BC Epic 1,000 2021 - Heat Dome Riding

Nine days of very hot riding over 1,000 kilometres and 11,000 metres of climbing across the best riding and scenery in British Columbia.

Introduction

After finishing my Banff to Penticton bike ride in 2020, I wasn't expecting to do another 10+ day bikepacking ride anytime soon but as the summer of 2021 approached, I found myself signing up for a bikpacking race called the BC Epic 1000. This is a bike race from Merritt, BC through to Fernie BC on the same TransCanada Trail I had ridden the other direction from Banff.  

So on June 26 I lined up at the start line with 50-60 other folks ready to ride off into the hills of Merritt. There had been some considerable debate ahead of the race around cancelling or stopping it as the weather was incredibly hot - upwards of 40 celsius - with no end in sight.  It became referred to across BC as the "Heat Dome" of 2021. Despite this, with some careful planning, lots of hydration, riding in the early morning and into the night while avoiding the hot times of the day, the race went on. 

Trip Log

I kept notes of my day to day stops and points of interest. The following is that summary. It was a tough route but because I had ridden much of it before, I felt well prepared. 

Sections like Chute Lake to Beaverdell were very rough with big sharp rocks used recently to repair the road; the Castlegar to Trail single track was tricky with steep river side hills and a lot of sandy stretches; the first section of the Elko to Fernie leg was pretty rough; and, Gray Creek Pass is steep with a lot of walking (at least for me).  

My hardest sections probably were Castlegar to Trail singletrack - beautiful riding but the sand and steep hills to the river were tricky. At the same time this was some of the most beautiful most fun riding. Going up Gray Creek Pass was also fairly difficult - I walked pretty much 3-4 hours - I had no legs for riding it and even on a 32 ring front cassette 11 speed rear cassette I could ride very little. But 3-4 hours out of 9 days is not a lot to complain about. 

Day 0, Friday, June 25, 2021
Where: Vancouver to Merritt
Distance/Elevation: 0

Kelly and I drove up to Merritt and stayed at the Best Western Hotel there. It was a fun drive up as there were many other bikers heading out from Vancouver and we all checked out our bikes packed on our cars as we drove along. Lots of discussion and worry about the ongoing heat dome and how to manage it but the hope was by taking it easy, hydrating and riding in early morning and late nights, all would be well. Had a great dinner out in Merritt and spent the night nervously worrying about the upcoming ride. 

Day 1, Saturday, June 26, 2021
Where: Merritt to Princeton and Chain Lake Campground 
Distance/Elevation: 156 km, 1,078 metres

In the morning Kelly saw me off with the crowd at 7 am for some nice riding to start the race. She headed home right after and the plan was she would pick me up in Fernie somewhere between 6 and 10 days later. 

It was a hot day as expected but between the early start, the adrenaline rush from the crowd and friendly company along the way it was all good. By the time we made it to Princeton it was baking hot so like many others, I took a break by the river in town. About 6 hours later I continued up a big climb into the hills and spent the night camping at Chain Lake.  I slept without the fly to get some airflow in due to the heat. 

For the first day, it was great riding with enthusiastic riders all keen to finish and the usual spectacular BC scenery. Chain Lake was a perfect stop - cool and right on water camping. Nice riding - nothing tricky but very hot into Princeton and the early evening.  I cooked a dehydrated camp meal quite late and went for a swim in the lake to cool off and wash up my dirty clothing

Day 2, Sunday, June 27, 2021
Where: Chain Lake Campground to Chute Lake
Distance/Elevation: 112 km, 966 metres

I was up early - around 5 am (turns out that was not early enough and I would start early for much of the rest of the race) - and off to Penticton and then Chute Lake. The ride into Penticton was very pretty but it was already hot by 8 am.  I mistakenly stopped for breakfast in Penticton at the Bench Market - a place Kelly and I had previously enjoyed. It was great but I wasted well over an hour with all the waits. 

I made it to Chute Lake in the late afternoon though was it boiling hot and had to ride in heat of the day to make it. I left the market with a couple of cokes that I drank as I went along but still had to make water several times as I was sweating so much in the heat. 

On this section I met number of fellow riders:  Jack (who I would subsequently ride with a a couple of days), Suzanne Foster - both of whom I rode with for awhile till noon -  and Jody Funk.  Jody was last in to Chute lake but riding hard after dropping her boyfriend who had overheated. Below is the tunnel just after Naramata where several of us stopped to get out of the heat and hydrate

Rather than camping at Chute Lake like I had the last time I was there, I ended up taking a room in the lodge because I was pretty tired from the day. A group of us ate dinner - Jack, Suzanne and Jody - with me having 2 burgers as I was so hungry. 

Day 3, Monday, June 28, 2021
Where: Chute Lake to Beaverdell and Rock Creek
Distance/Elevation: 150 km, 171 metres

A number of us were up around 4 AM to try again to beat the heat. Jody was off first, then me and then then Jack. I caught up to Jody at Beaverdell but while I was just arriving she was already heading out.

At the Beaverdell store I chatted with a guy who just moved to town to grow heirloom tomatoes after being arrested for occupying the Edmonton legislature for anti vaccine measures. Despite this not being my personal view, he was a friendly guy and we still had a good chat.  I have to say I was entertained by his theory, which included a specific numbered patent registered by Microsoft on Bill Gates putting chips in vaccines - something that would come up in the media around conspiracy theories for years to come.   

Jack arrived a bit later and we ended up hanging out on a nearby riverside waiting out the heat of the day. Around 5 PM we rode together into Kettle Valley Campground and camped for the night. Jack was suffering from a saddlesore so was starting to have second thoughts about the ride but was in good spirits and was good company for the ride.

Day 4, Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Where:  Rock Creek to Christina Lake
Distance/Elevation: 112 km, 675 metres

Jack and I were up again at 4 AM and we rode together through Midway until Greenwood for breakfast and supplies.  The ride there was a bit painful - after the campground it was a singletrack hummocky grass trail and it aggravated Jack's saddlesores. 

It was made also more difficult by a series of wire gates that needed to be open and closed, requiring you to get off your bike, open it, move the bike through and then get off again, close it and back to riding. For regular riding this was no problem but in the heat it was hard work. Jack made the decision to drop out at Greenwood after sharing breakfast with me. 

I rode on to Grand Forks and made a tough decision to keep on riding at 11:30 am on the hottest day of heatwave - 40+ celsius - to Christina Lake. It was a very open exposed section of riding but I wanted to be setup for a shorter ride into Castlegar (one of the bigger climbs on the route) as well as have an air conditioned motel room that night. 

My strategy worked but the price was my first saddle sore - ugh. I thought my ride might be over but thought I would see how it goes by being light on it while riding, washing my kit each night, cleaning the area and keeping it as dry as possible. Had nice dinner from Lisa’s Bistro across street from motel. 

Day 5, Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Where:  Christina Lake to Castlegar
Distance/Elevation: 84 km, 768 metres

This was a big up hill - first a big hill to get out of Christina Lake and then the big hill over the pass into Castlegar.  As I had left again around 4:30 AM, I ended up passing Jody (I think) sleeping on a picnic table halfway up the pass.  

At the top I ran into bear 4 km after Farron peak and the big kilometre long Bulldog Tunnel - I was pretty sure it was a grizzly given its side and shape. It was browny/blond about 6-7 feet tall on hind legs. On its hind legs it gave me a good lookover and fortunately moved on into the woods. 

In Castlegar I decided to stay in a hotel again to keep my saddlesore in check. I had nursed it on the downhill into Castlegar by mostly standing for the ride down. I have to say the Sandman in Castlegar was kind of grim - a concrete Russian architecture kind of building. 

My mood was somewhat downcast, amplified by limited eating options as local restaurants closed due to the heat dome overloading electricity in town and there were no nearby groceries. The upside was another night of air conditioning to keep the saddlesore dry and in check as well as a chance to wash my kit again. 

Day 6, Thursday, July 1, 2021
Where:  Castlegar to Ymir
Distance/Elevation: 104 km, 700 metres (?)

In the morning I was up again around 4:30 am and heading off to to Trail via a fun and challenging single track section.  It was beautiful outside of Castlegar but the trail steadily got tougher. There were a number of deep sandy stretches on drop-offs to the river and a few steep push a bike sections for me. I got lost by seemingly to ignore the sign turning left and went right down a steep dead-end and then almost out out onto a cliffy plateau that Garmin couldn’t figure out. Sigh. I got through it and despite the challenges, really enjoyed the ride.

After reaching Trail, I felt like the afternoon stopping point to wait out the heat would be Salmo another 20 km further along. I found a little creek that locals used for swimming along with a grocery where I stocked up with snacks for the day. 

I ended up chatting with a friendly normal looking but, I subsequently determined, crazy local guy who had worked at the Trail Smelter telling me about prayer rocks deep Kootenays, that the Star of David was an alien space ship.  Despite my friend being slightly off kilter, it was a fun entertaining conversation. I must attract these people!

From Salmo in the early evening I headed out with a plan to wild camp wherever I was when I got tired. Just when I had reached my limit and it was getting dark, the Hotel Ymir came into view and I ended up taking a room there. Nice place with paintings all over and friendly crew to check me in.  I was glad I had a room that night vs sleeping out. 

My saddle sore was doing ok at this stage - I think taking a few easy days and keeping as clean and dry as possible was helping. 

Day 7, Friday, July 2, 2021
Where:  Ymir to Nelson and Crawford Bay
Distance/Elevation: 84 km, 696 metres

I had another 5 AM early morning start into Nelson - trail was grassy/hummocky but within 10 km turned into a nice gravel track right into Nelson.  For no good reason I was feeling a bit down due to saddlesore but got an Instagram comment from Leonard Pretorius, the ride organizer,  encouraging me to continue. I was weirdly motivated by this 4-5 word comment - my legs had a lot more zip after seeing that. Funny in retrospect but makes you realize that even a small gesture like that can pump a person up.

I got to Nelson in time for an omelette breakfast and then was off to Balfour to catch the ferry to the other side. 

My target was Crawford Bay later in the afternoon where I had stayed the previous year on my bike ride from Banff. After the ferry, it was a short ride and the RV campground was as good as the previous year with showers and good campsites.

I hooked up with a crew bike packing from Canmore for a nice dinner out at a local restaurant with them that had gluten free beer. We managed to track down Banff/Canmore acquaintances/relatives we both knew. Always a good way to pass the time when meeting someone new from where you know they are from. 

Day 8, Saturday, July 3, 2021
Where:  Crawford Bay over Gray Pass to Kimberly and Cranbrook
Distance/Elevation: 119 km, 2110 metres

Today I was up around 4 am and off by 4:45 am. I knew it was a big day and would start with a huge climb up - well walk up - Gray Creek Pass before getting to Kimberly. I knew it was long downhill after the pass all the way into Cranbrook so expected I should be ok with 100+ km. 

As expected it was lots of walking up hill in the morning with grades of 16 to 20% - that is steep! It took 4 hours for me to reach the peak and then fortunately it was mostly downhill riding after that. I was running out of water and quite hot and tired 5+ hours in but finally reached a Kimberley campground for an ice cream and water refill. 

I was too tired to do much but take a room right on the highway in Cranbrook at the Super8 and order takeout food.  This day really did me in but a good rest in an air conditioned room would help.  

As I had stood on my bike much of the way downhill to avoid working my saddlesore and it seemed to have been ok as it did not feel any worse once in Cranbrook.  Despite being tired from this stretch, I knew having done it, I would get to the finish in Fernie … all I had to do was take it easy and ride it out.

Day 9, Sunday, July 4, 2021
Where:  Cranbrook to Wardner to Kikomun Park
Distance/Elevation: 77 km, 656 metres

I was feeling good today with the end in site and the heat starting to be more reasonable and my saddlesore feeling ok. I took it easy  for the 77 km ride. The route was nice particularly the Cranbrook to Wardner section on the Chief Isadora Trail. 

Had my behind been a 100%, I might have considered riding the last 70 km into Fernie as I was done quite early and would have made it easily to Elko for a stop and food for the last 35 km. That said, it was pretty good and camping at Kikomun Park, washing the kit and sitting around for a good part of the day reading and browsing the Internet kept it in reasonable shape for the short ride to Fernie the next day. 

Day 10, Monday, July 5, 2021
Where:  Kikomun Park to Elko and Fernie
Distance/Elevation: 71 km, 1009 metres

I was little worried about this section the whole ride as when I rode it last year I recalled a particularly bad section just outside of Fernie on the TransCanada Trail but I was surprised to find the BC Epic uses a different route!  

The hardest section this time was out of Elko for the first 20 km and frankly while it was hard it wasn’t that bad. Once out of that, it was pretty easy gravel road riding into Fernie. 

I had been worrying my saddle sore but the light riding, limited sitting of the previous days seemed to make it all good.  I was quite early into Fernie and was there a good hour ahead of Kelly who was planning to meet me at the finish line. 

I was pretty happy to be done and despite my slow pace and enjoyed the fleeting fame of being the lanterne rouge for the race on the BC Epic Facebook page!

Packing List Changes

On this trip I decided to bring only one riding kit (shirt, bibs, socks, overshort) and washed it as often as I could. Once I got a saddle sore around Christina Lake, I was quite vigilant about this. This was pretty much every night and sometimes during the day when it was super hot and I stopped somewhere for the day. The downside of the single jersey is it was basically wrecked by the end - all the salty sweat had faded out the colours and it looked more like old sweaty shirt than a fancy 7mesh jersey! I still kept a sleeping t-shirt and light pants which were good when in a motel/hotel or if mosquitos were out and about.  

Bike Equipment Changes

My main change to my Revelate bag setup this time around was moving to the Spinelock seat bag which has a clamp attaching it as well as stabilizimg it with your seat. This was much better in my view than the Terrapin which I used last year and found it a bit looser than the Spinelock. The Spinelock had a failing that I have yet to fix though which is the seat post velcro strap tore - not sure how; despite this the bag was still secure and in my view better stabilized than Terrapin. 

Wrap Up

While this was a very challenging ride due to the heat dome and saddle sore, in retrospect it was very memorable and fun in a number of sections. I am clearly not a bikepacker racer since I am too slow and always want to sleep at night, but I very much enjoyed the camaraderie of riding with other racers and the Facebook/Instagram followers who gave positive vibes and feedback through the ride.