Toil to the Toll (ride report)

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past Saturday/Sunday's
400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went from Lougheed and
Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back. The route sheet and first
half of the route profile is he

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/routes/...s/lm_400a.html

Weather was quite nice; not much sun, but fairly warm. Highlights include:

Beautiful scenic climb up Chilliwack mountain. We were told there would
"probably" be a secret control point. Organizers seem to like putting
these at the top of a hill in the first third or so of a ride, and sure
enough there was Michel Richard at the top, with a big water container.

Sit down meal at cheapo diner in Hope. Asked for side of mayo for my
fries, was given Miracle Whip or similar. Bleah. Ate it anyway. Old
woman on a walker "really liked" my blue hair. Sun had come out at this
point, stripped down to shorts and sleeveless jersey in preparation for
climb up Coquihalla. Wedged my MEC wool jersey between my GoreTex jacket
(strapped to my rackpack) and seat bag. It seemed pretty secure (cue
ominous fore-shadowy music).

The climb! First up Othello hill, a "Categorie 2" climb. I was not too
proud to use the granny gear. A brief, quick descent past turn-off to
Othello tunnels, and then the long slog begins. The Coquihalla is
actually not that steep, with a similar grade to Burnaby mountain. The
main part of the climb is probably similar to biking up to SFU four times
in a row, but with much nicer scenery (mountains on both sides, and some
good views of the Coquihalla river below to the right). I'm riding with
Lindsay Martin, who soon becomes a speck in the distance as we start
climbing. I still have to work on getting a little more POWER into these
legs.

I pass the summit, which is followed by a bit of a descent to the toll
booth. Arrgh! I have to climb this again!

Finally, the toll booth control point. It turns out Lindsay has only
been waiting a few minutes. I gorge myself on cookies, donuts, etc.,
provided by the organizers. It's a lot cooler up here; we can look down
and see patches of snow still on the ground. Hell and Damnation! My
wool jersey is gone. At $63 it's not terribly expensive for wool, and
fortunately I also brought along a "polar fleece".

http://tinyurl.com/yqco4
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1085080439607

(Not a "cycling jersey", but functions as one nicely with pockets provided by
a short sleeved synthetic jersey over top)

Now we get to ride back down! Strong head winds make this a little less
exciting; my dream of coasting most of the way back to Hope is
shattered. I also can't see over the concrete barrier in the highway
median, and never find my jersey. Sigh. Almost everyone else is in front
of us, so I don't expect to get it back.

The wind in my face, combined with a full stomach, produce a strong
soporific effect, and I find myself starting to nod off as we descend.
Feeling less than safe, I signal to Lindsay and we pull over for a two
minute power nap. A nice warm tingly sensation suffuses my whole body.
endorphins, perhaps? I am then awake enough to continue, thinking about
coffee in Hope. Strangely, the journey back down seems even *longer*
than the way up.

Feeling more awake at Hope, we decide to press on to the Seabird Island
Cafe control. There are some strong head winds coming out of Hope, but
we soon get to more sheltered roads, and the wind is probably dying down
as evening approaches.

Seabird Island Cafe. We run into Claude Theriault polishing off a bowl
of Cream of Mushroom soup and mashed potatoes. This looks really good at
this point, and we both follow suit. It is dark at this point.

The rest of the ride is mostly an uneventful journey back along highway
#7. I become drowsy several more times, and Lindsay is kind enough to
wait for me as I take 3 or 4 more power naps, probably ranging from 2 to
15 minutes each.

Woodside Hill! After cycling 300 km, and approaching from the steeper
side, this is not an insignificant climb. Once again, the granny serves
me well.

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/Resourc...c/woodside.jpg

We almost miss the turn-off to Mary Hill bypass. Not caring to go back
40 meters, I hop my bike up and over the concrete median. Mary Hill
bypass is less than scenic, but is vastly improved by a barn owl gliding
along the highway beside us, maybe 5-10 meters away, looking ghostly in
the street lights. It lands in the ditch ahead of us, and we get a great
view of it head-on as we pass.

Knight and Day restaurant: we're finished! It is now 4:44 am, 20 hours
and 44 minutes after we started. We sit down with Karen and Michel, and
polish off a couple slices of now-cold pizza, nevertheless delicious. We
collect our finisher's pins, which are of course the real reason we do
these rides. We are now a mere 4 km from my house, so I bike home, quickly
rinse off in the shower, and ... BED!

--
Benjamin Lewis

A small, but vocal, contingent even argues that tin is superior, but they
are held by most to be the lunatic fringe of Foil Deflector Beanie science.

Thu, 20 May 2004 12:16:42 -0700, ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Knight and Day restaurant: we're finished! It is now 4:44 am, 20 hours
and 44 minutes after we started.

Congratulations and thanks for posting. That 19.5 Km/H average speed
is impressive considering the terrain.
--
zk

In article ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past Saturday/Sunday's
400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went from Lougheed and
Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back. The route sheet and first
half of the route profile is he

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/routes/...s/lm_400a.html

Seabird Island Cafe. We run into Claude Theriault polishing off a bowl
of Cream of Mushroom soup and mashed potatoes. This looks really good at
this point, and we both follow suit. It is dark at this point.

The rest of the ride is mostly an uneventful journey back along highway
#7. I become drowsy several more times, and Lindsay is kind enough to
wait for me as I take 3 or 4 more power naps, probably ranging from 2 to
15 minutes each.

Yow. Was this just a result of a long day in the saddle, or were you in
bonk-mode here? I know you carry about as much body fat as a supermodel,
so you don't have the reserves of a sprinter* like me.

Knight and Day restaurant: we're finished! It is now 4:44 am, 20 hours
and 44 minutes after we started. We sit down with Karen and Michel, and
polish off a couple slices of now-cold pizza, nevertheless delicious. We
collect our finisher's pins, which are of course the real reason we do
these rides. We are now a mere 4 km from my house, so I bike home, quickly
rinse off in the shower, and ... BED!

Congratulations. In the end, the pin makes it all worth it, right?

*Since Ben does 400 km rides, I just assume that my 100 km rides are
comparative sprints.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

Benjamin Lewis wrote:

The rest of the ride is mostly an uneventful journey back along highway
#7. I become drowsy several more times, and Lindsay is kind enough to
wait for me as I take 3 or 4 more power naps, probably ranging from 2 to
15 minutes each.

Yow. Was this just a result of a long day in the saddle, or were you in
bonk-mode here? I know you carry about as much body fat as a supermodel,
so you don't have the reserves of a sprinter* like me.

No, I never bonked on the ride, but the sleepiness may have been partly due
to my eating pattern (too much food at one time, instead of more gradual
intake of smaller amounts).

Interestingly, I had no problems with feeling drowsy on the Fleche
Pacifique this past weekend. My right knee, however is another story;
apparently I wasn't as recovered as I thought after the 400. I was popping
ibuprofen for the last 12 hours or so -- if it hadn't been a team event I
probably would have DNF'd for the first time. I probably should have
anyway. I've made my friends promise not to let me do the 600 in two weeks
even if I feel fine then.

Congratulations. In the end, the pin makes it all worth it, right?

Sure, you don't think I'd do this rides if it wasn't for a pin, do you?

I seem to have dropped below the 150 lb mark, according to our bathroom
scale.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.
-- James Thurber

Benjamin Lewis writes:

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past
Saturday/Sunday's 400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went
from Lougheed and Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back.
The route sheet and first half of the route profile is he

I expect ride reports to be in wreck.bike.rides. Are you aware that
there is such a newsgroup?

Jobst Brandt

jobst brandt wrote:

Benjamin Lewis writes:

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past
Saturday/Sunday's 400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went
from Lougheed and Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back.
The route sheet and first half of the route profile is he

I expect ride reports to be in wreck.bike.rides. Are you aware that
there is such a newsgroup?

Yes, but I had forgotten about it. Thank you for reminding me.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.
-- James Thurber

Benjamin Lewis wrote:
jobst brandt wrote:

Benjamin Lewis writes:

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past
Saturday/Sunday's 400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went
from Lougheed and Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back.
The route sheet and first half of the route profile is he

I expect ride reports to be in wreck.bike.rides. Are you aware that
there is such a newsgroup?

Yes, but I had forgotten about it. Thank you for reminding me.

A simple "kiss my red ass, JB" would have worked, too.

Bill "what's wrong with a RR in wreck miss?" S.

"Zoot Katz" wrote in message ...
Congratulations and thanks for posting. That 19.5 Km/H average speed
is impressive considering the terrain.
--

How about when you consider that we rode this year's
Liège-Bastogne-Liège at 40.8 km/h average speed!

Now compare your hills with the Côte de Stockeu or
Côte du Rosier and you will really appreciate the difference
between us and you guys.

Benjamin Lewis wrote:

jobst brandt wrote:

Benjamin Lewis writes:

Well, I survived, and have now recovered from this past
Saturday/Sunday's 400 km brevet, aka "Toil to the Toll", which went
from Lougheed and Boundary to the Coquihalla toll booth and back.
The route sheet and first half of the route profile is he

I expect ride reports to be in wreck.bike.rides. Are you aware that
there is such a newsgroup?


Yes, but I had forgotten about it. Thank you for reminding me.

Ben it was a great post. I enjoyed it thoroughly. This group is
"miscellanous" (you spell it!), so no problem here.
Bernie

In article ,
Benjamin Lewis writes:

The climb! First up Othello hill, a "Categorie 2" climb. I was not too
proud to use the granny gear. A brief, quick descent past turn-off to
Othello tunnels, and then the long slog begins. The Coquihalla is
actually not that steep, with a similar grade to Burnaby mountain. The
main part of the climb is probably similar to biking up to SFU four times
in a row, but with much nicer scenery (mountains on both sides, and some
good views of the Coquihalla river below to the right).

Thanx for that. I had to go back up to my brother's ranch last
week, and took the Coq to Kamloops (on the Greyhound) instead of
the usual Fraser Canyon Highway to Cache Creek. First time I'd
been on the Coquihalla at all. I was wondering and eyeballing
about how cycling would be on it. Compared to the FCH, the grade
did seem less rolly, but inexorably continuing, on and on. And on.
And up, and up. Bends in the road ahead tantalizingly look like
the relief of descent awaits, until you get there. Then it just
continues upward. 'Setting me up, to knock me down ...' So
in that light alone, I appreciate your verve. The Fraser Canyon
seems a little more 'sporting' (or problematic, depending on
how you look at it, I guess), what with the tunnels and Jackass
Mountain 'n all. But unless the sun is brightly shining directly
overhead, it can be so very dreary in that benighted chasm. I'm
guessing the toll station is about equiv to Boston Bar on the FCH(?)

Now we get to ride back down! Strong head winds make this a little less
exciting; my dream of coasting most of the way back to Hope is
shattered.

This reinforces my impression that the Coq is 'uphill' both ways.

....

A nice warm tingly sensation suffuses my whole body.
endorphins, perhaps? I am then awake enough to continue, thinking about
coffee in Hope.

I've developed a fondness for Hope, too. It's such a pretty town,
set like a diamond jutting understatedly dignified, out from a green
setting of Western Cordillera. Coffee always tastes really good there.
(It's also the furthest point I've ever ridden to, and that was some
time ago.)

Anyhow, IIRC, 'Coquihalla' is Chinook (or Salish?) for 'blueberry'.



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