I had pitched the idea of doing the ‘epic’ to my friend Pat. He does a lot of bike packing and we have done a lot of trips together, mainly ski touring. We always have a good time when we are out and I was really looking forward to it. Our shared goal was to stay together for the entire route however and with some hesitation from both parties we made a pact that if one of us was feeling stronger, they should go ahead. Using the word ‘training’ would be a bit of a misnomer, my goal being to simply get into the saddle as much as possible. Big day rides around Squamish on the mountain bike as well as a few 100-200k rides, some fully loaded on the gravel bike. Come the end of June, I was feeling ready.
We left Squamish and picked up a fellow racer in Vancouver who needed a lift and made our way to Merritt. Lennard, the organizer and previous winner of the race had set up a BBQ in a park downtown which was to be our first stop. Some burgers, eying up other rigs and in general, wondering what the hell we were doing there insued. It was great. Our billet in town were a very nice couple, very involved in the local community. They made us feel super welcome, feeding us ice cream and asking us all kinds of questions about the race which we answered as best as we could, having never done it. They loved documentaries and we watched some great WW2 programs before retiring to bed. I slept soundly that night, the window was wide open and I could hear the crickets singing loudly, it was just great. Morning came very fast.
Day 1: Merritt to just past Penticton
The grand depart is one of the few official pars of the race, we all met downtown and after a few words from local personalities and of course, Lennard - we were off. The first 30-40 KM was on wonderful rolling hills which was fast and we could really cruise and chat with others as we rode. It was an awesome start. Pat and I met up with a gent we had met the night before named Kevin Nemathy. We got along well and our paces were similar, chatting and making jokes as the KM’s passed us by.
After a while I noticed that Pat was dropping off, I kept slowing but would then speed up as soon as I stopped trying to slow. After a few cycles of this I decided I was going to just ride my ‘comfortable all day pace’ and see how it went. I didn’t want to leave Pat but I also found it hard to focus so much on a pace that wasn’t as natural.
After a few hours I was riding well with Kevin and we had formed a partnership, stopping together and keeping a good 20 km/h pace. The route past the pavement is beautiful, passing through high pasture country with excellent views on generally good double track and gravel. I was really enjoying it. The first stop was Pricenton where I dashed into the Chevron for a sandwich and coke as well as what would become a staple for me, gummy coke bottle candies! I started riding right away and soon after Kevin caught up saying ‘I was at A&W and saw you ride by!’, we continued riding together for another hour or so. Around Chain Lake I started to feel a pang in my left achilles and took a small break, this would become a major factor for me in the days to come.
We really had to stay on the pedals this day, there is very little coasting but it was more or less flat and the travel was good. At around the 530 pm mark I coasted though the town of Summerland and, about 30min later arrived in Penticton. I saw an Edo first and headed right there. I walked up to the counter and ordered 2 of the biggest dinners I could see, with extra protein. The guy looked stunned. They were closing but said it was OK of I stayed while they cleaned. I was able to fully charge my devices.
I had been texting Pat for most of the day and brought up my phone for another check in. He was still about 1.5 hours away. I decided I would get some groceries for us both as the store closed at 8, hydrate and elevate my legs.
When Pat arrived we met at A&W, the official restaurant of the Epic and caught up, he was hurting but in good spirits and keen to carry on. By the time we got going I had been resting for over 3 hours. We pedaled through penticton and as it was July 1st there was a party atmosphere all around us and it was surreal to cruise the Main Street with the muscle cars and folks drinking and partying. What was in store was of a very different flavour indeed.
We found a good clearing near some houses after riding for a couple of hours and bedded down for the night. We both slept well..
Day 2: Just past Penticton to Greenwood
We broke camp at 5am and already people were on the move, ostensibly having stayed in Penticton, lights on and riding by us as we packed up.. Having brought ultra light stoves, we brewed a quick coffee and oatmeal and were on our way after about 45 min. Day two proved to be one of my favourite days of the race, cruising through the famous KVR and its amazing trestles built to overcome Myra Canyon, going down hill for hours seemingly and holding one of my favourite stops on the entire route, the Beaverdell General Store. We pedaled from our camp, up the gentle KVR 2-3% grade into the high country of the Okanagan plateau and the very quaint Chute Lake Lodge. We had been looking forward to stopping at the lodge for a big breakfast of eggs and bacon all morning. We approached the interesting old cabin, opened the old door and asked the server how he was doing. “Well, I’m alive” was his response and he continued to let us know that the ‘continental’ breakfast of cold cereal was just for customers. He did offer us coffee for 2.00 a cup.
After Chute Lake, Pat and I drifted apart through the quick, well graded and popular section between Chute and Hydraulic lake, the trestles of the canyon were a highlight and after trying to avoid the hundreds of tourists on this section I eventually just yelled ‘COMING THROUGH’ and they got out of my way as I rode on, saying thanks and sorry as I passed.
At the end of the Trestles section there was a bike rental kiosk that sold HAWKINS CHEEZIES AND COKE, I enjoyed the snack, had a quick break and carried on alone. After some time I arrived at the Beaverdell General Store and to my surprise, found excellent food, water and hospitality. I ordered a sandwich called ‘Loads of Meat’, another bag of CHEEZIES, a doctor pepper and a great coffee and decided I’d take 30 min to relax. I texted Pat and he was a bout 45 min away. I enjoyed the break, chatted with a few locals and was surprised when three riders pulled up. It was Dave, Kevin (not the Kevin from before) and Justin. It was an interesting dynamic they had as Justin seemed to me hurting, Dave seemed to be in a hurry and Kevin appeared to be cruising along. We shared a few words and jokes, enjoyed a few moments together and when they mentioned that they got a motel in Greenwood, I decided that I would do the same. This would give Pat and I a chance to clean up, dry out and have a good rest, prepping us for the next few days, it sounded just great. As Pat rolled in I made the reservation for the motel on my phone and started to slow pedal out. In no time I was really in a groove, cycling quickly and enjoying it a lot. The railway town of Midway came up and I pedaled on into a wonderful section of fast double track. As I neared a highway underpass, it started to rain. Lightly at first then quite a lot, I tucked in under the pass, pulled out a snack and my earbuds, layed in the grass and FaceTimed Erin as it poured rain all around. That was pretty cool.
Dave, Kevin and Justin rolled by after about 20 min, with Dave saying only: ‘ARE WE IN GREENWOOD??”, before I could answer they were out of earshot so I just laughed, saddled up and rolled out. I made it to Greenwood after a while and caught the last gas station in town before close, stocking up on sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks - enough for Pat and I to really pig out. I texted Pat to say that I got him dinner and he responded that he was over 20km away. I showered, chilled, stretched and ate while watching television, I was pretty damn content. The achilles pain had intensified through the day and walking was quite painful. I was surprised when Pat rolled in almost two hours later, he was worked but had made a huge effort to make it to the motel, I was glad to see him and impressed with his effort. I had decided that I was going to stick with Pat from here on, I had a strong feeling that finishing together would mean a lot more to us both. While Pat was in the shower I heard a huge thump, I yelled out and heard nothing, then yelled again and started towards the door. I heard a faint response, he was OK but had fallen hard and bruised his ribs. I chatted with the trio and decided that in the AM, we would start together and see how it went as a fiver. Pat and I got a quick catch up and chill after his shower crash before passing out and sleeping hard for a few hours.
Day 3: Greenwood to Trail
We awoke at 4am, quickly packed up, made a coffee and hit the road. First stop would be Grandforks for guess what, A&W! This section has a lot of livestock gates which are a bit tiresome but otherwise, the way is nice and cruisy. Pat and I left a bit earlier then the others but after a short while, they caught up. We would spend the next three days with Kevin and Dave, forming a rag tag group with good energy and a mutual desire to finish the race. Justin was no where to be seen, Dave mentioned that he was hurting and was going to see how he felt in Grandforks and decide to carry on or ditch. At this point I hadn’t even considered bailing and the thought that someone so far in was contemplating it was a shock, I really thought I’d be one of slower riders in this race, I really had no idea what to expect. We later found out that only 20 something people actually finished from a starting pack of over 70.
After some breakfast, the mood would always lighten and we were stoked for the day ahead. Justin was out, he had hit a wall mentally and it was too much to go on. The four of us continued on, in good spirits, joking and looking forward to the next section. Pretty soon, Pat and I took notice of the dynamic between Kevin and Dave. During stops Dave would say something to Kevin like, “ Kevin, eat something now’ or ‘Kevin, how much water do you have, drink!’. I thought it quite funny but they existed quite well like this. Later Dave told me he was previously in the Army Engineers and it all made sense, he was looking after Kevin and giving him direct, clear orders. I also started to note something else about Kevin, he was completely out of his element: he’d never Mountain biked, camped , done big trips or was accustomed to mountain weather in any form. When we stopped he always looked blasted and would say things like: ‘I am seeing double’ or ‘I am dizzy’ or ‘I can’t eat the food I have’. Then, moments later he would charge on and ride hundreds more KM. I was really impressed with this all.
I really enjoyed the riding this day, I remember Matthew Lee saying something during his 2nd or 3rd TD win along the lines of : ‘ today I am just totally enjoying the trail and being on my bike, I am exactly where I want to be’. I was just really enjoying the riding and could relate, it was just great. The route follows the Columbia river in this section and the light would dance along the ripples of water, thin clouds above forcing light to disperse and reflect even more, the moods of the water were hypnotic. We were also really getting into a groove as a foursome. Dave taking care of Kevin and Pat and I just cruising along, make the odd inside joke which we enjoy so much.
Towards the end of the day, we found a really great spot along the banks of the river and set up camp. I was surprised to see Kevin curl up in a cheap bivi sack with no sleeping bag, which he had dumped earlier in the trip as it was too heavy. He didn’t sleep at all that night and would later tell us that he didn’t sleep during the entire event. I found that even 2 hours of sleep was enough to recharge me for the next day but no sleep at all was a very disturbing prospect.
This camp we had a few hours to relax, the first and only time we could do this at a camp site during the entire race. It was great.
Day 4: Trail to Balfour Bay
We awoke early and set off, Kevin and Dave had left early as Dave wanted to ‘get Kevin through the next 10 miles’ of single track, which could be a real crux form Kev. Pat and I started slowly and worked our way along the singletrack. It was then that I noticed an alarming pain in my left achilles. Every pedal sent stabs of pain up my leg, I had to get off the bike a few times and stretch. It was agony to be on the bike. At one point, Pat was a bit behind me and I stopped to wait. He rolled up and when I looked at him I saw pain in his eyes. Pat has a lot of positivity and I had never seen him like this, he may have been thinking the same about me. He had the same thing going on in his achilles but he also had a knee pain that was getting to him badly. We both suffered along with our issues, getting to Trail in about 1.5 hrs. We caught the boys at Timmy Ho’s for breakfast and had a longer then normal break to charge devices and rest. Kevin was completely worked from the single track and I could see Dave was strained as well. The break was exactly what we needed.
I got a weather report on my phone and it looked bad, we were going to ride into a big storm today.
We left Timmy’s and climbed a hill on pavement, I remember thinking how nice that felt after so many rough miles on gravel and rocky trails. it was bliss. Climbing the hill my Achilles started to loosen up a little and my spirits started to return to normal. Cresting the hill we cruised along and made good time. I was happy to be on my bike and riding with these 3 guys, I was just really enjoying it.
The route today was on pavement and gravel, a nice mix from the previous days and we could really make good time. Around the halfway mark we had a good stop in Salmo and loaded up on snacks and water. I looked over at Kevin and he kind of looked deflated, he was looking at his tire, which was also deflated. It had a cut in it and he was losing all his top end pressure, we booted it and ran a tube into it and it was good to go. We rolled out and eventually made our way back to the double track and gravel that we much preferred. This section was maybe the most unmaintained on the whole route. We cruised though big puddles and ruts, someone would be in front, trying to find the best path while the others would follow. As we were booking it through a fast section, Dave yelled out that he saw something move in the trees, sure enough it was a young grizzly bear, romping through the tall grass and shrubs. A yell in his direction lit a fire under his ass and he was gone, exactly the type of interaction you want with a bear. It had been raining off and on almost all day and now it was really pouring as we crested the height of land. We layered up with our puffy coats and rain gear and settled into the 15km descent into the town of Nelson. As we lost height, the rain intensified and the air temperature dropped, I was barely warm enough in my jersey, puffy coat and rain jacket and pants. At one point I heard a soft yell from behind me, it was Kevin. I stopped and rode back to him, catching him on a bridge over a canyon. His lips were blue and he was shaking uncontrollably. Kevin was wearing a light windbreaker over his jersey that was soaked through, nothing else. I instructed him to throw on his rain coat as that would at least cut the wind. He looked at me dead in the eye and said, ‘I haven’t felt my hands in a long time’ - We needed to get Kevin warmed up.
Soon we were speeding down the streets of Nelson, water pouring down them like rivers, the storm had intensified. We rolled into Osa Negro Coffee, hung a few things up to dry and waited patiently in line. When it was my turn to order the first thing I got was a huge cup of warm water for Kevin to drink and warm his core. He sat down and started to come back to life as he sipped. Dave was pacing around the cafe with his hands wrapped around a coffee cup, Pat and I could barely walk around due to our pain and everyone was soaked to the bone. At one point while Kevin, Pat and I were hunkered down at a table I brought up something Pat and I had discussed earlier, quitting. The rain was a lot to take this day and my achilles (and Pats knee) were on fire and I was starting to think I would permanently damage myself. I shared this with Kevin and I could see his eyes start to water, he couldn’t believe we were thinking about scratching. After all Kevin had been through, completely shattered more then any of us and more frequently, he wanted to go on, seemingly at all costs. I was at a low point and Kevin inspired me back, I couldn’t quit.
The sun started to appear and after a good break, we made our way to the Kootenay Co-op. We loaded up on delicious snacks, taking a bit longer at this haven then normal to warm up further. Dave was always wanting to be efficient with our stops and I could see him bouncing around outside, he was getting angry. We finished up our stop, ran into a couple of climbing friends who seemed very confused about why we were doing what we were doing and rolled out, our spirits restored from a great break in Nelson.
We needed to pedal on pavement to a ferry that would take us to a short road stretch as well as our 2nd last night, a cabin resort I had found online earlier in the day, it looked great and the thought of drying our kits was a welcome one. After a couple of short delayering stops right out of town as the sun intensified, I could see Dave’s impatience start to boil over, he wanted to go and our stops were getting to him. He said he was going to pedal slowly ahead and he was out of sight in minutes. Upon reaching him at the ferry terminal, he let us know that he had to ‘work some stuff out’. I think Dave was fighting an internal battle between staying with the group and doing his own race pretty much the entire trip. We all had ups and downs but Dave’s downs were almost always associated with this theme, upon reflection I think Dave was probably as close to his limits on this ride as we all were. There were times when I wanted to blast way ahead too but for the most part, the pace was a good and sustainable ‘all day’ pace and that was what we needed. Dave would counter this position by making it clear that he wanted to be with the group, as well as needing to ‘get Kev to the finish’. At one point earlier in the trip, we climbed up a long remote foresty road, one of the biggest of the route. We all did our best and helped each other get to the top, mentally. When we stopped in the shade and enjoyed some snacks and water, Dave made a point of letting us know that he appreciated us being there. It was a great dynamic we all had and I laughed a lot.
We got to the ferry and snacked on some samosas and cake, it was a great forced break. On the other side we rolled easily up a road to a German style restaurant that served huge portions. We all devoured huge plates of spaetzle, schnitzel , noodles, gravy and cabbage. It was so good, the first real meal I had in days. The hosts were very gracious although this being the nicest restaurant in the area, I was keenly aware that we did not fit in and we smelled horribly. We paid our bills and rode up to our cabin, a quaint A frame with lots of space to spread out, dry gear and relax. We joked around and our energy was starting to build for what we thought was to be the crux of the trip, the 1600m climb up to St. Marys alpine park and the gateway to Kimberly and with that, the final stretch to Fernie. The cabin had a flight of stars and It took a lot of effort and wincing to get up and down them, my achilles were on fire and getting worse every day. We were in bed by 1230 and we set the alarm for 4.
Day 5: Balfour Bay to Surveyor Lake
We rolled out after some light rain finished up and made our way along the gravel road to the base of the climb. We had budgeted 5 hours to get to the top. We climbed and climbed, taking short breaks to eat but nothing more. At some point, Kevin asked if we were near the top. We had just started the climb and were maybe 1/4 of the way or less, I relayed the news and he looked completely stunned. Kevin had never done a climb this big and had no idea of what to expect. His GPS had stopped working long ago and every day he woke up with almost no idea of what was ahead. I just couldn’t believe how tough he was.
After 3.5 hours we reached the sub-alpine and the high pass, the final major obstacle of the route. The clouds broke and the air was sharp and cold. I could see my friends in front and behind, stretched out yet connected by this strange pursuit. I was really happy. The entire climb my achilles caused me intense pain. At a few points I would cringe at every pedal, tears forming in terse eyes, I was getting used to the idea that I would do serious damage to myself but some googling the night before told me that inflammation can only go so far and not get worse. I went with that and kept on riding. A bit further back, Pat was going through a similar process, we both had an important tradeshow right after the trip as well as climbing/hiking vacations approaching. A lot rested on those darn achilles healing up fast - this was not a nice thought to keep having over and over.
Dave found an outhouse at the summit and went in...after a few minutes he yelled out ‘ WHO DOES #2 WORK FOR??’, quoting Austin Powers, I was crying with laughter. It was a great moment.
We buttoned up and started the descent to Kimberly, it was bumpy and fast and we all loved the change of pace. We were doing 30-40km an hour instead of 15-20. There was an issue though, the bumps were reeking havoc on my achilles, the left one was on fire and the right one started to trigger for the first time. It was agony. Nevertheless, we made good time and soon were back in the warmth of the valley bottom, getting creek water and taking a quick break in this beautiful place we had found on a bridge, the water running gin clear and tasting wonderfully.
My dear friend Katie was going to ride up and meet us at some point as she lives in Kimberly but I had no idea where we might bump into her on the descent. Every corner I thought we might see her until finally, there she was! Katie is very fit and we have done a lot of climbing together over the years, recently she has taken to bike packing and has done trips all over including a huge ride in South America. She is one of my best friends and we have a familial like bond, not seeing each other often but its always easy and great when we do. As Katie got closer, she looked to be the personification of health and freshness, I felt exactly the opposite. Despite that, I had an immediate boost seeing my good friend and we pedaled up ahead for a while, catching up on life. This was also a major low point for me physically and mentally with my achilles issues. Every pedal was extremely painful, all the while I wanted to have a proper catch up with Katie, it was a strange social situation that I’d never been in before. Such pain and such joy. I later felt bad for being short with my answers during this time and sent Katie a note apologizing, she understood completely and said I seemed normal, which was comforting. We made it to Kimberly, avoided town and kept riding hard into Cranbrook.
Outside Kimberly we stoped at a cafe for lunch and coffees. It was a great stop, we drank a lot of fluids, had good espresso and scarfed a few breakfast sandwiches. At one point in the day, Kevin let us know that he hadn’t slept at all the entire trip and was hitting a wall, mentally and physically. This really upset Dave and he instructed Kevin to find a quiet spot to sleep for a bit. I found that a valve stem had ripped out of my tire so I repaired that and gave everyone another 10 min to chill. Kevin was asleep in a chair using his thumbs to prop up his head.
We rolled out to Cranbrook and got our typical double dinner from Tim Horton’s. One sandwich now and one in the bag for later. We were back on rail trail and going fast, it was awesome. After about an hour we came to the 40km single track section that deviates from the rail trail. This was the route so we were going that way. After about 5km I could tell Kevin was hitting a big wall, I asked him how he was doing and he replied, ‘not well, this is very hard for me, I don’t think I can do it’. I was so used to Kevin just soldiering on and thats just what he did. After a couple of hours we emerged from the single track, it was a really beautiful section, maybe the nicest on the whole trail for actual riding but at the time seemed really hard due to the day we’d already had. Kevin looked worked. We enjoyed our second dinner and kept riding. We all wanted to be done tomorrow which meant today would be a long one, getting all the way to Surveyor lake another 80km or so away.
We pedalled on and on and as it got dark we just kept on going. Past the small farms and dirt tracks, moving away from the highway and deeper into the backcountry, this was a very special section for me. I pulled out my ear buds and started to play some music, it was Vivaldi and I was somehow really struck then by the beauty of the music as well as recalling his sad story, being a church composer for most of his life then dying in almost complete, obscure poverty, only to become important and famous many years later. I looked around at the fading light and felt a lot of kinship to my team mates in that moment. I was overwhelmed with emotion and joy.
When darkness took hold of the landscape we were all starting to show tiredness from a day that would turn out be our longest. We gained a good gravel road and turned on our lights, the gravel turned into an even better road and eventually pavement. I was starting to hallucinate again and could see rocks move and trees turn into people I know from Squamish, it was all very odd. I had been power eating Advil and the achilles were a throbbing pain but not a stabbing one, it was nice.
We rolled into Surveryor Lake campground to find it completely full, we found a bathroom house around 12am and cleaned up a bit. When we continued on, none of us could really articulate what we were thinking and wanting in terms of a campsite, we were just so tired. After a while, we rode out to a service road and a large tree, I said aloud, ‘we camp here tonight’. Kevin was shaking and I think starting to go into shock due to lack of food, he couldn’t get any of his bars down. Dave and I had some peanuts which seemed to work better, I gave him a full bag and he devoured them quickly and started to feel better. Pat and I set up our tents with Dave and Kevin leaving their chamois on and simply crawling into their bags. I was happy to take my time to get out of mine, clean up and slip on my cotton sleeping shorts. Sleep came quick.
Day 6: Surveryor Lake to Fernie
We awoke at 3:30 am and made a quick coffee before rolling out at a good pace. This was to be a really nice section. Fast single track and double track pulled us further and further into the backcountry and it started to feel remote again, all the while gaining on Fernie townsite. People really talk about this section as a crux and I could see why, there is a lot of up and down, some anaerobic climbs and a lot of bumps. Despite that its a beautiful section and I remember being taken with the scenery change as we were now clearly in the Rockies. It hit me how far we had travelled and I, for the first time thought that we were going to finish, a thought I didn’t allow myself to have before now. As we rounded a corner we heard a very nearby pack of wolves howl loudly, it was intense and Dave said they recognized our pack, which was like theirs. Kevin just looked scared. Pat and I laughed aloud.
We connected with some good gravel roads and sped up to a 25km per hr pace, it felt great. After a while, Dave and I were well ahead of Kevin and Pat and we pulled over and drank some water, they rolled in and Kevin looked beat, he said: ‘I am seeing double and I am going to fall over at any moment’. We gave him some food and he seemed to come back so we pedaled on. I was really happy to be here with these guys and especially Pat, the thought that I was going to do this race alone seemed like a very distant idea just then, almost as if I didn’t have it. The 5 days were so tied to these guys and I was really happy to have stuck with them. I was really proud of Pat too, he was really hurting but kept on silently plugging away, every day. I only saw him get upset once at Dave, who was always in a hurry and this really went against Pat’s more casual nature. I don’t recal the exact exchange but Pat said something like:’its just a fucking bike ride!’, when Dave tried to press us on an issue. Pat being very kind and good natured, this comment stood out. I just laughed.
What I didn’t know then was Kevin thought we were going to encounter more single track, something he feared intensely. As we sped along, I knew we were home free, the town limits sign passed and soon, the town itself came into view. We told Kevin we were almost there and he was overnwhelmed with emotion, he really thought it was going to get hard again. At some point near downtown, Dave sped up to me and said quietly; ‘ lets finish this together, the 4 of us’. We lined up abreast and zipped through the quiet streets as a team, two from Squamish, one from Iowa and one from South Africa - I would have never had guessed we would form this team.
The city hall, which is the official end of the BC EPIC came into view. There was a small crowd of people there. Town folk and a few finishers as well as Lennard, the organizer clapping enthusiasticly as we rolled in. All of the work was over and I suddenly became emotional, I had the feeling that we were alone the whole time, making decisions and just plugging away as a small group. Seeing the people cheering made me really think that this event is actually a family, tears rolled down my face as we pressed our brakes for the last time and high fived and hugged our fellow competitors.
Pat’s girlfriend, Alycia had graciously offered to drive out and pick us up from Squamish, a heroic effort. She loaded us into the car with our bikes and we grabbed showers, food and coffee in Fernie. It was marvellous. We ran into both Kevin and Dave for the last time, hugging and wishing everyone safe travels. As soon as I got into the car I cramped up for the first time on the trip, my body knew we were done. We rolled towards the coast through rainstorms and stopped frequently for food, I couldn’t eat enough. I picked up my stashed truck in Merrit and completed the rest of the trip on my own, rolling in after 1am, it was a very interesting drive.
I feel a strong bond now to these guys and I think that is the best part of the whole event, we learned a lifetime about each other, helped one another and were brought down to a very basic level of existence - it is very raw and unforgettable. I was very proud to have finished but also very happy to have done it with Pat, as well as Kevin and Dave - It simply wouldn’t have been the same otherwise. I really don’t think there was a strongest rider, everyone pulled their own weight and everyone helped each other when they needed it, it was just great..
A few days later, Dave sent me a note, it read: ‘It just occurred to me that I couldn’t have done this trip without Kevin’. I just laughed.
**Please excuse the images as they are out of order**
