Day 6: Squamish

by Joanna

Squamish is the last long day of the BC Bike Race, rated a favourite in past years. We were excited to get started! The 20 K to the first Aid Station were easy, breezy, flowy and fun. It was beautiful riding along and up perfectly crafted trails. It would have been even more fun without the log-jam of riders and slow train up Fifty Shades of Green, but on day 6, people were slowing down. Somewhere along the way I noticed some crazy Rastafarians on the side of the trail, urging me on. Hearing my name, I turned back to see Mom’s friends, Don, Karen and David, jamming out. (I knew they looked familiar!)

After a pit stop at the Aid Station, we had a long climb on logging roads. I knew the best downhill of the week was coming – Half Nelson – so I was eager to push on. Mom didn’t quite have the energy I did, but was happily peddling along at talking pace with our new buddies, Shea and Dave. Half Nelson and Pseudo Tsuga were a blast (as expected)! In a flash, we were at the 2^nd Aid Station. Ahead of us, we had a few punchy climbs into some of the more technical trails of the week – Powerhouse Plunge and Hoods in the Woods.

Everything was rideable, but after nearly a week of hard riding, the powerful Plunge took Mom down. I heard a gasp from behind and slowed to confirm its’ source. I dropped my bike and ran back, holding Mom in my arms as she struggled to catch her breath, and assuring her it would be okay, in a bit of role reversal. With some water and a few Shot Blocks, she was back on her bike like a champ, despite sore ribs, for the final 10 K of the day.

I had ridden the route before, but had forgotten what was left, thinking we were home free. Although not difficult, the final 7 K of single-track seemed to take an eternity. I said, “Almost there!” so many times Mom stopped believing me. We made it to the finish line in just over 5 ½ hours. Despite the slow finish, I declared Squamish my favourite day of the week, and was pretty pumped on our ride. Mom was feeling pretty sore and drained. But we were both happy to take advantage of the higher-end Base Camp that we returned to in Squamish. We feasted on some wood-fired pizza and soaked in the hot tub and pools at the aquatic centre, preparing for our final day – Whistler.