Most people take two to three days to ride the route.

The South Canol Road is about 230 km (143 miles) of 100% gravel in distance, and stretches from Ross River to Johnsons Crossing.

The road has a lot of climbing - more than 3,330 m (10,826 feet) of elevation - and you're in a very remote location with no services.

Our group's rule was that you had to finish the ride in less than 12 hours, or you get put in the van. That seemed like a reasonable proposition before we started pedalling.

A little backstory on the South Canol Road before I share my tale of how the ride was.

From Government of Yukon:

In 1943, the American army and their contractors built the Canol Road as a “tote” or supply road. It parallels the route of a short-lived oil pipeline from Camp Canol, near the oil wells at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, to Johnsons Crossing. The Canol Road is seasonal, and provides access to the wilderness of the south central Yukon. The South Canol follows ridges, often above the tree line, that provide many scenic views. In the Pelly Mountain ecoregion, there is a transition from boreal forest to alpine tundra and coniferous forest. The high country intercepts coastal weather systems to make this a “wet-belt” climate. The South Canol Road is the traditional territory of the Kaska and interior Tlingit First Nations.

The event organizer, Jean-Paul had arranged for an Eddyline Outdoors van and trailer to transport us to Lapie Canyon Campground on Friday, July 5. That van also followed us the next day for support, and then brought us home late the next evening.

We stayed overnight at Lapie Canyon Campground, where I went swimming a couple of times in an eddy. The water was really cold, so I only lasted probably less than a minute each time, but still a worthwhile dip and in a gorgeous spot.

The next morning we woke up and had a hearty breakfast served by Eddyline guides, then got ready to ride.

We took a group photo and began rolling out of the campground by 7:45 am.

This is big country. You feel very, very small in a secluded location. Over the course of the day, I counted more than 30 piles of fresh bear scat on the road. We saw two other cyclists and a handful of vehicles.

We stopped numerous times at nearby water sources - there's lots of them close to the road - to refill our bottles. Everyone was carrying different types of filtration systems, even though in this location it was probably fine just to drink it straight. I didn't want to take any chances though (giardia, been there, done that).

Over the course of the day, there were multiple moments where the ride got really hard. The last 80 km was particularly challenging and I ended up walking up more than a few hills.

Steve was my partner for the worst of it. Here he's being slowly pursued by the support van. We were laughably sedated at this point. Everything was desperate, but funny. We were delirious.

Something that the Belgian Waffle Ride taught me is that I can go longer, faster and suffer more than I previously thought possible.

That doesn't mean there weren't a couple times when I wanted to quit, but through that experience I learned how to recognize and work through my negative self-talk; to process it and just keep moving.

As you can likely imagine, it was quite the day. A very big adventure.

I finished in 13 hours, 13 seconds with 4 other guys.

Jean-Paul was gracious and permitted us to finish despite breaking the original 12-hour rule, and for that I'm very thankful. It was a huge effort, and I wanted to make it to the end on my own.

The days after were painful. My hands ached, I had blisters on my fingers, my feet were really sore and my legs had ballooned to comical proportions with lactic acid.

But no matter. I'd done it. I'd finished.

I'm incredibly happy to have ridden the South Canol Road in one day with a fantastic group of people. It was a fine way to celebrate the arrival of my 50th birthday year.

As it stands, the Star is one of the last independently owned newspapers in Canada. Founded in 1900, it’s also one of the only newspapers owned by a woman.

The other major local news source in the territory is the Yukon News, operated by Black Press. As of earlier this year, Black Press is insolvent and has filed for creditor protection.

We have other locally-owned news media sources – Klondike Sun, L'Aurore Boreale, What’s Up Yukon and others – but none with the history and reputation of the Whitehorse Star.

Thus, the soon-to-be loss of this organization is significant for our territory.

Looking back over time

The current Whitehorse Star website was Mike’s and my creation. I also built a version prior on my own, before Mike joined me.

Due to this personal history, I have been feeling mournful about the impending disappearance of our invaluable local news source, not to mention a great sadness for those about to be unemployed.

With that in mind, I desired to put this tribute together to pay respect to what was and remains, the Whitehorse Star website.

But first, YukonNow.com (2000)

My journey with the Star began in 2000 when I worked for a small tech start-up in Whitehorse called YukonNow.com.

At the time, the Whitehorse Star and Yukon News had rudimentary websites.

We had an agreement with both newspapers to take the stories from PDFs of their print editions and copy/paste the text and pictures to manually create individual stories on YukonNow.com.

As someone who had just graduated from a college program in online journalism and was desperate to get into the digital game, guess whose job it was, every day to manually do this copy/paste?

Yep, me!

Our business pitch was that we could greatly increase distribution of local news on the web, and combine it with video, audio streaming, business listings, events, sports and advertisements. YukonNow.com would become the main online source for it all.

In hindsight, it wasn’t a great business model but we were young and wonderfully foolish.

YukonNow.com closed its doors later that year.

Whitehorse Star website re-build (2008)

By 2008, I had gained much more experience and digital skills having worked at marketing agencies and start-ups in BC and the Yukon.

The year prior I had left a great job to brazenly start my own web design and development business. Our kids were little and I had a dream. It was called Subvert Marketing Inc.

In July 2007, I started talking with the Star’s previous owner, Jackie Pierce about updating their website to become more modern and introduce paid subscriptions. At the time, the Star had a website that made use of frames and an aging Content Management System (CMS).

On the new website, Jackie and I envisioned there would be subscriber-only news content, user comments on stories, events, classifieds, supplements and a deep archives section. The archives were especially important to Jackie.

When Jackie agreed to work with me, I was both excited and terrified. Unbeknownst to her, I was in over my head web development skill-wise. Thankfully, the documentation and community from ExpressionEngine, the CMS on which I built the website, was detailed and very helpful.

In 2008, after months of work, we launched a new version of Whitehorsestar.com. Here’s how it looked during that period of time.

I specifically remember the night before the launch in 2008 when I didn’t sleep, instead finding myself hand-bombing snippets of the Star’s archived stories into the new database. They were inputted as raw SQL files in blocks of 1,000 stories at a time.

This was the only reliable method I could find to extract stories from their previous website into the new version without the new database timing out and blowing up. That night, I brought over 30,000 stories.

Building and running a complex website like the Star was a learning experience for both myself and their team. I had never worked on a website that got so much traffic, and in the first few weeks, it crashed multiple times.

We had to keep scaling up the web servers to meet the growing number of people reading its pages, searching the archives and leaving comments on stories.

Once it was stable, that website worked like a charm for the next 5 years.

Whitehorse Star website re-build (2013)

By the time 2013 arrived, the world of web design and development was very different.

The previous version of the Star website wasn’t mobile-friendly. This is because there weren’t many people using smartphones when I built it. The first iPhone didn’t show up in the Yukon until 2010.

With Mike and I teamed up, we could do much more with the technology and user experience of the Whitehorse Star website.

We transitioned away from ExpressionEngine into a custom-built SaaS CMS that we had been using for other clients called Ibbit.

The Whitehorse Star website online today is functionally the same one we made more than 10 years ago. The size of their archives has grown significantly, with a huge wealth of stories published and searchable.

What’s next for the Whitehorse Star and its website?

Based on this recent story, it sounds like the Whitehorse Star may survive. Or maybe it won’t. The next few weeks and months will be interesting as we all watch how things unfold.

Personally, I’d like to see the Star stop printing papers and just go online. Move to a paid subscribers only model, with very few stories available for free. Possibly remove the advertising (as advertisers desire big numbers with as many views as possible) and instead rely on generated income.

The Star could run with a limited staff and adopt a lean start-up mindset. They could stabilize, experiment with new services and models, operate day-to-day and hopefully grow into something sustainable and profitable.

Those are just ideas though. Ideas are cheap and easy. Execution and consistency are what matters.

This is also not my business. I do though know what it's like to be at the end of a long journey as an organization, and mine was much, much shorter than theirs.

I don’t envy the position its current owners find themselves in.

To those about to lose their jobs, many of them long-term employees, I wish you the very best. You were part of something special and important at the Whitehorse Star.

To the family who owns the Star, thank you for the opportunity to be on your team. I am very proud of what we made together.

It Is Well with My Soul was written after several traumatic events in Horatio Spafford’s life.

• The first was the death of his only son in 1871 at the age of four, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him (he was a lawyer) financially.
• In 1873, Horatio had planned to travel to Europe with his family via boat, but sent them ahead while he was delayed on business. While crossing the Atlantic ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship and all four of his daughters died. Only his wife Anna survived. Shortly afterwards, as Horatio traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the song's words as the ship he was on passed near where his daughters had died.
• The family later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy.
• In 1881, the Spaffords, with two babies, set sail for Israel. They moved to Jerusalem and helped found a missionary group called the American Colony. The group later became the subject of a Nobel prize-winning book.

So, to recap their lives as parents: eight children born, six of whom died young.

I can't even fathom it.

To have the patience, hope and trust that this father had, despite the horrific circumstances he endured is a wondrous inspiration.

It Is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

For example, while it's true that 30 years ago I started regularly bike commuting because I was a poor student, I also did it because I cared about climate change.

Heck, in university I even wrote my Honours Thesis about recycling!

I say these things because lately I've become even more aware of my and others' impact on the natural world. I've got to the point where I want to make drastic changes to long-standing habits. I hope along the way I can subtly influence other people, including my family to do the same.

As with all significant changes in society, really doing something about climate change will require a lot of time and global concentrated efforts. These are not adaptations that happen overnight. The really big adaptations require that people with influence, including government and industry, support and act together to make large-scale movement happen then the rest of society to see it through.

Recognizing that, and knowing I cannot change anyone else's behaviour besides my own, here's what's been on my mind in terms of personal habits.

By the way, this is a useful tool to calculate your own emissions and carbon footprint.

Airplane trips

Airplane trips are often considered "essential" when you live in the Yukon. At least once a year, you have to "get outside" and go somewhere else to take a break from here. To swim in warm lakes, go shopping, see family and experience other places have been my personal reasons.

Remember that it's a 30 hour drive from Whitehorse to Vancouver, so flying is much more convenient than driving.

Yet, in order to stop climate change, the maximum amount of CO₂ that can be generated by a person is 0.600 tonne PER YEAR.

A single airplane roundtrip, say from Whitehorse to Kelowna, BC generates 0.709 tonne per person.

Related, the average annual amount of CO₂ generated by a person is 7.2 tonne.

Oh. My.

So, yeah, no more unnecessary airplane trips. That's a big one. I may fail at this.

Electric (e-) bicycles

My mind has also lately been occupied with the regular use of motor vehicles, especially for short distance excursions.

If 10% of Yukon residents replaced their short-distance vehicle trips (that is, less than 10 km) with trips on bicycles it would save 44,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ per day.

Imagine that same change somewhere like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) where more than 6 million people live!

According to a recent report 1,200 e-bikes have been sold in the Yukon since 2020. That is equal to about 2% of all Yukon residents. So, it's happening here, albeit slowly and at a very small scale. No matter, e-bikes remove barriers to riding a bicycle, and that's awesome!

Of course, e-bikes have their own issues with electric battery production and disposal, but it's better at least than people choosing a fossil fuel-powered motor vehicle for short trips.

It's also not easy to be a bike commuter in the Yukon, especially in winter, so I applaud anyone who is doing it, no matter what type of bike they ride or where they live.

Our family resides atop a series of hills, and the consequential grind often feels like making atonement.

Over the past 20 years, I've spent nearly 2,000 days commuting to and from work by bike, with a total distance of 33,000 km and 284,000 m (931,758 ft) of elevation gain.

In other words, I've climbed the equivalent of Mt. Everest 32 times. No wonder I'm so tired.

Of course, I recognize that me riding my bike instead of driving and not flying on an airplane won't be enough to stop climate change, but they are still choices that benefit. Some action is better than no action.

As riding a bicycle pertains to punk rock

I was a child in the 70s and 80s. I'm a lifelong skateboarder, and thus punk rock has forever been part of my world. I listened to a lot of punk rock music, went to concerts, rejoiced in anti-establishment thoughts and actions, and even had a mohawk for a while.

Like punk rock, bicycles and bike messengers have long been relegated to a North American sub-culture. Unlike in some European countries where bicycles are ridden by a lot more people, in Canada and USA they represent a very small portion of humans who make them part of their core identity.

There are bicycle-related brands like Cars-R-Coffins and Surly that were born from this sub-culture. Both still actively leverage and make it a key part of their image. There are alternative undertones in this urban bike commuting article from Surly.

I also think about One Less Car which is something I recommend taking the time to read and consider.

Almost 20 years ago, when asked about the origins of Cars-R-Coffins, Hurl Everstone wrote an epic reply/rant on MTBR.com that pretty much sums it up:

Or like Corrosion of Conformity... you could "Vote with a Bullet." And rent a car and drive all the way to Fruita, Colorado for the 10th Annual Fruita Fat Tire Festivus. Oh, and to answer the original query, "what is/are Cars-R-Coffins?" Well it's like this, see: It's simply a way of looking at the car-dominant culture we live in, and making an observation. It's not wanting to be strapped behind the wheel of some 2 ton behemoth, stuck in traffic, going nowhere fast, and groaning about the price of gas because I have to drive to work at my dead-end job in a gray carpeted cubicle, just so I can make the monthly payment on this sweet metallic gold mini-thunderbird-toyota-prius-hybrid-all-wheel-drive-suv-escalade-playa-hatin'-chrome-22's-up-on-this-bizatch hot car that I only drive to work. It's whatever you want it to be, this CRC thing, but hopefully it will make you think about how you spend your time in the daily flux of life. Driving everywhere, single-occupant cars clogging up city streets and highways, and people crying about the price of gas, and why don't we just drill ANWR already, Jeezus! it's my god-given right to get 22 gallons per mile and get those damn toy bicycles off the road already. I'm on my way to the trailhead, fukker! Got change for the meter? Drive! Drive some more! Do it! Gas prices are at an all time high! Car commercials always show the open road! Get some! Drop your kids off at the Limp Bizkit/Sum 41 show at the Mega-Plex! Feel SAFE in your big vehicle! Feel the wind in your hair as you drop the top in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Be a "cool" kid and start a "cool" club that the "uncool" kids aren't allowed in! Define everything! Post questions on MTBR! Pontificate on how "cool" your new Jones-bar 29er is, and everyone else just rides "kiddie wheels." Yeah. Oh, and another thing. What does FUH2 mean? Don't eat the brown acid. Hollywood Roxx Ya! Turn ZEKE up to 11 and GO!

Ah yeah, a timeless rant. It makes me laugh and gets me pumped up to ride a bike.

Okay, so back to the main thread.

Electric vehicles

As for electric vehicles, I know drivers appreciate the cost savings and lower emissions. It's easy to say/feel you're taking action simply by not driving a less polluting vehicle.

It's also more effortless to hop in an electric vehicle and go somewhere, rather than gear up to ride a bike to and from work, do errands on it and really change your daily lifestyle and routines. Humans are creatures of comfort and habit, me included, and this is not an insignificant point.

That said, electric vehicles are expensive, complex and cumbersome things. I'm not sure they're the right answer, especially considering what it will cost to produce and dispose of their huge batteries but that's not my domain and I won't pretend to be an expert. But, if you HAVE to drive a motor vehicle, is electric even better than fossil fuel-powered?

Plus, pushing the sale of electric vehicles puts the duty on citizens to take action. They use the same road infrastructure currently in place. Vehicles don't require much re-thinking about how to improve the design of cities and their routes and paths. Instead, everyone is encouraged to get into a $50,000 or more multi-year payment plan as if it's the only way forward.

Public transportation in Whitehorse - that is, city buses - is getting better, and governments continue to battle over making it free to aid with adoption. Problem is, public transportation remains inconvenient.

Being tied to a pre-determined route and schedule, especially when the bus is late by 10 minutes and you have to stand outside for 20 to 25 minutes in -30 Celsius waiting for it is a tough proposition.

This is where bicycles shine and e-bikes, moreso.

Heating our home

In winter, heating our 1,800 sq ft house emits 7.1 tonne of CO₂.

Remember that part above? In order to stop climate change, the maximum amount of CO₂ that can be generated by a person is 0.600 tonne PER YEAR.

As a family, we can keep the heat turned down lower. We can also move into a more modern, super-green home. The heating change is easy enough, but to build or buy a new house? Oh man, that seems daunting but maybe it's something we need to do.

In summary

These are just a few things - here's a list of more - that I and others can do to reduce our carbon footprint and emissions, and support climate protection.

Some changes are harder than others, but I'm willing to try for my sake and yours.

Are you?

Consider this my very condensed post-race report.

Finishing

• My goal was finishing in 10 hours or less. I finished in 10 hours and 3 minutes. This put me into 149th place, almost exactly mid-pack.
• 218 km and 3,330 m of climbing makes for a long day!
• I feel I could have gone faster and likely cut at least 30 minutes off my time. I had no idea what to expect on a course of this length, so I played it safe and stopped at every aid station, and didn’t push myself as hard as I could have.

Course

• Based on the marketing and communications prior to the event, I was expecting much gnarlier singletrack and a harder course overall. I could have made the ride more painful by riding faster, but again I didn’t know how my body would react.
• I didn’t do as much training as others I know, but what I did do clearly made a huge difference. I was able to enjoy the experience and not just suffer endlessly. Thanks to Matti Rowe for his training plan, personal support and encouraging emails.
• I appreciated the fact that this wasn’t just a gravel road event. The singletrack and asphalt sections combined with gravel made it much more interesting and fun. I’d seek out this event format again in the future.
• Bike races have many smells. One I won’t soon forget is the stench of several hundreds of disc brake pads all burning at once as a large group of us rode through the opening swoopy road sections together.
• I got lost a few times. Having a bike computer with the course map on it would have been helpful.

Training and preparation

As mentioned in previous posts, training for BWR BC has resulted in my highest-ever annual training numbers since I started digitally recording them.

Activities to date

• 3,674 km of cycling
• 180 hours of cycling, walking and weight training
• 45,500 m of elevation gain

Here were my final numbers prior to the BWR BC on May 28, 2023.

May 2023

• 523 km of cycling
• 29 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,000 m of elevation gain

April 2023

• 860 km of cycling
• 38 hours of cycling and weight training
• 9,000 m of elevation gain

March 2023

• 239 km of walking
• 33 hours of walking and weight training
• 2,350 m of elevation gain

February 2023

• 417 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 5,100 m of elevation gain

January 2023

• 445 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,800 m of elevation gain

December 2022

• 263 km of indoor bike riding
• 18 hours of cycling and weight training
• 3,900 m of elevation gain

Post-event, I hit a serious slump, especially in July. I wasn't particularly motivated to ride my bike and instead wisely chose to swim, hang out with my family and eat ice cream.

July 2023

• 297 km of cycling
• 20 hours of cycling and weight training
• 4,500 m of elevation gain

June 2023

• 574 km of cycling
• 27 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,300 m of elevation gain

Equipment

• My Trek Checkpoint SL 5 performed flawlessly. I was very thankful for my size 61 cm frame and its ability to run 3 bottle cages.
• The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 40 tires were amazing. I ran 45 PSI in the rear tire and 40 PSI in the front tire. No issues at all. I could have ridden lower pressures, but I was concerned about flatting.

Food

• I ate so much food! Almost 8,000 calories worth. I was very thankful for the well-stocked aid stations.
• Speaking of food from aid stations, if I ever must eat a single Powerbar Powergel Shot again – I probably ate 12 pouches of them – bad things will happen. That was in addition to the other food I brought and ate.
• I was very thankful for the dill pickles served. Dill pickles (especially paired with a can of Coca-Cola) are wonderful things.

Friendships

• It was amazing to have met people from all over Canada and talk to them during the event and over beers afterwards. I wore our Team Yukon kit, and that was a conversation starter for sure.
• I got to ride with other Yukoners throughout the race as there were so many of us there.
• Most of all, I really enjoyed the hours I spent with my house mates: Colin, Steven and Jordy. That was a big highlight for me, in so many ways. Great memories of times at home, on rides beforehand, and conversations afterwards.

Overall, BWR BC was an incredible experience and I’m glad I did it.

Training-wise, I've had some setbacks but have mostly stuck to my plan and am feeling the difference in power, strength and endurance as well as mental fortitude.

Will I be able to miraculously keep up with the smaller, lighter guys on long, steep hills? No, but at least I'm not spit out the back as fast as I would have been without putting in the work I've done.

I also know BWR BC is going to push my limits in new and horrible ways. Thus, I'm hoping the training plan's focus on managing negative self-talk will help me overcome these bumps in the road.

My total training progress:

December 2022

• 263 km of indoor bike riding
• 18 hours of cycling and weight training
• 3,900 m of elevation gain

January 2023

• 445 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,800 m of elevation gain

February 2023

• 417 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 5,100 m of elevation gain

March 2023

We went to Europe with our kids for nearly a month and I rode a bike exactly once. Still, this was an incredible family trip we'd been saving up and planning for over a decade. I mean, look at these photos.

I miss vacation.

Oh wait! My training report:

• 239 km of walking (sometimes while eating a pastry and drinking espresso)
• 33 hours of walking and weight training
• 2,350 m of elevation gain

April 2023

• 860 km of cycling
• 38 hours of cycling and weight training
• 9,000 m of elevation gain

May 2023

2 weeks left in May and I'm not where I should be training-wise. Work has been nuts for the past 3 weeks, with lots of travel, but I've been doing the best I can with the limited time I've had. I still need to get some longer rides and intensity work in.

• 334 km of cycling
• 19 hours of cycling and weight training
• 4,200 m of elevation gain

Testing, testing...

Learning how to fuel

Since starting to ride my bike outside in April, I've learned a lot about drinking and eating.

My previous habit of not eating for the first 2 hours of a bike ride has been thrown out the window. I've since adapted a pattern of eating every 30 minutes. This has made a world of difference to negate cramps and sustain some power as the hours go by.

I read somewhere that I should consume 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour, so that's what I'm following. Also, if I start to feel sad and begin to wallow in self-pity, I need to eat. Simple, but effective.

My favourite food has been the XACT ENERGY fruit bars which are quick to consume and be processed, especially combined with other fuel and textures. How will I feel about these bars after I've eaten 12 of them? Unsure.

I'll definitely be taking advantage of BWR BC's 7 aid stations.

Early in April on a long road ride, I learned my lesson that I should not just eat a bunch of dry, cold and hard to chew energy bars. Doing so resulted in general despair and stomach cramps.

Unroad riding

BWR has this thing they call "unroad". In BWR BC speak, that means 50% of the course will be muddy, wet, dry, rocky, loose, hilly and ugly. It will also include tight corners, roots, water crossing and obstacles. The other 50% will be road-like.

As such, I have been working on adopting my mountain bike skills to the gravel bike. Our trails are dry so during the past 2 weeks I've been riding lots of singletrack, roots and rocks on my Checkpoint.

At first I didn't enjoy doing so, but after getting new tires (Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 40), playing around with tire pressure, and re-learning to ride loosely with my grip and body, it's made a big difference in tackling these routes.

I also made some changes to my cockpit set-up so it's more comfortable to ride in the drops and be low through corners, on descents and over obstacles.

Getting comfortable being un-comfortable

Part of my training plan as I mentioned, focuses on mental preparation and coping techniques.

As such, I've pushed myself to go for early morning rides. On race day, the BWR BC start gun goes off at 7 am so I need to be prepared to deal with that.

On a couple of group rides at the beginning of April, it was -10 Celsius or colder which at speed on the road feels much worse. This taught me about preparation.

The longest ride I've been on was about 6 hours. BWR BC will be much more stretched out.

2 weeks to go

Accommodations have been booked. Transportation and flights have been arranged, albeit with some challenges given there's so many of us going on the same flight with expensive bikes in tow.

I still have some details to determine and my bike is in for its last-minute spa treatment, but I'm feeling ready.

BWR BC, here I come.

The BWR California course is traditionally over 200 km with 3,000 metres of climbing and a mix of asphalt, rocks, singletrack, sand and gravel. They call it an “un-road” event. Everyone gets treated to waffles, bacon, frites and if you finish, a trophy beer.

The guys came back raving about their BWR California experience and shared stories about the hardships they endured.

Naturally, I was interested. Maybe I could also race it one day.

In September, when I first heard about the BWR expanding to Canada, I texted one of those friends and asked if they knew about it and who was going. His answer?

Yes. We’re going. Get ready to sign up.

In a moment of delusion, a month later I registered for the 2023 BWR Canada. At last count 18 other Yukoners are going. We have quite the crew, many of whom are middle-aged dads like me. The event takes place the last weekend of May.

BWR Canada course

The BWR event organizers hold their new course designs close to their chest and don’t publish any sort of detailed information until a week before the start. All I know is that the Waffle category of the Vancouver Island BC course is:

• 220 km in distance
• Has 2,600 metres of climbing
• Is 45% “un-road” (about half is off-road)

I’ve mountain biked in the area – Duncan, BC – that BWR Canada is going to be held. We also lived near Vancouver for about 4 years while Sharla was finishing school, before we moved north to the Yukon.

Thus, when I picture what the un-road portions, I envision this:

Add some rain (which there’s lots of in BC) and those roots and rocks get slimy and slippery.

This will make tire choice and air pressure selection tricky, especially when the other 50% of the course is smooth surface. Those “smooth” sections could also be muddy and full of deep puddles, you never know.

This lack of information is all part of the fun and adventure of the BWR experience.

Compared to home

We have some local cycling events, the Gritty C.O.G and Gravel Growler that have been held for about 5 years. The organizers use the same course, but in different directions. Either way, those events often take me about 3 hours to finish, are 64 km in distance and have around 970 m of elevation gain.

This means that BWR Canada will be about 3.5 times longer and 2.6 times higher than these races.

Basically, it’s riding the Gritty C.O.G. or Gravel Growler course 3 times in one day with several thousand other people.

Oh my. What. Have. I. Done.

How I’m training

I started training for BWR Canada in November.

I took November off my bike and instead, lifted weights and did core strengthening exercises 3-4 days a week for about 5 weeks. This helped with my motivation to later start the bike training portion.

2022 was not a year I rode my bike much. Instead, I spent time as a volunteer organizing events for Cycling Association of Yukon and doing other non-bike things.

Not that I do that much distance anyway, but in 2022 I only rode 2,000 km. For the 5 years prior, I was on average closer to 2,600 km.

Since we started having kids in 2004, I’ve not trained in any organized or determined way. I still race, but just to participate. Hence, why I often get dropped when the pace repeatedly increases.

This pattern has changed with my preparation for BWR Canada. I’m trying to take my training seriously, or at least as seriously as a person with a family, full-time job, volunteer responsibilities and nearing 50 years old can accomplish (I know, excuses, excuses).

My progress so far:

December 2022

• 263 km of indoor bike riding
• 18 hours of cycling and weight training
• 3,900 m of elevation gain

January 2023

• 445 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,800 m of elevation gain

To do this, I bought a used indoor trainer, subscribed to Zwift and TrainingPeaks and bought an 18-week training plan. I already had weights, bands and a mat for the weights and core exercises.

Admittedly, I’ve not been meeting the targets of the training plan. On average there’s supposed to be 9 hours of cycling each week and 1 hour of weights and core exercise (plus an hour of mental preparation).

I’ve been more in the neighbourhood of 5.5 to 6 hours on the bike each week. I still do the 1 hour of strength and mental preparation work though.

Since I live in the Yukon, riding an indoor bike trainer is a necessity if I want to get distance, elevation, and time (fat biking or XC skiing alone won’t get me there as I can’t last long enough in the cold).

Cycling on the trainer for more than 2.5 hours is mentally draining/boring, which is probably solid preparation for racing in the BWR with my possibly 10-hour finishing time. The longest ride I’ve done on the trainer is 3 hours and 37 minutes. That felt like forever.

Due to my training, I have started to notice performance improvements which in turns helps inspire me to keep going.

Riding on the trainer for 2 hours no longer seems unfathomable. My power to weight ratio has increased. I can now repeatedly accelerate and hold higher speeds for longer periods. I’ve also lost 8 lbs. since early December and gained (slightly) some muscle mass. It’s working!

My bike set-up

Although the original BWR event in California is still won mostly on road bikes with slightly fatter tires, the organizers recommend most normal people choose a gravel bike for their events. Gravel bikes are typically more stable and comfortable for those not in peak athletic form, especially important as over the course of the event I will start to fade physically and psychologically.

Accordingly, in November I bought my first-ever gravel bike: a 2023 Trek Checkpoint SL5 in the 61cm size from Icycle Sports.

Since winter had already started when it showed up at the store, my Checkpoint has never been ridden outside. The bike has only moved from the back of our truck to being mounted to the indoor trainer. I’m excited for spring to come and to be able to ride it somewhere else other than inside our garage.

My trainer set-up

Most Zwift articles recommend you set up a fan near your trainer to keep you cool. I don’t have this problem living in the Yukon and riding my bike in a cold garage.

In fact, I need to run a space heater next to the trainer to keep my feet warm!

When we went through a bout of cold weather in late December it only got to 0℃ in our garage while it was -27℃ outside.

This was achieved after hours of me generating some serious heat from riding the bike.

It makes me laugh to think back to that week where I’d be riding my bike before or after work, and someone would open the garage door. An extreme blast of cold air would immediately hit me and all the warm air I’d built up in the garage would disappear in seconds.

My goals for BWR Canada

To finish.

Seriously, I just want to finish and be able to crack open that BWR Bad Ass Ale trophy beer upon doing so.

Maybe these aspirations will change as more information is shared about the event and I get out for some group rides, but for now, that’s it.

Countdown to BWR Canada in May 2023

At this point, at the end of January, the Vancouver Island, BC event is about 118 days or 16 weeks away.

The training plan I bought and am following is 18 weeks long, but I started it in early December.

Math-wise, I should have begun it this month, but I figure I’ll just work on some type of taper as the event approaches in May. At least right now the timing doesn’t concern me.

I’m looking forward to the challenge, the group dynamics, and the very likely comical experience of travelling, staying and coordinating plans with almost 20 other guys for the first-ever BWR Canada.

Ghosts, as in symbols of the COVID-19 starting to fade into memory. Come spring, I imagine most of these will be gone or at least barely visible anymore. I thought I would capture a few for posterity.

For example, painted sidewalk dots near a bus stop indicating how far passengers should stand apart while waiting.

A long ago empty hand sanitizer bracket. I remember touching the bank ATM keypad and then turning around to realize I wouldn't be able to clean my hands afterwards. I felt so contaminated and a small amount of panic would occur.

Stickers outside another bank asking customers to maintain #socialdistancing, when we used to call it that. At some point, at least in the Yukon it became #socialspacing.

Tape outside another bank to again, keep your distance from others, this time around a corner. I recall standing in these types of slow-moving lines in the frozen depths of winter, trying to keep warm and waiting for my turn to enter.

It's hard to believe that it's been over 2 years since we first went into lockdown, and the whole world was plunged into the pandemic, together and at the same time apart.

There wasn't a lot I enjoyed about living through the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am really grateful for the increased time I spent with my family, especially in the spring and summer of 2020. Those experiences reminded me of how deeply privileged I am, and to have what and live where we do.

There were also some scary and sad times; we had 2 uncles tragically pass away and all I have left of them now are memories. Uncle Jack and Uncle Corny, we love you. Your kind, caring souls will not be forgotten.

So now it's these ghosts - the painted dots, empty brackets, social distancing stickers and x-marks-the-spot tape - that persist. They remind of what we endured as a species, and what we gained and lost individually.

I bought the bike new in spring 2018 and have upgraded some key parts including:

• Giant SLR 1 42 carbon wheelset
• New this summer, Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite TLR tires, 28 mm. Set up tubeless
• New this summer, Shimano Ultegra 11-34 cassette and chain
• Lizard Skins DSP bar tape, 3.2 mm
• Ergon SR Comp saddle
• Tacx Deva bottle cages

Ideal for someone 6’2” or taller.

Speedplay pedals included if desired.

Frame wrapped since purchase: Top tube, down tube, stays and rub areas. Never crashed. Babied its whole life. To buy a comparable bike new is about $6,000.

Total weight of 17 lbs.

Asking CAD $2,000. Open to reasonable offers. Buyer pays shipping.

If you're interested, contact me.

Update: November 24, 2022. Bike sold.

I remember when many of these songs were first played by them. They each mark distinct points in their childhood; what they were going through, friends they had and where they were.

As we rounded yet another corner on the windy road home, I felt a deep sense of grief and appreciation for my wife and kids.

Grief for the time that had too quickly, passed by. Appreciation that I had been given the opportunity to be a part of their lives.

When our kids were young, it felt like the hours were taking forever. On some days, in the hardest moments I willed them to grow up so we could escape the suffering.

Now I look back and wish I could start all over again. Not to do anything differently (okay, maybe a few things) but simply to relive those experiences and be more mindful of how fast the years go by.

How rapidly children grow up, and at the same time, how swiftly we age.

Our daughter graduated from high school this summer. It was also her final year of a dance program she’d been part of since age 4.

In June, 14 years later, we watched her from afar socialize with friends. She was sitting on our backyard deck with her dance program classmates laughing, eating pizza, enjoying the evening sun and listening to music. Music I’d heard her play over the years on the home stereo, on her phone and in the car.

The time goes by, so quickly.

We see colours, hear sounds and feel textures.

This summer I became acutely aware of what’s not a new sense, but sure feels like one: through music, the passage of time.

Music that is, was and will remain part of our lives as a family and our memories made together.