Day 6 - More about our ride from Trail to Creston - 122 km

Submitted by Stan Shaw


I'm now at the Skimmerhorn Inn in Creston, watching riders roll in one by one. No heroics today - we were all climbing the mountain in survival mode today - except for, perhaps, Simon Ree, who blasted up the mountain pass at a breathtaking on hour and twenty minutes, hitting the last 8% rise at 46 kph.  

We left Trail just before nine, as the sun was rising and the chill, cloudy weather the night before was disappearing.  I found myself stripping off rain gear, then cold-weather clothes one by one simply waiting outside for the others to get ready, as the temperature rose minute by minute.  By the time we left, around 8:45 AM, it was already pretty warm.  What would it be like when we started the actual climb?

Justin, and two of our wonderful volunteer support drivers, Wayne and Malcolm, packing our trailer before starting off-->

Susan Edmison and I headed, and found ourselves riding all the way up the mountain together.  A quiet, steady rider and delightful cycling companion, we found ourselves saying very little, but helping each other by drafting against a slow but steady headwind that blew down the valley. Conserving energy, knowing we had a huge climb before us, is so important. 


<--Susan

We met up with a small group of riders for lunch, at the base of the mountain.  By now, the sun was beating mercilessly down, forcing us to drink enormous amounts of electrolytes to keep from becoming dehydrated.  And then, after a brief, ride along a mountain stream, the real climbing began.

Brutal.  


I don't have much of a description beyond this. The grade was not much different from what I had prepared for on Cypress Mountain - about 8%, but the combination of heat and a light headwind seemed to make every pedal stroke that much harder.  Susan and I switched places in the lead frequently. It was so helpful riding with an another cyclist up the mountain.

This ride was difficult, one of the hardest climbs I've done in a long time.  I must say, I nearly lost it in the last half kilometer before the summit.  It was all I could do to lay down one pedal stroke after another. My altimeter steadily clicked away... 2700 feet... 3000 feet.... 4000 feet... 5000 feet... 5500 feet.... my God, where's the summit?  




And then came Andrea, who had reached the summit ahead of us, and was now whizzing back down the mountain towards us, here cheery smile encouraging us that  we were nearly there.  Before we knew it we rounded the corner to find the summit, and our incredibly helpful GearUp4CF support team waiting for us.




<--Stan

Susan-->

<--Andrea

David, 

arriving at the summit-->

<--view from Bonanza Summit


And now... the reward.  A thrilling 25 kilometer descent from summit, down to Creston's lush green valley below.


I left ahead of the others and found myself drifting off asleep in the warm sunshine at the base of the mountain as they arrived.  


Together, Tom, Susan and I rode into town, and a very welcome hot shower at the Skimmerhorn Inn.

The folks at the Skimmerhorn were wonderful hosts. I am now relaxing in my room, waiting to go out for dinner with my son, Robert and his wife Courteney, who only a few blocks away.  It will be terrific seeing them again!

I so enjoyed Kitty's description of the ride today.  This tour has brought us together, not only in helping each other through an extremely difficult journey, but in sharing a common purpose - to help the children and adults we are riding for, who are living each day in a life journey that is every bit as difficult.  I am inspired by what I have learned through parents of CF kids on this ride who, despite the continuous challenges they face each day, are with us on this epic ride.  Every dollar raised for CF research improves the chances of a better life for their children, and, we hope soon, a cure.   If you have not contributed to our ride yet, please help us now as we approach our final goal of this tour.  

Sunset in Creston-->

Tomorrow we ride to Cranbrook, thankfully it will be an easier ride, 108 km, with no major mountain passes.  I am looking forward to taking time to chat with my fellow team riders along the way.  Will add photos of today's ride in this entry at that time.


-  Stan

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