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the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!)
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Alexia suggested that I post this in the main forum, though it's be rolling for a while now in the womens'. I think she just wants a larger audience to read about how she kicked all of our asses! <See thread here>

diva spent the summer in Whistler, and was looking for ride partners. Sharon was kind enough to describe some routes in the area and I (like a dumb fish) took the bait. A bunch of womens expressed interest in doing the ride and we were set.

The short version: Alexia climbs like stink, and utterly destroyed us all on the climbs. Even Phil. I'm going to have to ask her for urine and blood samples... :p


The long version: That was definitely the hardest 135km I've ever ridden, and is up there among the hardest rides I've done, period.

TopoRoute Map
http://www.toporoute.com/...Metric,setFollowRoad

Mt Currie is one nasty sonofabitch, and the road out past Duffy Lake is indeed pretty bad. The chipseal doesn't bother me so much as the huge cracks and potholes that could pretty easily take you out, and then there's the fun road to gravel transition with a 8" dropoff coming down into Lilloet that Phil and Diva hit at speed - luckily everyone stayed upright and intact.

Absolutely stunning scenery, and definitely lots of climbing even well past Mt Currie. That last 20km into Lillooet was killer. I'm SO glad that we had sag support, and also that we didn't start in Squamish. I probably went through 6 bottles of water and there's nowhere to stop once you get out of Pemberton - so lacking either of those would have made for absolute misery...

Total elapsed time was ~8hrs, but actual ride time was closer to 5:45. We lost ~1hr to mechanical, and easily an hour and a half to rest/refuel stops and just stopping by the side of the road to catch breath and psych up for the next pitch.

This is the elevation profile:




and pics...



Big smiles pre-ride...




Rolling Out






The view from where we stopped for Alexia's 1st Flat (on the road - 2nd of the day)




Self Portrait




Phil, climbing




Alexia's 2nd Flat




The last time we'd see Alexia for a LONG time...




The climb




(Official) Rest Stop #1




More Climbin'




Close to the Summit




We made it!




Duffy Lake




The climb into Lilloet










The hole that almost ate Phil & diva...





More pics...


Rollin' out (you can't see it, but we're still smiling at this point)




For cuds - proof that I wasn't completely shattered at the rest stop... :p




Climbin' - we seemed to do a lot of this...


















Brother Leo, one of our two heroic sag drivers, making sure that Andy is still alive :)




<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Beautiful pics! I love B.C... thanks for sharing.

Oh, and Alexia's seat is too high. Seriously. And she needs to learn to dodge potholes and glass better.
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Cool pictures. Climb looks like fun :).




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Searching for the bliss of ultimate exertion.
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Oh man, what timing! I was camping up at Nairn Falls and hiking and swimming in Joffre Lakes the weekend before Pemberton Music fest and I kept saying how much I wanted to ride up there. I'm thinking of planning a trip for September. Thanks for the photos and reminding me how badly I want to go up there! Here's us in the lake a couple of weeks ago (note the Glacier):




Last edited by: thunderlegs: Aug 7, 08 13:24
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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looks like you guys will be ready for a hill ride at Xantusia 2009
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Did you end up installing that 13-29 cassette or just stay with the 12-25?
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [LittleRingMan] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
Did you end up installing that 13-29 cassette or just stay with the 12-25?

No - I probably should have, but I stuck with my 50/36 and 12/25. It never got so steep that I had to pull down with the bars in order to force pedal stroke, but I certainly was not able to remain seated the entire way. I do like standing climbing, but 13k is a LONG way to go...


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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Khai,

Cool. Thank for sharing.

We did the same ride Whistler to Lilloet back in the 90's and we took the train back from Lilloet to Whistler in the afternoon!

That climb up to Joffre Lakes is a monster.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
Alexia suggested that I post this in the main forum, though it's be rolling for a while now in the womens'. I think she just wants a larger audience to read about how she kicked all of our asses! <See thread here>

diva spent the summer in Whistler, and was looking for ride partners. Sharon was kind enough to describe some routes in the area and I (like a dumb fish) took the bait. A bunch of womens expressed interest in doing the ride and we were set.

The short version: Alexia climbs like stink, and utterly destroyed us all on the climbs. Even Phil. I'm going to have to ask her for urine and blood samples... :p


The long version: That was definitely the hardest 135km I've ever ridden, and is up there among the hardest rides I've done, period.




I can't believe I missed this thread!

And for the record, yes I did enjoy kicking some asses ...especially yours & Phil's !!! LOL


my support:

Pacific Multisport
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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That looks like a cool ride, I want to do that next year. Will there be an anniversary ride?


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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I think that should be a BC day weekend thing to do and I'm in for next time for sure (and I won't pussy out like this year lol). If we plan for enough in advance, we could even make it a weekend thing.


______________________________________
I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [cuds] [ In reply to ]
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A weekender would be great but there would have to be access to quality ice cream for refuelling ;-)


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
A weekender would be great but there would have to be access to quality ice cream for refuelling ;-)
That's hard, because there is a whole lot of nothing between Pemberton & Lilooet ...


my support:

Pacific Multisport
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Alexia] [ In reply to ]
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There must be somewhere in Lillooet or we can improvise!

When's Vasson Island?


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
There must be somewhere in Lillooet or we can improvise!

When's Vasson Island?
Xterra Vashon is usually the 1st or 2nd weekend of July (July 13th this year), there is also a new Xterra in WA: Black Diamond which is on the first weekend of August, so if you want a good challenge for BC long weekend, next year you can do what I did: race Xterra Black Diamond on the Sunday & ride Whistler to Lilooet on the Monday ...good times!


my support:

Pacific Multisport
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I drove that route from Whistler to Penticton last summer, and I have to admit that I was itching to take the bike out of the back of the rental van and tell my wife to drive and let me ride, however, I doubt she even wanted to DRIVE that route. I'd like to ride the entire route from Whistler to Penticton some day, just for the hell of it. The scenery and variation of geology and vegetation in the area is just spectacular.

Where is the K-dot logo on your jersey? You don't really expect us to buy race clothing from the smackdown without even revealing the logo?
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Alexia] [ In reply to ]
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I didn't realise it had been already. How did you do?


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
I didn't realise it had been already. How did you do?
I had a decent race at Vashon (good swim, ok on the bike - mechanical issues, and good run) and finished 2nd in my AG. The bike course was reversed from the previous years , so that was quite interesting ...
Black Diamond is a cool race too (way more technical than Vashon) and has a creek crossing : http://conaghan.smugmug.com/...Wyqx#345028006_hUStj

very cool!!!


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Pacific Multisport
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Alexia] [ In reply to ]
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2nd in AG, eh? Well done you. Where's Black Diamond course? I think given that the bike's technical we should stick to Vashon as the Vancouver STers race. That way Khai stays in one piece!


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
2nd in AG, eh? Well done you. Where's Black Diamond course? I think given that the bike's technical we should stick to Vashon as the Vancouver STers race. That way Khai stays in one piece!
Yeah, did 2nd in AG at Black Diamond too, then kicked Khai's ass the next day :)

Black Diamond is here: http://maps.google.ca/...p;z=9&iwloc=addr


But I agree, Vashon is a more forgiving course, and would be a better for Xterra virgins...


my support:

Pacific Multisport
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [JulianInEngland] [ In reply to ]
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That looks like a cool ride, I want to do that next year. Will there be an anniversary ride?

Julian,

That is an awesome ride. One of the best I have ever done.

Khai - Does the train still run in the afternoon back to Whistler from Lilloett?




Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds (and looks amazing, with the right weather) I look forward to that.


"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the dumb shit we do... (Whistler -> Lillooet ride report w/ LOTS of pics!) [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Steve,

Unfortunately, there no longer is regular BCRail passenger train service between Vancouver, Whistler and Lillooet. The BC gov't sold the rights to the railway to CN (a 99 year lease!) and they discontinued the service. You can take the Rocky Mountaineer (a special tourist train service $$$) from Van to Whistler and Whistler to Jasper http://www.rockymountaineer.com/...neer/our_routes.aspx .

It's really too bad this isn't an option anymore, as it was a great trip and provided lots of tourist traffic to Lillooet. People would take a tour bus up the Fraser Canyon in the morning then take the train back through Whistler after lunch and vice versa for a guided circle tour.

I lived in that area for 8 years and was completely spoiled with the diversity of landscapes and recreation possibilities available (although I didn't take up road riding until I moved back to flatter terrain in Ontario). Yes, it's a little bit rednecky (is that a term?), and isolated, but the climate can't be beat (I had peach trees and cactus in my backyard) and we were only a 2 hr drive from Whistler or Kamloops for major shopping or entertainment venues.
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