Crusty Cassette

Pedal Around a Glacier, Eh!

The chip seal had driven me over to the shoulder where a narrow 6-inch swath of smooth pavement ran perilously close to a gravel shoulder sloping down into a thick undergrowth along a straight stretch of road 15 miles or so out of Nelson. The traffic was heavy and impatient and the day was approaching 80 degrees. Linda and I were swapping leads with another couple but riding easily.

Suddenly my tires went soft. No, not flat. I had slipped into the gravel. No time to think. Instinct takes over. I remember only struggling along the lip the asphalt made. I might have tried bunny hopping back onto the road. I might have sat back deep behind my saddle and tried to brake. I might have countersteared using my lean to give me balance enough to hit that lip and roll back onto pavement. I'm not sure any of that would have worked anyway. I remember struggling to unclip my right foot and stay balanced at the same time and I probably was standing and leaning slightly forward. Suddenly I was going over the handlebars, my bike rising up behind me.

My instinct here is not to fight the momentum but to fall with it. Mispent years as a boy gymnast perhaps. I hit a dog once with the same effect though that time I came down on an asphalt trail cushioning my bike with my body.

I picked a better spot this time--grassy, soft, slopped. I felt no impact at all finding myself a bit tangled in bike but unclipped and fine. A quick check of the wheels and brakes showed the bike was rideable though should probably be checked over. The whole thing was over in minutes and must have looked more dramatic than it actually was.

I told Linda "it sort of relieved the boredom." I mean, after a while you start seeing a calendar and stop paying attention.

Dave and Wendy used to do PAGE nearly every year. Since this ride around the Kootenay Glacier in British Columbia always takes place in September, I've always passed. Being retired, I had run out of excuses. Jim McCracken had us captive at Mt. Rainier and Linda, a sucker for any adventure, committed us to PAGE.

So while I was head over heals for PAGE, Linda expressed her enthusiam more conventionally. "I'm in cyclist's heaven," She expostualted after the first days 75 mile ride from nelson along Kootenay Lake to Kaslo and across a pass to New Denver. Later she did add somewhat ruefully, "Heaven has hills."

Picturesque doesn't do justice to this ride. If you are a desert fan, then never mind. If you like lakes, rivers, mini[-waterfalls everywhere, and a hill or two to climb, this is the ride for you. Fair warning, September in BC is problematic. Ride up into mountain valleys and you are likely to get a shower even on a nice sunny day. I managed to miss most of the rain fall but rode a good deal of pavement that was more than damp. Just depended upon where you happened to be when.

A storm brewed in New Denver bringing high winds and a drop in the temperature to just below comfortable. But it kept on blowing down Lake Slocan and settled into a calm, clear night. Should we have been rained on heavily for any period of time, we'd have risked hypothermia though. We saw 80 degrees only the last 15 miles or so on Sunday.

I'm a bit spoiled by the care OBR provides its customers. At PAGE The food was fine and plentiful but rest stops were on the economy--that is you used whatever the park service provided which wasn't always attractive. And this small time one man operation in its 14th iteration depended upon return riders to provide direction for new riders. Not a Dan Henry or an arrow sign anywhere. I spent a good deal of time wondering where I was and whether I had missed a turn. To be fair there weren't many turns. Still even the Canadian Road Department so no need to tell you more than once. You have to pay attention.

Most of the folks riding were Americans and repeat riders at that. Many came from Spokane and Sandpoint. The ride is a fund raiser for the First Baptist Church of Nelson which is fine. We had a nice opening prayer that encouraged us for being active. But it also meant that about every 3rd male cyclist under the age of 35 was probably a pastor of some kind. These kinds of groups are apt to break into song at any moment and we did get a couple ditties Saturday night.

So, why are you hanging around reading this when there's loads of pics over at Flickr?

I was reading Corrie's blog on the club meeting last Thurs. at Doug's and I realized I forgot to mention the best part of this year's bike month activities. We had a great time tracking bike miles all month towards our goal of 10,000 miles. We almost made the goal. I became a regular commuter during the challenge and I know many of us enjoyed watching the miles climb all month. This activity was fun... at least for me and I'm going to make sure we tackle the challenge again next year. Please take a look at the bike month plan for next year. I'll want help from anyone, but I think it will be a great opportunity to get more people on bikes.

Linda inspects a covered bridge near Cottage Grove.

Between Millpond Campground and the summit of Huckleberry Mt. lie 15 miles of climbing. It’s early. We left camp about 6:40 to beat the heat though this day’s ride would only be 53 miles.

The pitch is 6 or 7 percent here. I’m passing people. It’s not a race. No one cares. It’s the final day of seven and there’s no premium for being early. Not even a choice camping site to be claimed.

The pitch is 6 or 7 but my heart rate is falling. At 140 I’m comfortable, remembering to spin, to keep the bike in an easy gear, reach my knees to the handlebars and then dive my toes down and back. If I forget and push straight down, pedaling is harder. So I’m riding at recovery rate and passing people. How wonderful to be strong and fit on this final day.

Read more about this ride.

Read the Full Story