Catching Kelowna

Erik, Brad & Kirsti ride it out.

The past few days on the bike have been incredible. It has been incredibly hard, incredibly demanding and incredibly beautiful. Cycling is like that. A good ride combines a perfect amount of suffering with the right amount of reward. An easy coast around the block doesn’t leave you with the satisfaction of putting in a good honest effort and testing your body’s capabilities. Conversely, it’s no fun maxing yourself out into the red zone to the point of spotty vision and dizziness. The perfect day on the bike challenges your physical limitations without killing you.

The ride on Highway 5A between Merritt and Kamloops may just be among the most amazing bike rides I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was the ideal mix of rolling hills, no wind, beautiful weather and even more beautiful scenery. It was not the beautiful lakes dotting the desert landscape that made that day so amazing however. It was the pure feeling of setting your tires to the road and having perfect freedom. Just like the first day Dad takes the training wheels off your first bike and the simple act of riding to the end of the street fills your heart with joy.

           

This morning we set out for Kelowna hoping for a repeat of the day before. The weather seemed to be cooperating as the sun shone over the Okanagen Valley but our invisible nemesis, wind, made the day very challenging. This was also the first day of our ride where we were under a time constraint. We promised the BGC in Kelowna that we’d be in at 2pm to play road hockey with the kids and we didn’t want to be late. After some tough miles into the wind, we welcomed some help. Our friend, Kirsti Lay, a speed skater from Vernon, BC, joined us to get us into Kelowna on time. As much as cycling is largely an individual effort, there are cooperative aspects to it as well. Cyclists often use a technique called “drafting” where one cyclist ride in front of the other, breaking the wind for the person behind them. In doing this, the rider in front carries a much harder workload while the rider behind uses considerably less effort to maintain the same speed. By alternating who rides in front, the workload is shared and the day is a lot easier. Especially with the wind blowing like it was, it was great having a strong rider like Kirsti helping out.

We arrived at the Kelowna club to a road hockey game already in progress. We were a little slow out there after our ride but we had a great time playing with the kids. I signed a few autographs and they presented me with a sweatshirt and a water bottle (that will come in handy!) from their club. I even met an old friend of mine from my elementary school in London so with the night free I was able to relax at his house and catch up over a well-deserved cold one. Tomorrow we’re headed to Revelstoke and back into the mountains. I’m starting to look forward to those flat prairies.

Brad

Merritt & More Part 1

As I sit back and reflect on the last few days, its hard to take it all in. It seems more like a month than three days. So much has happened it is difficult to distill it all down to one or two overriding themes.

As much as we’ve been preparing for months and we’ve been away from home for almost a week now, it felt like everything started as soon as we stepped into the Kimount Boys and Girls Club in Vancouver. When we walked up to the front door of the Club there was no way any of us could have imagined the beehive of activity going on inside the modest building, hardly any bigger than the houses around it. As it turns out, the Kimount club was the first club to be built specifically for the BGC in all of Western Canada. The kids were bustling all around the club and Joel, a supervisor, showed us around. Our tour finished in the gym where the kids were anxiously getting ready for a floor hockey game.

Big welcome & thanks from the kids

The goalies stretched and the other kids picked out their sticks while Dad was introduced and he told them what we were doing. The support from the kids was unimaginable. They had made a sign on the wall and presented us with a tee shirt all the kids signed with their words of encouragement. We finally got down to business and started playing hockey. Canucks Alumni Bob Murray and I joined one team while Dad went to the other. The competition was fierce and the kids really had us running. In the end my team won. I think it had something to do with our strategy. While waiting for our shift one kid, maybe 11 years old, said to me, “You and Bob play forward next shift.” I said, “Well I thought we’d put all the speed up front?” To which he replied, “Yeah but I have a better shot so pass it to me on the point!”

After the game Dad signed some autographs and the kids all wished us good luck and gave us high fives and hugs goodbye. After spending just a few short hours with these amazing kids it’s easy to see why this ride is so important. Kids need a place to be kids, a place where they have a positive environment to grow and play. It’s amazing how a few nets, some sticks, and a fun game of hockey can bring together kids of so many different ages and backgrounds.

When we woke up the morning of the 25^th and got all our gear on and loaded up the car, we were excited to do the Kimount BGC proud. We went to Kitsilano beach and dipped our tires in the Ocean. Some new friends from Visalus and my uncle, along with a few of his friends came to see us off. My uncle is a minister and blessed us for our ride and we were off. We didn’t have much time to enjoy the early excitement, however as 15 minutes into our ride, we were lost. Trying to weave our way out of Vancouver, our heart-warming Father-Son ride quickly turned into frustration before we rendezvoused with Mom. We quickly re-evaluated the route and got back on track. On the open road toward Hope we finally settled into a rhythm and could enjoy the scenery as we headed into the mountains. Even then, we weren’t without challenges. It was chilly and very rainy and a local told us there were cougar sightings in the area. We were quite relieved to roll into Hope and stretch out after our first day of riding.

Erik ( Co-pilot and son)