Cycle Trekkers

July 15, 2016March 17, 2017

Cycling the ranchlands of British Columbia

So we began cycling the Ranchlands of British Columbia

From Merritt we jumped onto the old highway 5A through the valley. Rolling hillsides and lakes started popping up around us as we started cycling the ranchlands of British Columbia. It was a beautiful cycle, the only issue was there was a lot of private land and a severe lack of wild camping. Our waiting paid off. Eventually we came across an AWESOME campsite next to a lake, about 40km south of Kamloops. It was absolutely stunning – minus the duck poo that covered the ground! Luckily, I had a spare bag and got to work cleaning up the site, while Michael stared in amusement.

Over dinner we chatted about other cycle tourists and different ways of cycle touring. We agreed that we could not travel without a stove and hot meals – surprisingly a lot of people do. The night was super windy and I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep! I thought the tent was going to blow away with us in it, or the lake was going to flood our tent. In the morning, we were both zombies and needed a coffee boost! Michael went to turn on the stove and nothing happened. It completely packed in. New priority – cycle to Kamloops and find a coffee shop.

Kamloops

The cycle into Kamloops was awesome – a constant downhill gradient. How we descended so much when we were on our way to the Rockies, I have no idea, but I wasn’t complaining. So far we were loving, cycling the ranchlands of British Columbia!

[ctt template=”8″ link=”9eYc3″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]So far we were loving, cycling the ranchlands of British Columbia![/ctt]

We found our new favourite internet/ coffee shop/ cheap food outlet – Tim Hortons! For the price of x2 regular coffees in Starbucks, you could get x2 mugs-the-size-of-your-head coffees, plus 2 bagels in Timmy’s, and usually the coffee was better. We love Timmy’s! On top of this, our favourite Canadian supermarket, the Real Canadian Superstore was opposite. When cycle touring you tend to have a favourite supermarket in every country you cycle. The store is usually determined by where you can get the most food for the least amount of money.

We got coffee, we caught up on emails, and Michael tried to fix our stove – fail! It turned out the Coleman multi-fuel stoves can run on unleaded gas in every country in the world, except Canada. No joke, it actually says this on the instructions, we just didn’t read it until it was too late. We had been using unleaded gas, and it had blocked up the stove. So we ended up buying an emergency stove from a camping store, to tie us over until we got to MEC in Calgary.

Clearwater

It had been 5 days since we last had a shower and though I had a stash of baby whips to use. We were both beginning to smell and were in desperate need of a shower. I decided to book us into an Airbnb in our next destination, Clearwater. Originally we were going to have a rest day in Clearwater, and though we had managed to make up a bit of time, we were still a day behind making it to Calgary in time for the Calgary Stampede. This meant no rest day until we made it to Jasper (only 320km and 1000m incline to go).

After spending a night camping at a rest stop in the rain, we cycled (in the rain) to Clearwater. Despite the crappy weather, it was a beautiful cycle along the river on highway 5, and overall we really enjoyed cycling the ranchlands of British Columbia. Once we arrived in Clearwater we were greeted by our Airbnb host, Kim, who not only drove us to the supermarket and the liquor store, he also drove us to Wells Gray Provincial Park to look at some waterfalls and views. This hour trip by car, would have taken us at least half a day on the bikes. It also made this overnight stay actually feel like a rest day.

We woke feeling clean, somewhat rested and ready to conquer the Rockies.

Our Airbnb host in Clearwater who took us to Wells Gray Park

July 10, 2016March 17, 2017

Canada Cycling Stats

Canada cycling stats noted during the start of our world cycle tour, during our cycle across Canada. The first table is a Canada cycling stats summary, then below that are all the stats for each province (because that’s how nerdy I am when it comes to stats).

Canada Cycling Stats

Canada Cycling Stats
Total km cycled in CA	7000km
Average km per day	82.32km
Longest day	137km
Shortest day	37km
Top speed	68kph
Longest # days without a shower	5 days
Most consecutive cycle days	10 days
Total number of days in CA	110 days
Average spending per day	19.37CAD per person*
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	29
Official campground	16
Warmshowers	29
Hostel	1
Motel	4
Apartment	2
Couchsurfing	8
Airbnb	7
Locals	9
Friends	2
Hotel	2
Bike Store Campsite	1
Tallies
Flat tyres	Kelly – 0 vs. Michael – 5
Adventures poos	Kelly – 4 vs. Michael – 4
Chains	Kelly – 1 vs. Michael – 1
Rear cassette	Kelly – 0 vs. Michael – 1

daily expenses don’t include costs for bike/ gear repairs/ gear upgrades, medical expenses or phone bills

Cycling stats for British Columbia
Total km cycled in BC	835km
Average km per day	76km
Longest day	107km
Shortest day	40km
Top speed	53kph
Longest # days without a shower	5 days
Most consecutive cycle days	10 days
Total number of days in BC	12 days (11 cycle days, 1 rest day)
Average spending per day	$14.23CAD per person*
Highest Altitude	1,244 m/ 4,081 ft (Coquilhalla summit)
Number of bears sighted	1 black bear
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Cutlery & CDs
Accommodation
Wild campsites	5
Airbnb	1
Local’s garden	1
Warmshowers	1
Friend’s house	2
Official campsite	1
Tallies
Adventure poo’s	Kelly – 3, Michael – 0
Flat tyres	Kelly – 0, Michael – 1
Snapped chain	Kelly – 0, Michael – 1
Bikes	Kelly – 1, Michael – 0
Lost Items	Bear spray, beanie, scarf
Broken Items	Spork, stove, mud guard

Cycling stats for Alberta
Total km cycled in AB	805km
Average km per day	80.5km
Longest day	110km
Shortest day	45km
Top speed	60.9kph
Longest # days without a shower	3 days
Most consecutive cycle days	4 days
Total number of days in AB	16 days (10 cycle days & 6 rest days)
Average spending per day	$22.60CAD per person*
Highest Altitude	2,035 m/6,677 ft (Sunwapta pass)
Number of bears sighted	1 black bear
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	gophers and cans of pilsner
Accommodation
Wild campsites	3
Airbnb	2
Warmshowers	2
Couchsurfing	2
Official campsite	6
Lost Items	Camera Tripod
Broken Items	Ripped pants

Cycling stats for Saskatchewan
Total km cycled in SK	807km
Average km per day	80.7km
Longest day	137km
Shortest day	40km
Top speed	58kph
Longest # days without a shower	1 day
Most consecutive cycle days	7 days
Total number of days in AB	13 days (10 cycle days & 3 rest days)
Average spending per day	$14.58CAD per person*
Highest Altitude	756m (coming into SK from AB)
Number of coyotes sighted	1
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Dead snakes and grain elevators
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	0
Locals house or garden	2
Warmshowers	5
Hotel	2
Official campsite	4
Tallies
Adventure poo’s	Kelly – 3, Michael – 2
Flat tyres	Kelly – 0, Michael – 4
Lost or Broken Items	Nothing that we’ve noticed
New Items	Replaced Kelly’s chain. New front rack and panniers for Michael’s bike.

Cycling stats for Manitoba
Total km cycled in MB	477km
Average km per day	95.4km
Longest day	100km
Shortest day	87km
Top speed	58kph
Longest # days without a shower	2 day
Most consecutive cycle days	7 days
Total number of days in MB	7 days (5 cycle days & 2 rest days)
Average spending per day	$11.42CAD per person*
Highest Altitude	Around 450m
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Road kill (skunks, deer, beavers, birds, frogs, snakes, coyote) and the gravel hard shoulder
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	2
Locals house or garden	1
Couchsurfer	2
Official campsite	2
Tallies
Adventure poo’s	Kelly – 3, Michael – 2
Flat tyres	Kelly – 0, Michael – 4
Lost or Broken Items	Snapped gear cable, broken front rack, spoke wrench
New/ mended Items	Welding of the front rack

Cycling stats for Ontario
Total km cycled in ON	2020km
Average km per day	88km per day
Longest day	116km
Shortest day	60km
Top speed	64kph
Longest # days without a shower	2 days
Most consecutive cycle days	9 days
Total number of days in ON	32 days (23 cycle days & 9 rest days)
Average spending per day	$12.60 CAD per person*
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	BIC lighters
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	12
Locals house or garden	4
Couchsurfer	1
Warmshowers	12
Official campsite	1
Motel	1
Bike store campsite	1
Lost or Broken Items	Front rack broke again, paw paw ointment, hummus, tomato, rip in cycle gloves, broken clip on back pannier, broken phone mount
New/ mended Items	New front rack

Cycling stats for Quebec
Total km cycled in QU	784km
Average km per day	98km
Longest day	121km
Shortest day	70km
Top speed	58kph
Longest # days without a shower	3 day
Most consecutive cycle days	3 days
Total number of days in QU	13 days (8 cycle days & 5 rest days)
Average spending per day	26CAD per person*
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Dead frogs, La Route Verte sign posts, apples
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	4
Locals house or garden	1
Warmshowers	4
Airbnb	4
Lost or Broken Items	Oil spill in pannier, broken mirror, ripped dry bag
New/ mended Items	New gloves, new dry bag

Cycling stats for New Brunswick
Total km cycled in NB	640km
Average km per day	80km
Longest day	121km
Shortest day	37km
Top speed	68kph
Longest # days without a shower	1 day
Most consecutive cycle days	4 days
Total number of days in NB	10 days (8 cycle days & 2 rest days)
Average spending per day	25.65CAD per person*
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Apples, dead racoons, scratch cards
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	1
Official campground	2
Warmshowers	2
Hostel	1
Motel	2
Apartment	2
Lost or Broken Items	Ripped leggings, ripped pants, holey socks
New/ mended Items	New chain, new rear cassette, new oil

Cycling stats for Prince Edward Island
Total km cycled in PEI	208km
Average km per day	69.3km
Longest day	86km
Shortest day	50km
Top speed	48kph
Longest # days without a shower	1 day
Most consecutive cycle days	2 days
Total number of days in PEI	4 days (3 cycle days & 1 rest day)
Average spending per day	$20.62CAD per person*
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Potatoes
Accommodation:
Wild campsites	1
Warmshowers	2
Lost or Broken Items	Sleeping mat, screw/ bolt
New/ mended Items	New screw

Cycling stats for Nova Scotia
Total km cycled in NS	146km
Average km per day	73km
Longest day	80km
Shortest day	66km
Top speed	54kph
Longest # days without a shower	0
Most consecutive cycle days	2 days
Total number of days in NS	5 days (2 cycle days & 3 rest day)
Average spending per day	$20.62CAD per person*
Most common objects seen on the side of the road	Dead racoons and fallen trees
Accommodation:
Motel	1
Warmshowers	1
Couchsurfing	3
Wild campsite	1
Lost or Broken Items	Spork (the second spork of the trip), leaky tent
New/ mended Items	None

daily expenses don’t include costs for bike/ gear repairs/ gear upgrades, medical expenses or phone bills

July 10, 2016March 17, 2017

Highway 5 from Hope to Merritt: Coquihalla summit

Coquihalla summit

Quite a few people had warned us about highway 5 from Hope to Merritt. Apparently the Coquihalla summit and the Great Bear Snow Shed was renounced for being a long brutal climb. I asked one local, “How long is the ascent to the submit?” His answer, “At least 50km.” I was a bit puzzled by this, as on the map it looked like it couldn’t be more than 30km.

Our luck had been pretty shit recently and with the heavy loads we were carrying and the lack of training, I was really worried about the summit! Honestly, if it was as bad as what people were saying, then I doubted I would be able to make it to the top.

We pulled into each chain up area on the way, taking it easy, and expecting the worse. Eventually we came to a gradient sign. The whole ascent would be 5.5km. 2km to the snowshed, which we discovered we could cycle around instead of through. Then it was another 3.5km to the summit, which was signified by the services at the top.

brodie green bicycle circuit — My new bike!

Highway 5 from Hope to Merritt: The summit

The climb wasn’t fun, my thighs were on fire, but hey, we made it! We got to the top and celebrated with a hot coffee and a snickers – a traditional we started on our last cycle trip when we cycled over our first mountain pass in France.

The worst thing about the highway was actually the traffic. We managed to pick one of the busiest weekends in Canada to cycle this route – Canada Day Long Weekend! Road trains, trucks, RVs, motorhomes, utes, cars, motorbikes. You name it, it was on the road, all driving in an excess of 120km per hour. Though we did have a fair bit of hard shoulder, I was still shitting it for most of the cycle up.

Onwards to Merrit

After a good rest at the top, we cruised down the mountain and got off the highway at Coldwater Road. Coldwater Road was a nice leisurely, quite road, through the ranches, so we took this the rest of the way to Merritt.

After successfully conquering highway 5 from Hope to Merritt, that night, for the first time during the trip so far, we both felt confident that we could actually make it across Canada.

July 3, 2016March 17, 2017

The first stretch: Vancouver to Hope

At points over the past week it seemed like it was never going to happen, but it did. We finally set off cycling again – the first stretch, Vancouver to Hope. This was supposed to be the easy part, to get us back into the world of cycle touring, but nothing went as planned!

Let’s start with the lead up to the cycle trip and our time in Vancouver.

8 hours delayed into Vancouver.
Lost/ delayed baggage.
Rude service from Jeff at Bikes on the Drive in Vancouver. Honestly, I have never been spoken to in such a condescending manner!
Kelly got an eye infection (which is still clearing up now – a good reason to have travel insurance).
A lot of teething issues with the bikes, the racks, and basically trying to carry too much weight. This made us realise just how lucky we got with our first cycle trip from France to China.

All this made for a slightly stressful start to the trip. When I jumped on the bike and attempted to cycle up the hill from our Airbnb, I knew it was going to be a long day. We had planned to cycle out of Vancouver to Kira’s place on 0 avenue (65km on relatively flat road). Our original plan was going to have to change.

The next 2 days of the cycle trip looked a bit like this:

Slow and painful cycle to Kira’s place on the Canadian/ USA border.
Michael hacking up his ankle on his bike pedals.
Contacting the bike store in Vancouver to find out about exchanging the bikes, as they suggested this bike to us in the first place. We originally were going to buy Trek 520 bikes.
Playing with some Aussie Shepherd puppies at Kira’s house and visiting all the animals on the farm. I helpx’ed at Kira’s place last year when I first arrived in Canada, and was excited to see how things were doing.
Kira kindly giving us (and my Norco bike) a lift to the bike store in Vancouver to exchange bikes. We were ‘greeted’ by the condescending Jeff, whom was his usual rude-prick-self. If I had a choice I would have just went to another bike store completely, however this wasn’t an option. We then drove back to 0 avenue to refit and adjust the bikes, repack and try and loss as much weight as possible.

Take 2: let’s start this cycle trip again

Finally we headed off from Kira’s. We made it about 4km down the road and Michael’s rack was wobbling so much that we had to stop. I then discovered to my surprise that my back rack hadn’t been installed correctly and had completely come off.
We decided on a short cycle to Chilliwack, where we could spend the rest of the day, adjusting the bikes. So, we camped by the lake, then in the morning headed off again. This time we got about 100m and Michael’s chain snapped. This was a bit of a surprise as the whole 8,500km we cycled from France to China we never experienced a snapped chain, and we cycled some serious mountain passes.
Eventually we carried on and made it from Vancouver to Hope. We cycled the Kettle Valley trail through the Othello Tunnels, then lost the trail so decided to camp, then hit highway 5 in the morning. Highway 5 goes over what would be the first mountain pass of the cycle trip, the Coquihalla Summit, and with the way our luck was going, I was worried.

We did eventually make it from Vancouver to Hope

From Vancouver to Hope we only cycled just over 200km, but we were both already shattered. We made the mistake of thinking we were in the same shape as when we finished the last cycle trip, and could still do the distance. Our luck also didn’t seem to be so great this time around – and though some of these ‘unfortunate events’ were partly our own faults, a lot of them weren’t. All up it was a rather stressful start to the trip, however we’re definitely getting back into cycle touring life now.

Next challenge – the Coquihalla summit!

Starting your cross Canada cycle trip in Vancouver? Check out our Vancouver City Guide for Cycle Tourists. You can also discover why Vancouver is one of the greenest cities in the world in our article 10 of the greenest cities in the world.

June 18, 2016March 17, 2017

MEET OUR NEW TOURING BIKES!!!

With only a week left before we begin our dream of cycling around the world we are both getting pretty pumped to begin our next adventure. And getting to meet our new touring bikes!!

It took me several months of scouring the internet and umming and ahhing over the pros and cons of dozens of different bikes. I contacted shops in Australia (where we were living). The U.K (where we are now). And, Canada (where the trip begins), and finally I found our new best friends!

We decided it made more sense to buy the bikes in Vancouver so we didn’t have to transport them from overseas. We got extremely lucky finding a bike shop willing to let us purchase and store the bikes until we arrived*. As they were last years models we even got the price heavily reduced. And, because we bought them from outside Canada, we don’t have to pay tax until we leave the country. So we grabbed some absolute bargains!*

We decided, as we are riding around the world for an indefinite amount of time, it would be wise to invest in some chromoly steel framed beauties.

So, without further ado I give you our new two wheeled freedom machines. Our new touring bikes!

Ideally, we would have liked to have bought the same model bikes so we could carry the same spare parts for both bikes and have the same setup. But, we scored an amazing deal! It just so happened that the bike shop had 1 small frame left for Kelly (she’s fun sized) in the Norco. And, 1 XL left for me (I’m a long legged freak) in the Brodie.

Kelly’s Norco Search S3 is a total monster! It should handle roads and dirt tracks like a champ! We will be swapping the handlebar stem out for something allowing Kelly a more upright riding position for long days in the saddle. It will take her a bit of time getting used to the drop handlebar setup and STI gear shifters. Ultimately I think they will be better than the hybrid flat bar style we are used. The choice of hand position is much greater and the integrated braking / gear shifting will make life easier.

My Brodie Circuit is a classic style tourer with bar end shifters. There is plenty of braze ons for racks and/ or extra bottle cages. It also has a nice long frame to help avoid heel strike on the rear panniers and should be good for carrying plenty of weight! I’m also going to need to get used to the drop bars as I’ve only ever ridden with flat bars. It’s definitely going to take me some time coming to grips with the bar end shifters. In the long run, it should be better!

So there we have it, our new metal children!! A couple of sexy touring bikes! I can’t wait to finally meet them, hop on their backs and explore the world together!!!!

Update

*The Norco Search S3 proved not to be up to long distant cycle touring. It had less gears and less gear range, which meant it couldn’t handle hills. It was also a lot weaker than the Brodie bike, so was having issues with all the weight on the back. The Norco was exchanged for a 2016 Brodie Circuit on day 2 of the cycle trip. We also had a lot of issues with the bike store that we dealt with in Vancouver, and would not recommend Bikes on the Drive to others. There are plenty of other good places in Vancouver to purchase touring bikes.

May 24, 2016March 17, 2017

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