Peachland Tulameen 400
Preride Report
Ride Date May 10, 2024
by Bob Goodison
(Scheduled Brevet Date: May 18)

Peachland-Tulameen Pre-ride- As challenging as it is rewarding! Stunning scenery, fun roads, friendly locals. Oh, and a few hills. And maybe a headwind or two.

I unfortunately picked the first hot day of the year for my pre-ride. Also, it seems that six days was not enough recovery time after the No Sleep Til Brookmere 300. These factors, plus a near-constant strong headwind, made the ride feel more difficult to me than I believe it actually is.

Roadwork:
There is major work happening between Peachland and Summerland due to a rockslide. They have blocked off the two southbound lanes, running two-way traffic in the northbound lanes. There is very little room between the southbound traffic and the no-post guardrail. Fortunately traffic is light at 5AM, and once past the first bit one can get onto the right side of the guardrail and have a two lane separated bike path. I stayed as close as possible to the guardrail so as not to get in the way of trucks. I decided that returning north would be no issue as there is a regular width shoulder. My fatigue made me very late, and it was nearly midnight when I got back there. I was stopped by a worker who insisted that I ride in the blocked off lanes as far as I could. When I ran out of that, more workers insisted that I ride ahead on the northbound shoulder while they followed in a truck with flashing lights blazing. They escorted me to the end of the construction zone.

The road was grooved for repaving just north of Keremeos. Not fun to ride on, but it looks like they will be finished before the day of the ride.

Services:
There is a new gas station open in Hedley (km 112 and 243) They close at 9PM. They have an eating area and signs indicating Indian and Western food. There is a little convenience store half a block off route to the left just after the Princeton Control (Km 150.9), or you can go across the bridge into Princeton if you need something more substantial. DO NOT THINK THAT SINCE IT IS ONLY 25 KM TO TULAMEEN YOU DO NOT NEED MUCH WATER. THIS IS THE TOUGHEST PART OF THE RIDE. Fortunately it is not hard to find shady places to rest for a few minutes. The store in Coalmont (and everything else) is closed. There is a great little store that also serves food in Tulameen. They close at 6PM,but you have to order food before 5:30. The Canco gas in Keremeos closes at 11:00 PM, but the Subway in the end of it closes at 9:00 PM. For riders doing the Penticton start, there is a 24 hr Circle K at the top of the hill in Summerland.

Road Conditions:
Watch for the usual broken pavement, potholes, loose sand and gravel. Old Hedley Rd. is a mix of perfect smooth pavement and chipseal. Coalmont road is quite rough in places, but offers stunning views. If you like descending on quiet roads with smooth pavement, you will love the section from Yellow Lake to Oliver!! Just watch out for deer. The International Hike-Bike path just after the Oliver Control was new to me. I much prefer it to the highway. I hit it just before dark and it was all but deserted. There a few roots trying to pop up here and there.

Start Locations:
You have the option to start in Peachland or Penticton. I recommend the Peachland start. If you are starting in Peachland and sleeping in your vehicle I suggest parking near the public washrooms on Beach Avenue just north of Todd Rd. They are open all night. I parked in front of the Lakeshore Gardens Apartments and it was nice and quiet. I have decided to change the Penticton start option to doing the Peachland leg at the end. This will make it easier to obtain services for most of the ride, and hopefully it will be cooler when you hit the big climbs.

Elevation:
My Garmin registered 3209m vertical: BULLSHIT!! RWGPS says 4384m. Strava says 3701m. You choose who to believe. My seat of the pants guess would be about 4000ish.