300 k Rando - May 14

Twenty years ago, I drove the road between Revelstoke and Mica Dam in order to research an article I was writing for BC Hydro about the servicing of the huge turbines. If you had told me back then that someday I would cycle that 300 kilometre route in 11 hours and 25 minutes (37 minutes faster than last year's 300 k & a lot more climbing) with a husband who shares the same passion for pain, you can imagine my response.

And yet, here I am, 20 years later, when I really should be getting smarter, choosing to cycle a route with over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing on a lovely Saturday with my husband when we could be doing something so much less uncomfortable like cutting the lawn (it really needs to be cut one of these days).

But where would be the great stories in that? Where would be the spousal bonding? I tell Chris he really knows how to show a girl a good time. And honestly, there were times (specifically in the beginning of the ride) where I felt a sense of euphoria and wouldn�t have chosen to be anywhere else but alongside a glassy lake with snow-capped mountains reflecting on that perfect surface with the sun warming our skin and the bears, cariboo and deer staring at us like we came from Mars.

The checkpoints were evenly spaced at 75, 150 & 225 kms. Just after 75, I failed to signal toward a sharp rock in time and Chris flatted. Coming into the turnaround CP at Mica, I realized the cruel reality that they really meant "Dam to Dam" and we had a 2 km climb to the top of Mica Dam.

The temperature went from 4 degrees in the morning to 28 degrees by the afternoon as we were heading back toward Revelstoke. We found a perfect rhythm of Chris pacing me up the hills and me pulling on the downhills and flats. I found out a can climb just fine when I've worn down my husband with the first 150 kilometres.

After the 225 km CP our heads were foggy. The heat was intense. The layers came off and the last two bottles disappeared fast. I refilled in a mountain stream and hoped for the best. The goal of beating the women's fastest time in the BC Randonneur Club disappeared (I was 40 minutes too slow), but with that much climbing, it wasn't a course for breaking records (especially for someone who prefers the flats).

After starting the adventure at 6 am, we finished at 5:25 pm. I was struck by the anti-climactic finish. No finishing chute... no cheering. Just a long drive home with extra caffeine and sugar to keep us alert. Ian Fillinger from Kamloops came in at 4 pm (I thought about trying to stick with him off the start, but that only lasted to the first climb). The other riders were in around 9 pm and midnight.

Damage: bruised seat bones and a left hand that has quit working properly.
Otherwise... looking forward to the Women's Ride this weekend in the Kootenays and the 400 k on the 28th.