Day # 5 - BC Bike Race

Tough start today. Police escort but still sprint over short sharp hills through Sechelt with heart rate through the roof in the first 5 mins, then into a granny gear steep climb up through a construction zone. Single track started, although freshly made single track, equals very bumping and lots of effort to ride it! We were all over the place and felt like beginner riders ... haha.

So still climbing we came to our first fun descent. Karen was in front but I was confident I would catch her at the end of the day with the 10km downhill to the finish at the ferry, but to pass her half way through the course on the side of the trail with a snapped frame. She is out of the race.
We went into our last climb of the day, but this was a monster of a hill, luckly it was a trail climb and not fire and fully shaded as it was a smoken hot day out there. After the never ending hill, I was feeling wiped. I am not eating enough out there. My legs feel good, but my energy levels are super low. We came into the last food aid station to be told we were 3km's from the peak and it was all downhill after that. I was around a new crowd today (and yesterday) as my usual group are stronger climbers so were ahead of me. We hit the final descent for the day, a well talked about trail called 'hwy 102'. Wow this thing went forever. I was on a mission to catch the first ferry so I could get home earlier in Nth Van, I was loving the trail and caught a bunch of people. Parts where kind of sketchy with the condition we are in. eg not much co-ordination or balance left by day 5, so judgement and concentration had to be at 100% across the log bridges and tight turns.

I rolled into the finish and straight on the ferry. At home now, getting bike dialed at John Henry Bikes and sleeping in own bed before another early rise to head up to squamish for day 6. Another tough start for tomorrows course, straight into a pavement climb, so I will get stuck behind everyone when we bottle neck into single track, but will push as hard as I can to not drop back too far :)

Megan