05/20/2008

BC Bike Race 2007 As Viewed by a North Shore Rider in the Vet Pack

Story by Rod Dagneau / Photos by Dave Silver

Rumours started last year of a 7 day mountain bike stage race from Victoria to Whistler that featured some of the world's best single track trails (such as Bucket of Blood, Sidewinder, Kill Me Thrill Me and Comfortably Numb). Without hesitation I knew I really wanted to compete in the BC Bike Race, finally a chance to use the skills I had been developing over a lifetime.

Randy and Sandy of Gerrick Cycles (the overall Vet 80+ winners, from Kelowna and Nelson) || Photo: Rod Dagneau

One big problem though, you had to do it as a two person team (primarily for safety reasons, since racers would be in wilderness beyond immediate aid for large portions of the race). My riding style is incompatible with most every racer I know (I let my competitors escape on road/fitness sections, being confident to catch and pass them on technical/skill sections), but for this race there would be 1 hour penalties and potential disqualification if you were not within 2 minutes of your teammate at all times. On my route to finding a partner, I left a near swath of destruction of strained friendships and relationships before going on an internet forum and teaming up with a near stranger. Unlike Lava Life, where people are often attracted to the prettiest photos posted, I teamed with Mike Charuk of Team Whistler who has a very attractive race resume (sub 3 hour Test of Metal) and a gorgeous bike (a Rocky Mountain Team Element).

An unbelievable amount of background and planning went into this event. || Photo: Dave Silver

My preparation for the race wasn't the best, frequent illness over the winter and spring, and the stresses of finding a teammate, work and life in general. I was beginning to wonder if being 47 meant I really was "middle aged" and was losing the "Right Stuff" as a racer. Therefore, I was expecting the first days of the race on Vancouver Island(primarily logging road) to be tough to keep up with the competition and my teammate.

Signing up to join the army of riders. || Photo: Dave Silver

Day 0 was registration in Victoria (very smooth, professional and efficient). Like joining the army the only gear we could bring had to fit in the duffle bag the organizers provided, we were then issued with a wrist band and identification tags, given uniform jerseys, socks, t-shirts and Ryders Eyewear, and then marched into an auditorium for survival training. Brooks Hogya, a real cowboy of a dude, gave a hilarious first aid lecture, finishing nearly every paragraph with a variation of he/she/you "WILL DIE".

Day 1
After a short bus ride from Victoria we started on Canada Day in Sooke. At the start were almost 200 racers from Mexico, Costa Rica, Japan, Germany, England,Canada and USA. Of these, approximately 30 were North Shore riders, and another 40 were from the Lower Mainland, Whistler and other areas of BC. The participants were mainly accomplished amateurs, but some teams included pro World Cup racers, an Olympian and a World Champion.

Mass start. || Photo: Dave Silver

My fear of a "way too fast" punishing road race at the start became a reality. The lead amateurs with fresh legs were able to keep up with the pros and strung the near 200 racer pack across the 108 km to Lake Cowichan. I tried as much as possible to hide from the wind behind my teammate, but with very little trail where I can be more efficient and get some "relative" rest compared to my competition, I began to feel a "bonk" coming on and slowed down and struggled the last 30 km of deactivated rail bed to the finish.

After marking one of the identical tents put up by race staff with my dog tag (again very military camp like, except for the blue fabric) I proceeded to the massage table and started my recovery for another day of punishment.

Base Camp || Photo: Dave Silver

We finished 4th in the Veteran (80 years + combined age) category and 14th overall. Most Shore riders had suffered on the road, with the exception of Andreas Hestler and Kevin Calhoun of Rocky Mtn Bicycles (2nd overall), Cynthia Young and Michelle Newton of Shore Girls Don't Cry (1st in women's division), and Andrew Handford with Alberta partner Pat Doyle of Different Bikes (2nd in vet on single speeds of all things).

Day 2
We had a slow start on the 118 km to Port Alberni, being "neutralized" by a police car that kept us in a tight pack until we were beyond the developed area of LakeCowichan. A helicopter buzzed overhead Tour de France style, and we received cheers of encouragement and salutes with cans of Lucky from a men's softball game. Once the police escort pulled over the race was on. The hills were small enough that only the pros and the few remaining fresh legged amateurs pulled ahead of the main pack.

Neutralized start on Day 2 || Photo: David Silver

Luckily Mike and I had planned to blow through the first feed zone, as it turned out to be chaos with nearly everyone trying to refill at the same time. We then ended up in a pack with the leading vets (such as Different Bikes), but with the short punchy climbs and the residual effects of the day before, I began to fade.

Other troubles were happening in the pack, teams with "irreconcilable differences" (speed) were "divorcing" and choosing to go at their own separate paces. Jeff Cote (infamous as the former partner of Iceland Harry, after much media attention of their team break up during a past Trans Rockies) rode briefly with us minus his newVancouver partner. Luckily Mike was patient enough to slow so I could catch up before the main climb of the day. Mike then went 2 minutes ahead to the feed zone and replenished our bottles so I only had to stop for a second. I then focused on breathing and being efficient as possible up the long steep climb. I began to come into my own with the many water bars near the top, unlike many others, I pump down into the trough to gain momentum to nearly coast up and out the far side (finesse rather than fitness).

No matter how many mini-victories you took over your partner, you always had to stick together. || Photo: David Silver

Finally on the rough rocky double-track downhill, I could be the faster part of the team. Many are tempted to extract revenge on the partner that has been setting an unremitting pace once the tables are turned, but I was as patient with Mike as he was with me on the previous road sections. If you did not frequently slow to look back it would be very easy to get ½ hour or more ahead, if your partner ran into trouble (also you would have to turn around and go a long way UPHILL to help them). The final part of the downhill did not turn out to be easy, the gentle grade and frequent little climbs meant we had to keep pedaling. We caught sight of the 3rd vet team (Coloradoans David Overstreet and Mark Thompson of Spike Shooter), but I was too fatigued to sprint for the finish. We finished 4th vet team again, moved up to 12th overall in General Classification (total time aka GC), but were disappointingly so close to the podium. That evening we had a "race meeting", poured over the coarse profile and plotted a means to the podium.

Day 3
The race organizers did not want individuals, who had lost or split from their partner, riding solo, so Cote started with us on the 82 km ride to Cumberland, which would later work to our advantage. After the neutralized start the pack bottlenecked at a narrow entrance to another deactivated rail bed. Once through the gap everyone sprinted to gain an advantage. I was struggling, so Mike and Cote dropped back to pace me up to a strong group that included the 2nd and 3rd vet teams. I hid from the wind and tried to ride at a steady state, while Mike and Cote were playing games with the front of the pack to try to break up the pace.

Classic suffer-face. This was a tough climb in the cold and mud. || Photo: David Silver

Like the day before we had planned to skip Feed Zone #1, although I deeked in giving all intentions of stopping to throw off our competitors, then hit the gas and hammered up the road. This move resulted in a gap of ~200 m over the 3rd vet team (Spike Shooter) and the others didn't follow. By the base of the main climb (800 m vertical over 5km aka Hike a Bike) one of the Spike Shooters was with us, but he waited for his partner and Mike cracked the figurative whip to get a gap (out of sight, out of mind). Years of biking up North Shore trails (instead of the usual down) suddenly became useful, we soon caught and passed the 1st vet team (Randy Richmond and Sandy Mitchell of Gerick Cycles, Nelson). However, towards the top I began to weaken and had to portage my bike more and more, and on the rolling logging road at the summit, Gerick caught and passed us.

A few teams were still smiling. || Photo: David Silver

Again the logging road downhill required lots of pedaling, but finally we were able to turn off the road onto the trails that lead down to Cumberland. Bucket of Blood went by pretty easy, but on the rolling trails near the bottom, my brain began to get wobbly and the Different Bike single speeders passed us seconds from the finish. But at least we were on the podium for the first time tonight and had moved to 11th overall.

Some riders stretched...this group found an alternative form of recovery. || Photo: David Silver

Day 4 started before 5am. We were required to take buses and two ferries to get from Cumberland to Earl's Cove on the Sunshine Coast to start our 59km ride to Sechelt by11am. Today was also a big step into the unknown, I had never cross-country raced more than three days in a row before, and to my surprise I was hyper to get started.

Posing for a group shot - thnx BC Ferries! || Photo: David Silver

After a short neutralized start, we hit a minor hill climb, then proceeded to roll up and down along a Hydro line right-of-way. On one of the downs I passed the 1st vet team, but soon after my water bottle and cage tore off and proceeded to be run over by the pack. Then Mike had a flat tire. We wasted time at first trying to make use of the "Stans" sealant, then ended up having to fix the tire the old school way by inserting a new tube. By the time we got going we were far behind. The right-of-way dumped us out onto a paved road and Cote was waiting to pace us up to the closest pack. Due to lack of a water bottle I lost time at the next feed station, having to take my pack off, remove and refill the hydration bladder. Back onto rolling logging roads, right-of-ways and short sections of single track we began to catch up. Cote was waiting at the next feed zone and told us the 1st and 2nd vet teams were just ahead. Cote then did a massive pull at the front of our little pace line, before pulling over exhausted at the base of the next logging road climb. His sacrifice put us in sight of the Gerick team. Mike and I pinned it, going over our figurative red lines, to pass Gerick and put a gap on them.

Nothing compares to the lush greenery surrounding the singletrack on the coast. || Photo: David Silver

We entered a single track, then on crossing a cut block we saw the 2nd vet team (Different Bikes) bushwacking up to the trail. They had briefly gone off course, but the single speed gearing proved to not be a detriment, as they were able to walk up the steep hill faster and disappeared over the horizon to the start of a 12km primarily single track downhill. Mike asked me to lead, but on setting up the pass I clipped a branch and broke my ultra light rear brake lever clean off. I wrapped the remaining end and cable around my shifter, took one big endo on a switchback (luckily into loam), then learned to brake much earlier. Our total time losses for the day weren't great, but the first vet team to finish (Spike Shooter) was only 5 minutes ahead that day. We were 3rd vet team again and had moved to 10th overall.

I would like to thank James Wilson and crew of Obsession Bikes. When I woke up during the middle of the night I saw them working away, fixing my brake, under a portable generator powered light.

Stay tuned for Days 5-7....

- Rod Dagneau

To sign up for next year's BC Bike Race check out: bcbikerace.com