Normally, I’d be skiing this time of year; however, this is not a normal year. It is much hotter than normal and the leaves are already out! To celebrate the early summer weather, I decided to do a Traditional Triangle. The Traditional Triangle is the first real road ride I completed. It is approximately 310 km of hills. True, there are some flat spots but it’s the hills that stick in your memory best.
The trip starts in my hometown of Chetwynd, British Columbia. I ride through Hudson’s Hope and then stay in Ft. St. John. I pass through Taylor and miss Dawson Creek by about 20 km. I take 97 back to Chetwynd. The real triangle would include Dawson Creek but the day is only so long.
I started at least one hour after I had planned. It was nearly 9:30 by the time I was out on the highway 29. Just as I was leaving, I got the idea that taking a headlight would not be a bad idea. After all it is still April so it will not stay light forever. I checked it and the light was nearly dead. Oh great, 4 brand new double A’s and they are dead. Instead of dealing with it, the light was left on the workbench. I was planning on doing a report on my new LED light and right now the reviews are not looking favorable.
Finally, after the last bit of running around trying to get organized, I am on the road. Allowing 12 hours for the ride to Ft. St. John, I will arrive there at approximately… an hour after dark. OK, less scenery admiration and more pedaling. For the first 3 hours, I kept everything rolling quite well. The only time I stopped was to take my coat off at the bottom of the first big hill and then but it back on at the top. Going down the Hudson’s Hope Hill was lot of fun. My new Schwalbe 38s make the bike feel so much more stable. I never touched the brakes once and did not overly worry about crumbly pavement or crack lines. The first town is Hudson’s Hope: 63 km from home. After some warm-up hill climbing, it is time for lunch. The real hills are yet to come.
I stopped in one of the few eating choices. The waitress was obviously knowledgeable about biking. She was talking to me about my past trips and noted that I had done the “prairies” going the wrong way. The lady also mentioned the bike clubs that do the same route I had planned.
I left Hudson’s Hope in good spirits. It was an unusually warm and I was looking forward to some fine riding. As a bonus there was a good section of new pavement. For quite some time, the highway follows the mighty Peace River. There are many scenic views along the way. On the way up the hill to the viewpoint, the heat got to me and I had to stop for a minute to rest. I had a few yogurt bars and slugged down some water. I emptied one and reached for the other – nearly empty. I neglected to fill up in Hudson’s Hope. At about this time I was also starting to regret not heeding my wife’s warning, “Don’t forget your sun block.” Had she really said it this time or was it my imagination. Regardless, the backs of my calves were starting to burn.
I did the last bit of the hill and enjoyed a very fine stretch of road. Very little traffic, good pavement, awesome weather, and great scenery makes me happy. At 3:30 I started up the biggest hill of the day. It is a monster and the sun was so unforgiving. This is the first trip since they redid the top part of the hill. I have yet to make it without stopping so I was pumped that the new route would be easier. Well, I made it past the first bit of the new route and then the sun was hot, the hill was steep, so I decided to stop and drink the last of my water and contemplate the challenge that await me.
The water was warm and minimal. I had heard that it’s best to drink the last bit in one shot instead of sipping it. I headed off up the hill that would never end. You can never see the top as it is winding and you always hope the next corner is the last. Get over it. It is the hill that never ends.
I started getting cramps in my calves and on the bottom of my right foot. OK, now this hurts. I tried stopping but that hurt more so I walked for a few minutes and the pain mostly went away. I started off again and finally made it to the store that is at the junction of the highway I was on (29) and the Alaska Highway. There is a store and restaurant at the corner and I purchased a PowerAde.
The PowerAde was a miracle. I felt strong and my morale was up. It is an easy 11 km ride, mostly downhill into Ft. St. John. I got rolling and in no time I was filling out a Registration form for my room. It was tacky but cheap considering Ft. St. John is a booming oil town. The clerk was very friendly and seemed to be quite reasonable until she asked me if I was traveling with pets. I did mention that a bike list I frequent discussed traveling with a cat but I decided to leave mine at home. The best feature is that Boston Pizza is next door. My tab at the restaurant was nearly the same as the charge for the room. I was hungry and thirsty!
On Sunday morning I got rolling by 7:30. I stopped at Timmy’s and had a snack. The first stop was not far, maybe 20 km. The town of Taylor has been having serious problems. It was a refinery town that has been shut down. The town seems to have survived. I am not really sure why but I was glad there was a decent restaurant that served up a fine breakfast. As I sat and ate breakfast, I contemplated the mighty “Taylor Hill.” There is a map of the hill for the truckers to examine. It shows where it is goes for 5% to 8% and then back to 6% and then up to 10%. It is a nasty stretch and the terrain is a challenge for the road builders. There is a 2 km section without a passing lane. Trucks passed me so slowly I almost felt like challenging them, almost.
After the big hill, I came to what should be a beautiful stretch. The terrain is rolling and the pavement is quite good. The problem is that the “rumble strips” had been cut wide and in the middle of the shoulder. It was so bad in places; I rode on the left side of the rumble strips. Fortunately, they have passed a rule that they actually have to think before they destroy the shoulder. The rumble strips were annoying but it is a good ride anyway.
Eventually I came to Mason Road. This allows you to avoid going to Dawson Creek and saves somewhere around 30 km of riding. You have a rough stretch but it is a lot shorter. Once I got on to highway 97, life was pretty easy. The wind normally comes in from the west and would pose a problem as I was headed west. Today it was coming in from the east. Not strong enough to be that useful but certainly was not going to cause any harm. I had lunch at a struggling restaurant at the junction with 97. The places struggles to stay afloat but they make a fine lunch.
The ride home only has one serious hill, the East Pine Hill. Compared to the hills I had done earlier that day and the day before, it barely ranks. There is one section that has no shoulder and I had to jump off and let some major industrial traffic go by. Once the hill was done, there was only 30 km of pretty easy rolling country. As I stopped to fuel up with food and liquids, I noticed my calves were pretty much scorched. Ouch, that is going to be painful.
Approaching Chetwynd from the North or the East allows a nice downhill road home. It felt great to allow Susie to build up speed. As I was headed into my neighborhood I was looking forward to what my wife had prepared for supper. She was making some kind of fancy French toast thing with fruit. Hope she made lots! When I got home, I rang the doorbell and waited for my wife to help me get Susie into the house. After 310 km and 22 hours on the saddle, my first ride of the season was done and so was I.
Submitted by Jim Oliver
Tell A Friend about this page!
Copyright © 2004 - 2011James Noble All rights reserved.