Day 5 - Grand Forks to Trail 105 km

Thank goodness, this hard day is done! I'm writing this in Trail, BC, after a grueling but relatively short climb after leaving Grand Forks this morning. Sitting around the breakfast table at the Grand Forks hotel, we were all a bit nervous about this ride. We had just finished that massive climb out of Osoyoos the day before, and now this. The good news, if there was any to be had during breakfast, was that the real climbing today did not start until we were just past Christina Lake, about twenty kilometers outside of Grand Forks. At least we could digest our meal !!

Breakfast in Grand Forks. Susan and Tom Evans is closest to the photo. Tom is a volunteer who has been assisting Joyce Taylor and has been a huge help driving our support van this tour-->

<--Here was the route we took today, plotted by my Garmin GPS

<-- Our elevation profile. For details of the route, including a larger map, click here

As we left Grand Forks, we passed lush valleys and fields filled with wild flowers, which gradually gave way to broad forested hills leading to Christina Lake.

There is also abundant wild life in the region. Several of the riders spotted deer. Two riders came across a black bear, and one found two wolves looking on with interest as we rode by. The Christina Lake area itself is quite lovely, and a favorite summer holiday destination. I would have loved to have stopped to explore a bit, but we were all anxious to get the climb over with.

Once we left the low valleys and broad, short hills outside of Grand Forks, the climb from Christina Lake onward was gradual, but relentless.

<--Starting the ascent just outside of Christina lake

A view of Christina Lake at the beginning of our ascent-->

Towards the latter third of the 30 kilometer climb, the grade increased to eight percent, reaching at times, nine percent. Then, just as we approached Paulson Summit through Bonanza Pass, a blast of wind hit us, swirling over the ridge. I had to kick in every reserve I had to get up and over the hill, telling myself 'I'm nearly, there... I'm nearly there!'. The descent on the other side into Rossland, and the 10% grade from Rossland into Trail made the hard work worth the effort. A fast descent is part of the joy of long distance cycling!

<--Susan, at our lunch break at the junction of Highway 3B leading to Rossland. My trusty Trek 5200 carbon fibre bike with its aerobars is in the background.

We rolled into the Ray Lynn motel on the outskirts of Trail, at the bottom of the big descent from Rossland. Exhausted, I put my bike in the room, fell on the bed and was asleep in seconds. I woke with a start about an hour later.... still fully clothed in my bike gear and cycling shoes! I'm feeling much better now. I was glad the ride today was relatively short, so we arrived in early enough to rest, get showered and organized before dinner.

Dinner at Benedict's restaurant, just across the street from our motel, was excellent. I treated myself to french onion soup, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, figuring that I needed to have some "quality" calories to replenish what I've been burning up these past few days. No worries about eating a huge meal when doing a ride like this! During dinner, I had an opportunity to chat with Trevor, who said that, for him, this trip has been hugely significant. His words rang true: this tour is all about making a difference.

I only have to look around at my fellow riders and the wonderful folks supporting the ride and see that each has a story, all highly personal, that brought them onto this tour. It is quite unlike any other long distance ride I've been on. For not only are they facing huge challenges riding up mountains that would be daunting to anyone, but they are also facing, and overcoming huge personal challenges themselves just to be on this ride, and, as Trevor said, to make a difference. If you have not read the bios of the riders, located here , please take the opportunity to do so when you get a moment.

Roy, the chef, who has served GearUp4CF rides in previous years, came out after dinner to chat with us. Although the restaurant does not normally open until 11:00 in the morning, he offered to warm up his kitchen for breakfast tomorrow at 7:00am. The goodwill and support we have received during this ride has been tremendous.

Roy, with Simon on the left, and James on the right (John is behind James, hidden from view) -->

We're all psyched up for tomorrow's journey. By all accounts, the route, from Trail to Creston will be the most difficult one of the entire tour. After cycling fifty kilometers of variable terrain, we will suddenly be faced with a near constant 8% percent climb over 25 kilometers. The result is expected to be a vertical ascent of close to 4200 feet, over twice that of Cypress mountain. After that, we descend for over 30 kilometers into Creston. So far, my body is holding up well. No huge aches or pains. Incredibly, my average heart rate was only 121 bpm today. Maybe I'm not working hard enough?? Tomorrow, I'll need to, so I'd better turn in for bed now. Assuming I have reliable Internet access, I'll provide a report in the evening.