Tuesday June 27, 2006 Spencer Bridge Distance: 144km Temperature 46 degrees Very tired this evening-had a hell of a ride in oppressive 46 degree heat (measured on route by one of the Ozzi’s bike mounted thermometer. We knew it was going to be a scorcher when we left at 7:30 this morning with warm air already swirling around our legs as we set off. We’re very slow to get going in the morning, as we were the last to leave, before the galley crew who has to clean everything up before heading out. Again, we rode beside and towards mountains that were cloaked in an early morning blue mist which seemed to evaporate near mid-morning. The geography of the ride was noticeably different, as although it started off lush and green, the landscape gradually changed to a dryer, craggy-rock. Our ride started off with a glorious descent, that had us wind through various canyons. To get through the mountains, they have blasted through the rock, resulting in numerous, nerve wracking tunnels-seven of whic...
Posts
Monday June 26, 2006 Day 2: Hope Distance: 88 km Max speed: 75.2 km/hour Temperature 38 degrees We got up this morning really early (or really early for me) at 6:00am. Turns out we are both slow (I will share some blame with Lewis) in getting ready, as we were one of the last groups to leave camp this morning. As punishment for my slovenliness, I missed out on the hot oatmeal and was forced to eat cold slop (not really, but I wanted oatmeal.) Off we went at about 7:30-ish, riding into a cool morning. The route took us along country roads, and then onto what turned out to be more of a highway for a while, with monster trucks zooming by us-sucking us along in their wake for a couple of glorious seconds. Since we knew the temperature was going to hit 38, we pushed the pace, and soon passed most of our group. This is not, I am sure, what Dale Carnegie would suggest in his classic book, ‘how to win friends and influence people’, but we didn’t want to dawdle and get caught in the upcoming in...
Sunday June 25, 2006 Our first official ride of the Tour! Our route took us from UBC to Spanish Banks where we had a group photo taken, and then did the ceremonial dipping of the tires in the Pacific Ocean-I thought that I wouldn’t care for this ceremony, but after thinking that we’d be ending our ride on the opposite side of the country on the Atlantic side, I couldn’t help myself from shoving my tire firmly into the ocean. We then took a route that lead us through Burnaby, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and then I am not sure after that. It’s nice to meet the places that I have heard about on the news for various reasons or another. I’m running out of adjectives to describe the magnificent scenery; it really is breathtaking countryside, with the view of snow-capped mountains in the background. It’s quite ironic riding in intense heat, with the snow within sight; I kept thinking that at any minute we’d enjoy a soothing, cool current of chilling mountain air that happened to cascade from ...