little Fort ride the previous day, and only decided in the morning not to ride and head back to town for other more important commitments. Making up for their absence were Shawn and Chris Wenger, so 7 intrepid riders set off for Cache Creek via the bike route through town, with 400 m of elevation gain from downtown to the Copperhead exit onto #1. Which is where Randy lost his back derailleur and after 90 minutes of trying to extract the cable end (including a shopping trip to Anyhow, the weather turned out just fine, a bit of cloud in the morning, with one shower heading out of Kamloops, then clearing in the afternoon and warming up. Winds were from all directions at various times, but mostly not devastating like they can be. Traffic was light, allowing riders to use the smoother pavement in the traffic lane when they were clear of vehicles. Nigel and I rode the tandem which meant tootling up the (long) climbs and catapulting down the (long) descents. Although the last long descent on the Kamloops bike route was ridden with some discretion, since there was a lot of shopping traffic, one of whom cut Shawn off and came within inches of taking her out, which resulted in Shawn vowing to never ride on that bike route again. Of note was the osprey taking off from a pole just a few metres away at eye level, magpies in the morning who must be habitualized to humans, and again the pungent smelling sagebrush in flower along the side of the highway. Cumulative Times for the Five Series Finishers Series overview and impressions: When Cheryl came up with this idea I thought she was nuts. Even after I began to like the idea eagerly anticipating the rides, I thought it should probably be a one-time thing. I'm very happy to admit I was wrong. The only thing that could have made it better would have been more riders. We finished up the series with no Dnf's, and everyone seemed to have had a really good time. As an organizer you can't ask for more than that. While this won't be an annual event I think it's safe to say it will happen again. What made it great was the participants and the relaxed atmosphere. Thanks, Cheryl. Recommendations for riders for future editions: Prepare your bike as you would for a 1200, not as you would for a 200- check everything, and if you have a second bike bring it along. If you have a second pair of shoes, it helps so you can rotate them and they can have a day to dry. Shorts that are just good enough for a 200 km ride are not good enough for your sixth 200 km ride. Wear good ones, just like you would for a 1200. Unlike a 1200 though, you will get plenty of sleep, and you can pick and choose the portions you want to ride. |