Day 8. Cranbrook to Invermere

Today we rode 130km from Cranbrook to Invermere.  It was the flattest day of the whole trip and our average speed reflected that, with most of the riders finishing in less than 4 hours averaging more than 30km/h.
We paralleled the Rocky Mountain range all day, making for some great views and photo opportunities.  Riding through the valley we could see the remains of what has been the worst flooding in years in this region.    Many fields are still covered in water, the shoulder of the road had been so badly eroded in some sections that the road it self had collapsed.  There was what looked like a bath tub ring around all the trees and posts in low lying areas.  We are fortunate that GearUp4CF was scheduled for the last week of June this year.  All the previous years it has been in the 3rd week of June which would have but us right in the storms and floods.
Here are a few photos from the day.

Two more days to go.

Today we rode from Creston to Cranbrook, a distance of 104km.  It was the flattest day so far in the trip, there were some rolling hills and "false flats" but no real climbing or descending.
It was damn hot though; highs were in the high 20's and the heat off of the pavement made it seem much hotter.
I spent most of the evening troubleshooting my Garmin bike computer, as it lost the data for today's ride.  So the ride that you see on the right side of the screen it actually data from another rider who lent me his bike computer so I have a record of the day.  Hopefully this was a one day glitch and my Garmin will be back in action tomorrow.
Anyway, it is late, and since we have crossed over a time zone it is even later than it seems.
With only two days left; I find myself wishing there were more days remaining to ride.  My bum is the only one who will be happy this ride is ending on Sunday.

Another great day.

Hello all.
I just wanted to write a quick hello before I make my way to the camp fire that we are having tonight.  We had a great day on the road today from Rossland to Creston.  There was a scare this morning regarding road closures as a tanker truck had gone off the road on Kootenay Summit.  As it turns out, the road was open single lane alternating and we all got through safely.
We just finished an excellent dinner at Jimmy's Pub in town town Creston where we relived the climbs of the day and what is in store for tomorrow.
I am looking forward to the next 3 days on the bike and sad to know that we only have 3 days left together.
Tomorrow we ride to Cranbrook, the weather is supposed to be great and the terrain is mostly flat.  I'm sure it will be another great day.

Over half way.

Here we are at the end of day five.  Somewhere out on the road today we passed the half way mark on our way to 1200km in 9 days.  In these few short days I have met some amazing people, all who have ties to Cystic Fibrosis.  Whether it is a sibling, cousin, close friend or child.  It is the need to find a cure for CF that has brought us together; most of these people I would have never met otherwise, but we are becoming such good friends.
Today was my most social ride yet, I enjoyed the ascent of Paulson summit with Dan Dakin.  We are similar in ability on the bike and we are both competitive people, which leads to some friendly competition up the climbs.
In the afternoon I rode with Dan's wife Emily.  We were having such a good time chatting away that the last climb of the day seemed more like a mole hill than a mountain.
Dan and I have big plans for Kootenay Pass tomorrow as we head to Creston.  The deal is that we will help pace each other up the 21km climb at 5% grade, but as soon as we see the summit sign it's every man for himself as friends become enemies on the way to climbing glory.

Here is a shot of the feeding frenzy that is our lunch stops:

Day Four.

Today we left Osoyoos on our way to Grand Forks.  We rode roughly 125km, and after a grueling climb up the "anarchist" summit, the rest of the day was rolling green countryside.  There were plenty of old farms and different animals to look at as we passed through small town after small town.  I have driven this route many times in my life but never seen as much of it as I did today.  Everyone agreed that this was the most scenic day yet.
I have heard that after the fourth day of a multi-day bike ride like GearUp4CF there is a turning point.  Once you have reached it your body is no longer begging for mercy and a rest day, but rather, excited for more.  The body becomes accustomed to the long hours on the bike and says "Bring it on! Give me more!".  Today was day four, so I'll let you know tomorrow if this is true.
Tomorrow is the shortest day of the whole ride at only 95km, although there will be substantial climbing involved.  We will be spending the night in the mountain resort town of Rossland and I'm told that the hotel we are staying in is the nicest of the whole trip.  So all things considered, tomorrow should be a day to remember.

Here is a photo of the open road today:

GearUp4CF Day #3

Hello everyone.  Today was a relatively short day and it had much less climbing than yesterday.  I would by no means call it an easy day however.  In actual fact I found it quite hard, mainly because of the ride we did the day before.  I think all of the riders were feeling the effects of the hard day yesterday, and that coupled with a constant headwind and rain showers, lead to a somewhat anti-social day on the road.  The majority of riders just staring at the tire of the bike in front of them for most of the day.
We are spending the night in Osoyoos and will be heading to Grand Forks tomorrow by way of the Anarchist Summit.  The elevation profile on our route map shows that there is truth behind the name.
Hopefully our weary legs will find strength to keep the pedals moving.

Here is a photo of the CF riders and volunteers by the lake in Osoyoos.

Day 2. Test of Body and Mind

I am sitting in my hotel room now after a day of riding that I thought would never end.  Today we rode 200km and climbed 2600 meters.  I arrived in Princeton exactly 10 hours after leaving the hotel in Chilliwack, after you subtract the resting time I spent a total of 7.5 hrs pedaling my bike today.
All of the riders left the hotel in Chilliwack this morning at the same time.  We had a nice easy paced group ride into Hope where we had a lunch break. After that, we hit the hills.  This is where the punishment began, the group quickly fractured as riders with different climbing abilities rode at their own pace.  There is no hiding from climbing; it comes down to your power to weight ratio.  That is all.  By the time we reached Manning Park there was roughly a 2hr gap between the fastest riders and the slowest riders.  At the end of the day there was over a three hour gap; showing just how difficult this day was.  20 out of the 22 nine day riders were able to finish the day under there own power.
We are all looking forward to the ride into Osoyoos tomorrow, as it is mostly down hill and "short" at only 120km.
***For ride details click on the ride under the "Clarke's latest rides" heading on the right hand side of the screen***

GearUp4CF Day One

I have just returned to my hotel room after dinner, it is 8:30pm and I am ready for bed.  Not because today was difficult, but because I know tomorrow will be!  Tomorrow's ride will be roughly 190km with plenty of climbing as we ride from Chilliwack to Princeton.  I will fill you in on the details in about 24hrs time.

Today was a nice warm up ride for what is to come.  We rode approximately 100km through the fraser valley, from White Rock to Chilliwack.  The weather was perfect for riding; slight cloud cover, warm, and no rain.  Hopefully the weather continues to be fair.  The forecast is calling for 60% chance of showers tomorrow and high temperatures from 17-21 degrees.  I've got my fingers crossed for the other 40%.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Clarke.

One week to go until GearUp4CF!

I started this blog to document my GearUp4CF experience and to thank all of my supporters who have made this trip a possibility.  With only a week to go until we leave White Rock BC on our way to Banff AB, I though now would be a good time to send out a thank you email to those who have donated to my fundraising campaign.
So thank you all so very much for your generosity.  To date I have raised $5575 from 51 sponsors.  Our team has surpassed our fundraising goal of $20000 as we are currently sitting at $21621 with a total of 171 sponsors.
I am humbled by your generosity.

Thank you.

P.S.  I will update this blog daily during the ride (June 22-30th)

P.P.S.  It will be my first father's day tomorrow, and a blog post with no pictures is boring, so here is a picture of my daughter Heidi.

Riding with GearUp4CF participants.

I had the pleasure of riding with a few people who have all been affected in one way or another by Cystic Fibrosis.  In the picture below, from left to right are. Brian Benson, George Keulen, Ted Stedman, Clare Stedman and me.  Brian's wife Margaret had a double lung transplant due to CF 13 years ago, George had a lung transplant 3 years ago and the Stedmans have a teenaged son with CF.

As GearUp4CF draws nearer I am becoming more and more excited to ride with these folks as well as all the other CF riders who have similar stories of how CF has impacted their lives.
There are less than two weeks until we depart from White Rock on our 9 day 1200km trek to Banff.  I think it will be the bike ride of a lifetime for us.