Shawn Wenger's attempt at 600km Randoneer Ride

600 k Randonneur Ride � Banff to Jasper and back

Stage One: Banff to Lake Louise � 78 k � 5 am to 8 am
It�s 5 am and the rain we�ve had all night is down to a drizzle. It�s still dark as I follow Chris down the hill from Tunnel Mountain Campground toward Banff Avenue. The lights look spooky and I hope there are no elk lurking in the bushes alongside the shining wet pavement. He have to add extra mileage around the Minewanka Loop before we head out onto the highway for Lake Louise. I�m glad we don�t have to add this at the end. Once we get on the 1A Highway I�m having flashbacks to last year when Jenny & I did the Banff Bike Festival Stage Race and I described it as tossing guppies into the shark tank. I�m not sure why I forgot how the elevation affected me back then. It�s all coming back to me. Before we even get to the first check point at Lake Louise, I�m alternating between gasping for air and falling asleep. I can�t get my heart rate up on the climbs because my lungs won�t support the effort and my muscles are starved for fuel so they�re already burning.

Stage Two: Lake Louise to Saskatchewan Crossing � 79 k � 8 am to 11:30 am
The climb up to Bow Summit isn�t so bad, but when the highway goes from two lane to three to accommodate a passing lane, the shoulder disappears and the buses don�t budge when they pass. Add rain and new, slick pavement and I�m getting a bit rattled. At least it�s waking me up. Then, we have to stop to fix a flat. I�m still feeling terrible and starting to despair, sure now that none of this ride is going to feel good and it�s an awfully long time when none of it feels effortless. When we ride past my inlaws and my 10-year-old son Ethan cheering on the sidelines (did I mention we are the only ones out here doing this event?), I�m smiling at them, but the tears are flowing freely behind my glasses and the sound of my sobs is lost in the wind.

Stage Three: Saskatchewan Crossing to Icefield Centre � 55 k � 11:30 am to 2 pm
The climb from the Saskatchewan Glacier valley to the height of Sunwapta pass where the water decides which way to flow is long and brutal. It�s just the grade that brings me to my knees and I can only watch Chris relentlessly slip away as the elastic band breaks between us.

Stage Four: Icefield Centre to Sunwapta Falls � 48 km � 2 pm to 4 pm
For some reason I�m thinking after the Icefield Centre it�s all downhill to Jasper. I guess that�s true except for the uphill parts. And then there�s the rough pavement that feels like an unending cattleguard with wrungs about 6 inches apart. My hands are going numb and my shoulders are tensing. It�s too rough for the aerobars. I need to be able to react to avoid the holes in the road. When we roll into the Sunwapta check point, I�m finally getting the feeling that I�m ready to roll. �Here we go. I�ve hit my groove.�

Stage Five: Sunwapta Falls to Jasper � 60 k � 4 pm to 6 pm
316 km � average 26.2 km/hr
I feel amazing. I am finally doing some pulls at the front. After a bit more rough pavement, we�re on black, smooth asphalt and the only obstacles are the occasional parking lots we encounter when all the RVs pull over to photograph the roadside wildlife. I roll into Jasper on a high. The caffeine pills and chocolate covered coffee beans are finally kicking in. The sun is shining and we are on pace for a 26 hour ride. When we pull out at 6 pm, heading for home, I�m sure we can do it.

Stage Six: Jasper to Sunwapta Falls � 60 k � 6 pm � 9:30 pm
The feeling of euphoria is wearing off. We are climbing up toward Sunwapta Falls and I am hurting. I�ve never had a race where the downs have far outnumber the ups. When I round a corner and see the endless, relentless 2 km hill (and I can see it from bottom to top), I quickly drop my gaze to the pavement just in front of my front tire and vow never to look up again. I don�t need to see Chris leaving me in the dust again. When he stops to wait for me in a deserted pullout, I am barely turning the pedals over. As soon as my feet are on the ground, I start to cry. He doesn�t say much. He just holds on to me for a while. When we finally pull into Sunwapta Falls, it�s getting dusky. If Chris wants to quit at this point, I won�t try to talk him out of it. Instead, we eat some stew and get back on the bikes.

Stage Seven: Sunwapta Falls to Icefield Centre � 48 km � 9:30 pm � midnight & 4 am to 6 am
The original plan was to push on to the Icefield Centre and sleep there for a couple of hours before pushing on. But here I am in the dark, alongside the thankfully deserted highway, and once again I�m falling asleep. I�ve had Red Bull, caffeine pills, chocolate covered coffee beans and sips of the Coke Chris is carrying in his jersey pocket. We are singing every Springsteen song we can think of at the top of our lungs which is hard since we are still climbing. Sometimes I�m just lip syncing. When we see the truck and camper in a pullout, we opt to pull over for a sleep. I am so thankful we have the support of Chris�s parents and Ethan, but in another way, it makes it too easy to stop. We get to sleep at midnight and are up at 4 am to eat and get back on the bike. I can�t figure out why we�re prolonging this agony, but Chris keeps strapping his helmet on, so I just follow suit. We arrive at the Icefield Centre after another nasty climb and have breakfast before heading off again.

Stage Eight: Icefield Centre to infinity... 6 am � 7 am & we�re done
I should have the feeling that we�re almost home, but as we pass the trail to Parker Ridge it�s still raining. Chris says his thermometer reads minus four and as we start the first of two huge descents, we can feel our wheels slipping like we�re riding on marbles. I�m losing my nerve, but I know I can limp down if I need to. Chris looks at me now as if he wants me to make the decision. I tell him I�d have quit a long time ago, so it�s up to him. The camper pulls over, we load up the bikes and climb in. It is way too easy to quit. Without vehicle support, we would have no choice but to continue or flag down a passing tourist, and at that time of day, there aren�t many. As we drive back to Banff through the driving rain storms, I�m thankful. Chris is already feeling the remorse, but honestly, this time, I have already let it go.

Summary:
14,000 vertical feet of climbing
435 km
Average 23.7 km/hr while on the bike
18 hours & 16 minutes on the bike � 26 hours total time
12, 472 calories

Epilogue:
Right after the pin was pulled, we started our trip across the country to ride the Viking Trail on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland with my inlaws and our son Ethan. Other than having two bikes stolen in Quebec City (Ethan�s & Ferdi�s (Chris�s dad) while visiting Chris�s sister and waiting for Chris to fly across and join us, we are having an amazing trip. Ethan isn�t riding as much as he planned since the mountain bike he borrowed from his cousin is a lot heavier than the road bike that was stolen off our locked bike rack. Ferdi bought a beautiful new bike, so that turned out well. We�ve seen icebergs, beautiful east coast shorelines and all the varied terrain Canada has to offer including the stunning section along Lake Superior and the awesome vastness of the prairie sky. We�ve celebrated our 16th anniversary and Ferdi�s 77th birthday and Ethan�s 11th birthday is next. This is the life. There will be other 600�s. Next time I�ll be looking for a course closer to sea level and maybe with slightly less climbing.