Going The Distance: Day 1

I earned myself a venti frappaccuino today. I was up early for my 100 km ride from Ucluelet to Port Alberni. The weather was nice and cool. I even had a starting song in my mp3 playlist. It was ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. Not till after the first 10 km I realized it should have been ‘Highway To Hell’ by AC/DC. The Pacific Rim Hwy has many twists and turns with really steep hills. I suspect the engineer who designed it must have a secret passion for designing roller coasters, ha!

The first 50 km was the toughest. I had taken ad hoc breaks when needed. At the halfway point I took a short break (nap) and munched on some snacks. That helped me develop a second wind where I maintained a steady pace for a good 25 km. There were a few long downhills where I was able to increase my speed significantly. I will not tell you how fast I was going 😉

During the ride I had the bad habit of frequently checking my odometre. The old saying goes ‘a watched pot never boils’. It psychologically slowed me down. Towards the end my legs felt like jello and my pace had slowed. I was on the road for about 9 hrs. Today is considered a small example of what to expect in the Rocky Mountains.

Tomorrow will be my trip to Nanimo. It is there that I will catch the ferry back to the mainland then head into downtown Vancouver. Ciao!