Another day another 150 miles! By the time we had awoke on day 4 we had already traveled over 340 miles and had pretty tired legs as well as overall fatigue due to lack of a good night’s rest (Hotels!!!!). I think we were all a little apprehensive today because we knew it would be the hardest of the four days traveled. Me, because I had seen the passes before, Greg because of his aching knee, Kris because he was running out of cereal and George because he was running out of pickles to eat! Not only was it a high mileage day, it also had the two hardest climbs we would face of the entire ride.
The first section of Stage 4 was to Bowe pass with an elevation of 6785 feet. This section, although difficult was not as exhausting as the second climb would be due to it being stretched out over 25 miles of biking. Just before the summit of Bowe Pass we approached and rode by Bowe Lake then on to the summit of Bowe Pass. Once at the top we descended more than 3200 vertical feet to the valley below where we crossed the Saskatchewan River valley which was breathtaking, then rode to our next rest stop at the 50 mile maker where our Crew Leaders Terri and Sheri had our fuel all ready to go!
After a short pit stop we were on the road again towards the 6800 foot Sunwapta Pass. One couldn’t help but take in all the sights along this section of highway including the rivers, lakes, waterfalls, glaciers and mountains. Next we rounded a corner and approached Parker’s Ridge the path that leads to the top of Sunwapta Pass, our hardest climb of the trip. One couldn’t help but notice and be intimidated by the climb ahead and the line of cars and RV’s inching their way up the ridge line above. As the climb started and you round the big sweeping turn at the base of the climb all sorts of thoughts go through your mind as you approach the hill (can I make it? Oh man that is steep! That’s 3000+ feet of climbing!). I can honestly say that this section of the ride and this climb in particular was the hardest thing I has ever done physically in my life, including Ironman. There are points in this climb where grades reached 10+% and it is all you can do to continue muster up enough energy to continue rotating your pedals (speaking for myself not others, ok George too!). When you reach the top of the ridge line there is a viewpoint and you can see for miles. George stopped to take a picture at this point in the climb (thank you George). I however, didn’t for fear of not being able to get moving again. This picture really puts the climb into perspective (see the shot labeled Parker’s Ridge viewpoint on day 4 pictures in Big Bike Adventure Facebook pages).
After a little more riding I let out a loud cheer as I reached the top. I think I yelled so loud two cars stopped right in the middle of the highway thinking I had yelled BEAR instead of YEAH! Then we pedaled on to the Columbia Ice Fields and stopped at the base of the Athabasca Glacier for our final food stop of our journey. We can’t thank Sheri and Terri enough for their support along the way this trip would have been impossible to do without them and their support along the way. They decided to take a much deserved break and hike to the base of the glacier where they took some GREAT photos. After another fuel up (PB&J sandwiches, pickles, fruit, sports drinks, water and all sorts of other food) we began our descent down the mountain pass all the way into Jasper. I don’t know what our exact speed was during this section but am pretty sure we averaged 23+ miles per hour all the way into town. There was one point where I don’t think I even had to turn my pedals for at least 10 minutes (what a treat!)
The next 75 miles flew by, I think we all knew we were going to make it to Jasper and finish our ride for the Kids which was a GREAT feeling. We laughed, joked and took it all in as we made our way to our final destination. Upon arriving in Jasper Sheri took a great photo of us all raising our arms in celebration simultaneously and we rolled down the street for a ceremonial celebration ride through the town of Jasper, stopped for a victory picture and went on to the cabin where we reminisced for hours about the ride and maybe, just maybe, laid out our plans for The Big Bike Adventure 2012…..:-) Stay Tuned!
NEXT STOP COUCH followed by BED and PILLOW!
Overall Totals – 500+ miles in 4 days, over 22,000 vertical feet of climbing, over 4 mountain passes, 7 flat tires, 1 broken chain, 3 shredded tires, 1 bee sting, 4 really sore riders, 8 really, really sore legs.
And what a GRIND it was!
We Made It!
Parker's Ridge
Click on View More to see all of our Day 4 ride stats.
