California!

Tonight I sit safe and dry in a dorm room at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California enjoying the cool evening breeze through the window of my fifth floor suite.  Now I am relaxed.  But it's been an absolutely crazy 36 hours.

It started yesterday...  Thursday, I suppose.  My first day of holidays.  I intended to spend the day packing, and getting ready for my 9am flight on Friday morning.  And I did spend the majority of the day doing just that.  But around 5pm, things got interesting.

My bike had been carefully bubble wrapped and stuffed in a box.  My camping gear was packed, and half my clothes were laid on the bed, ready to pack while the other half hung in the basement to dry after being laundered.  And it's a good thing things were so organized.

Around 5:30pm we heard on the news, and were alerted by circling Police helicopters and a barrage of sirens that part of my neighborhood of Bowness was under an immediate evacuation order with the risk of flooding.  The heavy rain over the past day had caused the level of the Bow River to raise past its banks, and the waters were starting to take over the streets.  Our house is maybe 6-blocks off the river, and was not in immediate danger, but the water was rising and police officers were going door-to-door to make sure people were getting out.  This video gives a little glimpse of the extent the river swelled.

I didn't sense there was an immediate danger of our house going under water, so I took ten minutes to madly pack all my clothing (wet and dry) into my suitcase, loaded my boxed bike into the car along with both duffel bags, then got out of the area.

Through the afternoon I was trying to coordinate getting a bike box to Ava so she could pack her bike, but she was experiencing all sorts of travel delays coming into Calgary from southern Alberta because of flooding in other areas.  She finally made it to Calgary right around the time the evacuation order came down, and couldn't get into Bowness to retrieve the box.  Without the box, there would be no getting her bike on a plane to get down to California to start the tour.

 So... I somehow crammed a second bike box into the back of my little Subaru, and  made my way over to her cousin's house where she was staying the night.  She boxed her bike while I caught up with a few friends' whereabouts and well-being.  I ended up crashing on her cousin's floor, and leaving my car on the street until it's safe to return to my house in Bowness.

Needless to say, all this hoop-la really threw my organized self for a loop.  While I would normally have triple-checked my packing list, I barely glanced at it as I was stuffing clothes into my bag.  (Having unpacked already, though, it looks as though I have too much stuff and nothing serious is missing).

With the flooding, plans to get to the airport Friday morning went out the window.  Instead of catching a ride, we hired a cab to get us to the airport.  It was about 25 minutes late picking us up, but we made it to the airport and checked our bags and bikes with time to spare.  Definitely a stressful morning.

By 9am we were leaving the flooded city behind us, and on our way to Vancouver.  Before long we were in blue skies.

 Grey skies in Calgary

 Blue skies above Vancouver

I haven't taken any pictures in California yet, but I love it here!  The temperature is perfect and the greenery is gorgeous.  Tomorrow we hope to go to the beach.  And get to the bike shop to pick up spare tires and a new seat...  maybe.

The bike survived the journey, and was assembled with minimal difficulty.  I've met a ton of folks who are also riding, but none of whom have had a harrier time getting here than me!

After dinner, a few of us went to Patrick's Pub for a little "Canadian Bible Study", as one American friend called it.

We were back at VU by 10pm, where Sara B had just arrived.  We all sat outside for another hour waiting for Ava's parents to show from LAX.  It's a beautiful thing to be able to sit outside on a nice evening 'til the later hours of the night without being eaten alive by mosquitoes or freezing to death!

Anyway, now it's late into the evening and I need sleep.  After crashing on the floor last night, I'm short on Zzzz's and need to catch up.

Tomorrow will be a lazy day, but it'll take much energy to meet all kinds of new faces.

One logistical note - my cell phone is with me, but will not be turned on to send or receive texts.  If you would like to get in touch with me - send me an email: stephen.byl@gmail.com.

Five Sleeps 'til Departure!

Wow...  once again I find myself amazed at how time flies as I can now count on one hand the number of days left until my flight to Orange County.

Despite the chaos, I'm finding myself closer to being ready for departure.  I think the physical act of packing is further ahead than my mental preparations. I was thrown a curve-ball this week at work, as a job that was supposed to have me out of the office for one day kept me away for three and I now find myself with two less days to tie up loose ends and get things organized for my co-workers when I leave.  Throw in a few late evenings and all of a sudden I haven't ridden my bike since Tuesday!  I'll call it "tapering" the week before the big event, but know I'm not even fooling myself.

Last weekend was a quick trip to Kelowna to see some friends and family.  I love the drive, and it was actually quite relaxing.  The beauty of traveling in mid-June is that there's no one else on the roads and things are so green!  I listened to two Oscar Wilde plays and realized he is not a feminist.  At all.  But he is funny.

The weekend in Kelowna was rushed, but well spent.  I went for a long ride on Saturday, followed by an evening with Grandpa, Dave and Sherry, Amanda, Natalie and her new son Noah.  Sunday morning Laurel and Nikki came by before church, then a whole slew of people were at the Kelowna CRC to talk to.  It was a quick bit of lunch after church and a photo-op in the green backyard with Mom & Dad, then back on the road to Calgary.  54-hours after I left on Friday, I was crawling back into my bed to rest up for my last full week of work.

Last night my good friend Rich helped organize a BBQ to raise a little more cash for the Sea to Sea, and send me off in style.  We dished out about 50 hamburgers and even more kabobs, and put our big back yard to good use.  Despite the rain that started our evening, the turnout was great! And the donations were plentiful - $909.55!

I'd like say a big Thank-You! to everyone who came out, and also to those who came early to prep and stayed late to clean.  It wouldn't have been such a great evening without everyone's help.

Looking forward, this week holds three more days of work, one day of packing, then a 9am flight to Vancouver, then on to Orange County.

Stay tuned to this site for more updates, and stories along the way.  To make sure you don't miss an update, enter your email address in the box on the right to get new posts sent straight to your inbox.

Trial Run

Time is flying, folks - only 18 days until I fly to California, and 21 days until we ride!

This weekend I had my first taste of a multi-day bike trip as I participated in Ride For A Reason - a ride to raise money for Southern Alberta Bible Camp.  I joined my friend Trina and fellow Sea-to-Sea buddy Ava for two of the three days of riding.  While the whole crew rode from Banff to Cochrane on Friday, I put in a (half) day of work and rode to meet them in Cochrane in the afternoon.  We spent the night in a church there, then hit the road for High River the next morning.  Saturday was a 6.5-hr, 140km hilly day in the saddle (including some loop-back time to meet slower riders before lunch).  Coffee, then pasta dinner in High River was perhaps the most delightful thing ever after a long day of riding on some beautiful secondary Alberta highways.  Sunday we rode from High River to SABC (located just East of Champion). 109km of riding in 4h49m with some nasty wind from the north.  We fought a cross-wind for 3/4 of the distance, but sailed at over 50km/hr for a good 40km stretch of road heading south.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience.  It's too bad I couldn't join for the first day - although the rain they encountered did not sound enjoyable.  I only got wet on Friday afternoon - the last 15 minutes of riding into Cochrane I was caught in a crazy downpour, and I swear there was some hail mixed in.  It was quite the experience trying to dry out all the wet gear that evening.

A few things I learned, and good things to remember when packing time comes:

• Earplugs are essential
• Shoes take a long time to dry.  Stuffing them with newspaper or papertowel overnight helps a little bit.
• Racing is fun, but riding slower allows for time to connect with others
• Fixing/cleaning your bike in the evening is way less stressful than doing it in the morning
• Never let a rider face the wind alone
• Stretching is good, and I can't do it too much
• Tandems are fast
• Drink more water than you think is necessary (but not in the hour before bed)
• My bed at home is 1000x more comfortable than any air mattress.  Bedtimes should be planned accordingly.
• Ears need sunscreen too
• Jackalopes are real
• Alberta has some beautiful landscape - especially along Hwy 762
• Volunteers often have a thankless job, but they make the ride so much better.  Seeing people cheering riders along the way is a huge mental boost, especially on the flat, windy days.

Fundraising is still going strong, and there is always more room to give.  Current total, including offline donations I'm aware of is $14,400!

As you can see by all the red dots on the map below, all 62 days of riding have been sponsored!  Some technical difficulties prevented me from being notified when donations were received, so I was a little behind in assigning days to donors.

If you've donated, but haven't received an email from me about which day is 'yours', click here to open the map in another window, and scroll down the list of places on the left to find your name.


View Sea to Sea 2013 in a larger map

One more piece of exciting news is the fundraising BBQ I mentioned in my last post...  things have changed a little bit, but the below is the current information:

What: Sea to Sea Fundraising BBQ & Send-off Party

When: Saturday June 15, 2013 -- 5:30pm

Where: Stephen & Clement's House - 6343 34 Ave NW, Calgary AB

Who: Everyone!

Details:

* $5 Burgers

* $4 Hotdogs

* $4 veggie-kabobs

* Bring your own drinks and snacks

* Food has been donated, so all proceeds go straight to the Sea to Sea

* Any donations over $40 will get a tax receipt (be sure to fill out a form with your mailing address)

The organizers for Sea to Sea have also come up with some SWAG (Stuff We All Get, for you "Office" fans) available for purchase online at Faith Alive Resources.  I will have some of the "Reflectors" daily devotional booklets for sale at the BBQ (limited quantities), as well as a few of the Sea to Sea rubber reminder bracelets - again with all proceeds going to Sea to Sea.  Be sure to show up early if you really want one...

Posts might be a little briefer after today, as I am beginning to feel the stress of preparing.  Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently, and include some more pictures as things get more interesting than new duffle bags and bike shorts. 

Thanks a ton for all your support and prayers so far.  Things are about to get real, so don't forget about all us riders and volunteers in the days and weeks to come!

Oh! I'll also be heading to Kelowna this weekend to see the family before I leave, and maybe give a quick update at the CRC there.  Drop me a line, or swing by the church for their 10:30am Sunday service to say hello.

(Another) Day of Rest

It seems to be a theme these days, this notion of rest... Taking time out of our schedule to recuperate and rejuvenate.

So today I put up my feet when I got home from work, and will treat you all to a blog post instead of going outside to ride.


It started last Wednesday when I had a bike-fit appointment with Spencer at Speed Matrix.  One of the first steps of the fit was to test my flexibility.  And if that had been a test, I would have barely passed.  Lying on my back, locking my knees, I can't bring either of my legs individually to be 90-degrees up from the horizontal, indicating super-tight hamstrings.  I also have incredibly tight IT bands (which I was aware of from physio sessions two years ago).  Before I even got on the bike, I was told I would be better off spending the next month preparing for the trip by stretching rather than logging extra miles.

While this recommendation to ride less was somewhat relieving to hear, it was also troublesome.  I mean this in the way that an athlete can be told they have the freedom to eat whatever and as much as they want because they train so hard.  While it's great to be given carte-blanche when it comes to food intake, it's a little concerning because the unspoken message is actually serious:  you don't just get to eat lots, you need to eat lots.

So, last Wednesday I was told I was in good enough shape to ride, but the unspoken message was spoken: I need to improve my flexibility and knee stabilizing muscles or I will have trouble after spending any serious time in the saddle.  As such, I'll be dialing back my saddle-time slightly, and adding 30-60 minutes of stretching into my daily routine for the next month.

And through this call to stretching, I recognize a call to rest.  My body needs time to recover after rides.  But the time of rest is not simply a day of not riding - different activities to improve my riding need to be added to the time of rest for my well-being.

The theme of rest was also addressed at church on Sunday night, as Kim introduced a new sermon series focusing on the Sabbath.  She discussed the importance of taking time from our busy lives to recuperate and rejuvenate ourselves.  Six days we labor, and the seventh day we rest.  But more than just not working, our rest days need to include intentional time and activities to help restore our souls and minds to make us ready to tackle the weight of the week.  Sounds like a similar concept to what I was told about stretching, no?

Looking forward to my time with the Sea to Sea this summer, my big fear (for now) is not getting enough sleep.  We received a "day in the life" email from the organizers, warning riders that 5am will be the regular wake-up time most days of the tour.  I've been reading the blogs of some riders from the 2008 tour, in particular that of Dave Teitsma.  He took time to write a post for each day of the tour, and posted at least one, but often many more pictures as well.  Reading his stories, I gathered that sleep and energy conservation was a constant balancing act with wanting to explore towns and be social.  I could certainly sense the relief with which rest days (Sundays) came, allowing time to collect thoughts, get caught up on chores, but also to rest weary muscles and pereniums.  I'm very much aware how tired I was after back-to-back 85km rides this weekend, and it's making me realize how tough this trip will actually be.  Compound these feelings with the heat we've barely started experiencing here in Calgary (29C on Sunday), and I'll be struggling for a few days, guaranteed.

I suppose my fitness is at a good stage, but the guys I've been riding with on Saturday still make me feel slow, so I want to get faster.  After bragging(?) last week about being too fast for the group I was riding with, I was humbled by being dropped from a pack of four strong riders this past Saturday after a mere 65km, leaving me to ride solo into the wind for 20km back home.

On the plus side, according to Strava, I've clocked over 1,100 outdoor-kilometers in 2013.  With another 100km ride planned for this weekend with fellow Sea to Sea-er, Ava Baker, and Ride for a Reason coming up at the end of May, there should be no issue meeting the recommended 1,000mile (1,600km) training goal before June 21st.

As for fundraising, we sent out a flyer to my work-mates this week, and the company has graciously offered to make a donation in support of our cause to end poverty.  Donation totals are at $11,900 today, and my target of $15,000 is not far off!  To donate online, simply follow this link and click "Give Now" on the right side of the page.  Every little bit helps!

My fundraising-incentive of dedicating days of riding to donors is almost at a close as only four more days of riding are left un-sponsored, so act quick if you'd like a day of the tour dedicated to you.  Note that when all the days are met, it doesn't mean there is no more room to give, simply the first fifty-four donors were promised a day to call their own where they could suffer vicariously through my pedaling.


View Sea to Sea 2013 in a larger map

Finally - for any followers in Calgary, mark Friday, June 14th on your calendars as we will be throwing a going-away / last-ditch fundraising BBQ that night!  Should be good times!  Stay tuned here for details.

Alright, enough resting...  time to stretch!

Unorganized Chaos

I am, above almost all things, an orderly person. Call me "A-Type". Call me "anal". Call me a "neat-freak". They'd probably all be true, though I might protest on semantics. I like things to have a place, and for things to reside in their places when not in use. Knowing where things are puts me at ease.

This past week I've been moving. My stuff out of my house and into a new home. My two new roommates stuff out of their (massive) house and into our new home. Or, in "A-Type" speak, this past week I've been "taking things out of their place and putting them into a random pile of unorganized chaos." Friends who helped us move on Saturday may claim the random pile of unorganized chaos in my bedroom was about as chaotic as the numbers on a telephone, but in my head it was the furthest thing from it. The pile of furniture, kitchen goodies, plants, books, records and lamps in the living room, however, could truthfully be called 'random' by a seasoned physicist trained to find algorithms in everything.

Five days later, my room is almost orchestrated into a new normal. Many things still don't have a place, but I'm dealing with it. The living room is habitable, with profuse thanks to the gals who helped sort it out on Saturday afternoon. The kitchen is a work in progress, but thankfully work took me out of town and I haven't had to cook in it yet (save for mixing a bowl of cereal). It too, will eventually end up as an organized, well-equipped space, but Clement and I have a few more hours to spend on it before it makes sense.

The first week or two of the tour, I am expecting this same level of chaos as routines are established and I figure out how to pack gear, organize clean & dirty clothes, shower and eat - alongside a hundred other riders. It is probably this stretch that has me most concerned. However, like my house, I'm sure it will all be sorted in due time and after a little effort.

Because of the move (and also because of the snow!) I went nearly a week without riding. Intentions of riding after work in Banff this week were stymied by a blizzard. Tuesday night, after returning to Calgary, I bundled up and braved the +2C weather and rode for a solid hour. Oddly enough this was the first ride this year I didn't feel cold!

I joined another group of riders from the Speed Theory cycling club on Wednesday night for another ride. We did nearly 60km in 2.5 hours. These folks were really friendly, and being members of the same club they knew eachother well enough to know they ride at about the same speed. From the first hill out of the parking lot it became pretty clear I was used to a quicker pace, but I decided to stick with them anyway. Things went great until the next climb into the headwind at about kilometer 20. I ended up at the front of the pace line, and unintentionally created a gap to the girl behind. She gave a holler and I sat up, waiting for the group to catch again. It would have been fine had it only happened once... I blame new-to-me cycling partners and I was riding without a computer, so I had no idea what speed we were going at. Oops. They weren't too put-out about it because I would wait up, but they did suggest on the final leg of the ride that I might have more fun riding with a faster group. Maybe a fair comment. And kind of a back-handed compliment. They did encourage me to join their club and come out for a few races. Depending where God takes me in the next 12 months, I'd be stoked to join a group where the riders are as friendly as these folks last night were.

Tomorrow evening, the local do-it-yourself bike shop affiliated with my church, Lifecycle, is hosting their first night ride of the season. This is a pretty fun event - I joined them once last year. We ride from the shop in Bowness at 8:30pm down to 17th Ave (where the action is) to eat some burgers or poutine, then ride home. People deck out their bikes with all sorts of lights and we form a posse to take over the streets. The weather is looking good, so it should be another great evening. Definitely come out to join us if you're feeling hungry as the sun goes down!

Just a quick update

Well, it's been a few days (weeks) since I've told y'all what's going on these days...

Let's start with a little bit of counting down:
* 65 days until we ride!
* 61 days until I fly to California
* 42 days of work
* 1,059 training kilometers to ride before we leave

The weather is slowly improving in cow-town, so with a little luck I'll be able to keep riding outside a bunch in the next week. After it snows and melts again this weekend, mind you. Got out twice this week: a frigid 0C ride on Wednesday and a balmy 8C ride with Luke on Thursday. I'm hoping to start riding with some other folks when the weather is predictable enough to plan more than 2 hours ahead. Keep checking back here and watch your Facebook feed for dates & times to join me.

I found a group of cyclists that do "Wheeler's Ride" every Saturday morning when the weather's good. Tomorrow looks like trash, but I the next time the forecast is in the positive, I'll probably make an effort to join them. Sounds a little competitive, but also like a good deal of fun.

The new bike showed up on Monday! I only took it for a quick spin, and need to get it fitted and switch my cleats over for the new style of pedals. All in good time.


In the meantime, I've given up on that horrible Brooks saddle. (Drop me an email if you're interested in picking up a relatively new Brooks B-15 Swallow.) Speed Theory, a local cycling shop, has a demo saddle program where you can try any of the saddles they stock for a week for no charge. I'm working on my second fi'zi:k saddle of the week, and I kind of like this one:


Fundraising has somewhat plateaued, and the cheque from the Kelowna CRC hasn't been logged on my donation page just yet. Which makes me even more excited that donations have surpassed the $10,000 mark, and there's another $1,100 in the mail! There is always more room to give, and I'm still hoping for six more people to sponsor me through the final six days of the ride as we go from Montreal to New York. You can use this link if you would like to encourage me through the final week of the tour.

On the home front, the new rental house is in our possession, and I'm slowly moving stuff in. Next Saturday will be the big moving day, so expect to hear notice about a house-warming party shortly thereafter!





Well, that's all I've got for now... off to go enjoy my Friday evening with some friends.

New Bike!

Last week, I decided my 10-year old Colnago was not the ideal bike to take across the country due to it's ageing drivetrain, aggressive geometry and unforgiving aluminum frame. After a bit of shopping around, I concluded the Van Nicholas Euros was the bike for me, and ordered it from Jesse at Adrenaline Bikes, in Orange County, CA.

This bike is a 58cm Titanium beast, weighing in at 18lbs 15oz (8.6kg). It's got full Ultegra componentry, C-4 custom wheels, FSA Energy Ergo bars, and Look Keo 2 Max pedals. I think it looks great! Plus it is designed for "all day riding" and can accomodate bigger (read: plusher) tires up to 700x28.

More pics of the finished product just got posted here. The fork will be swapped for one I've got in the basement, and I'll probably change out the seat, post & collar with parts from home as well.

With a little luck, it'll be on my door step by the middle of next week. I'm a happy camper!