June 18: Lethbridge to Coaldale to Bike-a-thon

Distance: 103 km
Average Speed: 30.3 km/h
Riding Time: 3 hours 25
Total Time: unknown
TOTAL DISTANCE: 1450 KM!


That's it that's all. Today we rode from Lethbridge to Coaldale in the morning with Granpda under foreboding skies, and then gathered the bike-a-thon troops (over 60 this year I think) and headed out on a 90 km circuit through Raymond, Sterling, Lethbridge, and back into Coaldale. Riding with us today was multi-medalist Olympian Cindy Klassen (who is very personable and whom I suspect could have ridden quite a bit faster had she desired) as well as double digits of the Schellenberg clan, including Grandpa who decided the earlier ride into Coaldale wasn't nearly enough and who I think was the most age distinguished rider in the event. Thanks to all the volunteers aling the route who provided snacks and water etc., and to all the organizers of the bike-a-thon. It worked out very well despite the poorly placed lakes. Thanks also to Cindy for coming out to ride, it was great to have her there and I think everyone was excited, even though she was riding incognito in a helmet and sunglasses rather than her usual Team Canada attire.
It's nice to be done, although it will be a little odd to have to do something besides ride all day. Going back to work will be a bit of a shock to be sure. Either way, I'm glad we made it and stunned by the generosity with which people donated: altogether I think we made it to around $ 181,000, which as Adam explained during the sale can cover multiple yearly budgets for some of the AIDS/HIV clinics and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following are some shots of us riding with Cindy and the Fam, and some fields flooded with the water Adam and I splashed off of the roads yesterday.

June 17: Nanton to Lethbridge

Distance: 122km
Riding Time: 3 hours
Average Speed: 40.7 km/h
Total Distance: 1330 km
Total Time: 3 hours 25
Wind/Weather: Driving rain and a 50 km wind from the Northwest
Terrain: rolling hills to flat.

An odd day on the bikes today. We were soaked within minutes of leaving, and pretty cold by the time we arrived, but with the wind this was the fastest day yet. Our average would have been even higher had we not needed to turn east for 30 km and ridden leaning hard left into the wind for an hour, helped a little by Abe driving right beside us. Any time we headed south we were cruising at 45-50 km/h, and if the wind had been from the south I doubt we would have made it. Tomorrow we begin our last day of riding, 15 km into Coaldale with Grandpa and then 90km on the bike-a-thon. Adam tells me the total raised has exceeded 180,000, which was gratifying on a day like today when it was difficult to keep riding. No photos from me today because of the crappy weather, although Abe took a few of us looking pretty nonplussed from the van. Looking forward to riding with Cindy Klassen tomorrow and then the end. Thanks for reading.

June 16: Rest Day

Finally.

Distance: 0
Avg Speed: 0
Time: 0
Weather/Wind/Terrain: N/A

June 15: Calgary to Nanton

Day 10

Distance: 120ish
Average Speed: 26ish
Total Distance: 1200ish
Riding Time: 4 hours 40
Total Time: 7 hours
Wind/Weather: Wind out of the north, rain in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon
Terrain: City bike paths and rolling hills south of the city

Today we started riding with over 40 junior high students from Menno Simons who stayed with all the way to Sikome Lake at the very south end of the city. Despite the foul weather and long distance, the vast majority of students rode the whole way, and it was a lot of fun to be riding in such a big group. Adam got our first flat of the trip a few kms from Sikome Lake, and so most of the kids beat us to the weiner roast that was our final destination, though thankfully they left us a few. After a late lunch at around 3, Adam and I set out again to reach Nanton at around 5:30 pm, all in all a very long day time wise. Luckily our rest day was to follow. Highlights included enthusiastic kids, staying at Dad's, and knowing we didn't have to ride at all the next day.

June 14: Watervalley to Calgary

Day 9

Distance: 91.5 km
Average Speed: 29.3 km
Riding Time:3 hours 7
Total Time: 4 hours
Total Distance: 1097 km
Wind/Weather: cloudy, high of 13, wind from the northwest 10 km
Terrain: rolling hills



Day 9 and back in Calgary for a few nights. A refreshing ride today compared the the heat of the last few days: I've always liked riding in cooler weather a little better. We stopped in Water Valley for a brief interview with the Hitching Post and a sendoff from the zealous Valaqua folk, and then headed to Calgary. Heather joined old-hand support driver Kim today, and was assuredly the most vocal supporter we have had so far. It's too bad she wasn't around earlier as her out-the-window-passing skills are second to none. We rolled into the Menno Simons parking lot around 3 and after a brief meet and greet with some of the riders joining us tomorrow morning, were of to resupply and rest. Looking forward to some comparatively short days and a bit of a tailwind tomorrow, and hoping for little to no rain. The majority of our mileage is now over and it will be nice to ride at a more relaxed pace for a while. Not many pictures today due to the foreboding clouds, but I'll post some anyway.

June 13: Caroline to Back in the Fold

Distance: 84 km
Average Speed: 24.8 km/h
Riding Time: 3 hours 22
Total Time: 4 hours 30
Total Distance: 1006 km
Wind/Weather: Sunny and hot, high 24, wind to the face once again though less of a factor because...

Day 8

Huge crowd today, took the bite off of the wind to ride behind 6 other people. We met Byron, Jeff, Eli, and Ing in Caroline and they joined Adam, Michael and I on our ride to Cremonesque. A shorter day with a more relaxed pace, conversations abounded (though not for our support driver, whose conversation with Paul Kennedy was a little one sided) and the ride went much more quickly with company, partly due to Eli's multiple attacks on the field and Adams constant countering. It feels like we're back in home territory, one day out of Calgary and the family presence we've felt electronically the whole trip was out in physical force: we passed Grandma and Grandpa waiting like Tifosi as Jeff, Adam and I battled for the Primes in the last 20 km, and Dad and Sylvia joined us for supper as well. Scads of pictures today, so I'll pick the best few:





Thanks for reading and all the support.

June 12: Drayton Valley to almost Caroline

Day 7

Distance: 141 km
Average Speed: 26.6 km/h
Riding Time: 5 hours 17
Total Time: 6 hours 30
Total Distance: 922 km
Weather/Wind: Headwind again all day, getting progressively stronger, sunny all day, high of 24.
Terrain: Hills. All day. Over and over.



Okay, Day 7. We've gone almost 100o km in 7 days, and it's starting to take a toll. The headwind is very frustrating as well, and it seems we have to work harder to go shorter distances every day. At the end of the day we saw a sign to Caroline that we thought said 4 km and decided to press on, but when it actually said 8 km that was game, and the wind bent our wills back to the hotel. Tomorrow is the beginning of sub 100 days for a while, and we will be joined by several other riders hailing from Cremona, then to Jeff and Ing's for night before our final approach into Calgary. On a side note, Rod and Michael tried to poison me with nuts today, but I was one step ahead. I'll have to keep an eye on those guys. No riding photos today, but the scenery is getting epic. We caught our first glimpse of the Rockies as we stopped for lunch, unsure whether it was snow or cloud, but now we are definitely in Southern Alberta, and the western horizon is reassuringly jagged. This is what I feel like after a day of wind and hills.

June 11: Just Short of Mayerthorpe to Drayton Valley

Day 6

Distance: 101 km
Riding Time: 3 hours 57
Average Speed: 25.6 km/h
Total Time: 4 hours 45
Total Distance: 781 km
Weather/Wind: Another south headwind today, though less of a factor than yesterday, mostly sunny with a few clouds, high of 19.
Terrain: Getting into shorter steeper hills.



Good day today all round. We had a new rider with us, as Michael Harms decided to throw down a cool 100 km on his first day on a new bike. He did pretty well too, though he looked a little bushed by the end. Rod performed admirably yet again, although he admits boredom and sleepdom a little more quickly with no company in the car. I'm surprised he's not asleep within about 5 minutes, particularly since our average speed is dropping as we progress into steeper, hillier terrain. Great hotel today, free accommodation and they wrote us encouraging letters, which I think is above and beyond. We are done our longer days, although we may press a little tomorrow to get to Caroline instead of our planned stop in Rocky Mountain House. We'll see. Tomorrow and the next day once again, we bend our flagging wills against the wind.

June 10: Just Past Little Smokey to Happy Birthday Kaelin

Distance: 161 km
Average Speed: 29.4 km/h
Riding Time: 5 hours 29
Total Distance: 679 km
Wind/Weather: Headwind again almost all day, sun, clouds, rain, hail, sun again.
Terrain: Rolling hills.

Another long day today, though broken up a little. We left around 11 this morning into a headwind and by the time we rolled in to Whitecourt it was hailing so hard it stung the face. I don't think Adam could even see for a couple kms due to his lack of cap and shades. The storm passed though, and after a brief respite in the hotel in Whitecourt we pressed on for another 35 km to just short of Mayerthorpe, which is where we turn south on the 22. New drivers today as well (Michael and Rod), who have taken to support driving like fish who know how to support drive. Following are a few too many sunset shots from last night, and some shots from after the rain. Adams bike looks like he was riding cyclocross, and neither of our drivetrains sound very good at the moment.

June 9: Donnelly Corner to just past Little Smokey

Distance: 124 km
Average Speed: 30.1 km/h
Riding Time: 4 hours 10
Total Time: 5 hours
Total Distance: 518 km
Weather/Wind: Killer headwind in the morning, calming slightly for the rest of the day, mostly cloudy and we stopped when it began to rain.
Terrain: Gentle to rolling hills, getting steeper as we get into the foothills.

Rough start to the day today with an excellent headwind that made the first half hour seem like a whole day. It died down after 45 minutes or so but remained present all day. I suspect as we get farther south the wind is going to be pretty much from the south west, so I suppose we'll have to get used to it. The pictures are of what I look at for 4 hours a day, and my drivetrain which didn't look as cool as I thought.

June 8: Dixonville to Donnelly Corner

Distance: 120 km
Riding Time: 4 hours 10
Total Time: 6 hours
Average Speed: 28.7 km/h
Total Distance: 393 km
Weather/Wind: Mainly sunny day, 12 in the morning warming to 18 in the afternoon, 10-15 km headwind all day.
Terrain: Gently rolling terrain with a 5 km descent and climb out of Peace River.

Today seemed about on par with yesterday effort-wise, despite being 40 km shorter. This was largely due to the headwind we were fighting all day, and in part to the 5 km hill out of Peace River, although it was a pleasant climb having level recovery sections in all the right places. The sun also plays a part I think, just being exposed to the heat all day takes it out of you little faster. Highlights of the day included seeing 3 live moose and (lowlight) one dead, and rolling into town a few hours earlier than normal due to a slightly earlier start and shorter day. Legs are starting to feel the effort, but hopefully that will just be due to the longer day yesterday. Looking forward to getting south of Edmonton where our cohorts will join us. The pictures are of us being interviewed (well) for a tiny paper, tiny us (about half way up) climbing a largish hill, and Kim's excellent shot of a miniature (tiny) moose.

June 7: Past the Junction to Dixonville

Day 2



Distance: 160 km
Riding Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours
Average Speed: 33.2 km/h
Total Distance: 273.64 km
Weather/Wind: Cool and cloudy in the morning, warmer into the evening, high of 18, wind from the north 20km/h.
Terrain: Very gradual hills with a few steeper sections.

Another good day on the bikes, no exhaustion or crashes or emergencies or drivers falling asleep from the boredom yet. After lunch at an odd little place called Twin Lakes Paradise, where Kim purchased an inspiriational T-shirt for me, I experienced on of the most perfect hours I've ever had on a bike. The temperature was perfect, and with the tailwind and gentle hills we traveled over 40 kms in an hour with what seemed like no effort. It was exquisite. But then we travelled 65 more kms and that seemed a little harder. That's right, full century today, and it's probably a good thing because if we hadn't done it today, we would have had to ride a surprise 180ish tomorrow, due to late reshufflings etc. in the riding schedule. Anyway, here are some pictures, none of which involve actually riding a bike, but it turns out there is a Deadwood in Alberta too.

June 6: La Crete to the Highway 35 Junction and beyond...

Day One



Distance: 113 km
Riding Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Average Speed: 30.6 km
Total Distance: 113km
Weather/Wind: High 21, alternately sunny and cloudy, winds from NW 20km, largely crosswind with some tailwinds.
Terrain: Mostly flat with a moderate hill down and up at Tompkins Landing Ferry.

All in all an auspicious beginning. Traffic is light, wind is from acceptable directions, and our fearless support drivers are trapped in a perpetual playground zone. We dined quickly though not ungratefully at Anne's daughter's house in La Crete following a lengthy service, and then departed amid much local media fanfare. While I'll admit I've ridden on more interesting roads, the country up here is stunning and, due to the prevailing north wind and south sun, everything that pokes it's leafy head out of the soil leans to the south, which reassures me we're heading in the right direction. The ferry was a particular highlight. And Anne seems to see someone she knows every half hour or so. Enjoy the pictures.