Get yourself to the start line
I mean it.
Okay, I don’t mean sacrifice really important things like your health or your family, but beyond that, get to the start line. Give yourself a shot at a lifetime experience. Whatever the start line is for you, give yourself a chance and at least try. If we don’t try, if we don’t put ourselves out there, how will we ever see what we are capable of?
I want everyone to experience the feeling of accomplishment and success like I have recently. It’s a motiviator and reminder that we we got life. We got this.
If you have been following me then you’d know that I took a month off work to go and explore the west coast and participate in the TransRockies Gravel Royale. If you continued to follow then you’d know that the event was cancelled due to an influx of hospitalizations of the interior of BC with Covid and the wildfires, and therefore restrictions were put in place in order to manage the hospitals.
I was gutted. I understood but I was super disappointed.
Not getting the start line wasn’t an option for me.
I didn’t really know what it was going to look like. Who I would be riding with, if anyone and how I would manage the complete unexpected turn: Attempting stages unsupported in the Canadian Rockies.
Day 0 – I drive to Panorama Mountain Resort as I already had my hotel reserved and was heading to meet this lovely human Megan who I met on Instagram. And by met, I mean I saw her comment on the Gravel Royale page and chatted a bit about meeting and seeing if we could tackle Stage 1 together.
When I arrived, I met Megan and her boyfriend Jessie and we instantly hit it off. We agreed to meet in Invermere (a good return point to come back and get my car) and then head to course and finish in Nipika. Throwing caution to the wind I had a lovely meal for dinner, got my gear ready and prepared myself to meet Megan and head out on our first adventure together.
Stage 1 – Kicking off at the Tim Hortons in Invermere meant that you were starting up the climb pretty quickly. This is not a full gravel route per say, but some steep climbing, pushing a bike up an old ATV rocky trail for about 5km and then pushing the bike AGAIN up a hiking trail till you traverse a part of the mountain. From there, you’ll have opportunities to get on your bike and then fly downhill on a un-serviced old forest road where you will most likely see beautiful flowers as you flow down the road and some cows snacking on some treats along the way. AyyyyOhhhhh is a good sound to throw out there and give them a heads up that you’re approaching.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/73824411?privacy_code=R9k5MsJsa2hjNUhU
When you arrive in Nipika you can see the wonderous beauty of this area. It’s an absolutely stunning property with beautiful cottages, warm and friendly staff that would help drive me back to my car and return to day 2.
Note - Apologies for using this specific photo slide setting, but the images were blurry otherwise.
Stage 2 – This is a loop that starts and finishes in Nipika. With the excitement of completing Stage 1 we opted to head out and welcome our new friend James for this adventure. Thanks to James for having done part of the course the previous day, we were in good hands.
Much of this ride is very rideable and there’s no pushing of the bike up crazy ATV trails! This route offers a nice 13km climb that will offer you some scenic views of nature, the mountains and other riders along the way.
Don’t fret however, you will be welcomed with some traversing in the back country and 3 km of cleared trails to traverse and catch the other side of the mountain and head down a 15km descent of pure and utter bliss!
The group agreed that this was by far better than day one’s adventures and we thoroughly enjoyed the views and the time spent in the wilderness.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/73892226?privacy_code=NOyGFizhmjSh7uh2
Stage 3 -This had me cycling solo for the day and I went and explored the finish line at Canal Flatts. I can completely appreciate how beautiful it would be to head into the final km’s of this stage and enjoy most beautiful turquoise water that I’ve ever seen!
Stage 4 – This was a modified stage as getting a drop off point halfway through this stage proves to be difficult unless you have an AWD vehicle. Given that we had an RV it was best to start in a different location.
This beautiful starting point was at Bull River Falls! I will tell you though, the gravel is not for the faint of heart! It was rough at the beginning for myself as my tires are not as thick and I didn’t have the setup for this type of gravel. We pushed through and managed to have all the roads to ourselves once we were in the heart of the ride, and even managed to see a moose! Rolling hills, quiet river sounds, and lush green forests made this my favourite ride of the trip.
At the end of the ride, I felt accomplished, proud and so very happy.
I was getting to the start line.
I was putting myself out there.
I was asking for help in reaching my goals.
I wanted a teammate and accountability buddy to come along for the ride.
I allowed myself to feel nervous and excited about the unknown.
I trusted my training, my new friend and that we share the same vision. To smile and be grateful that we have met one another.
I welcome and know, that whatever is thrown my way, I’m ready.
Bring it on.
Smiles and sunshine for a final day of riding! This is what it all came down to at the end of the day. New friendships, memories and experiences. Till next year my friend. Hugs.
