Kent and Katie are off to the BC Bike Race

Visit this page for updates on thier travels and the Race! The official bike race website is: http://www.bcbikerace.com/

Click here for Photos of the event!

After the event...

So, here it is , Sunday, July 5, and I am finally able to take the time to write. We are working our way back to steamboat, currently in the Seattle area. We are tired, but all in one piece. I left off early last week where the last post was following day 1. Sorry for the delay, but here goes!

Following day 1 we left Lake Cowichan after a restful night at the Honeymoon Bay Retreat. A brand new hotel, very comfortable, and soon to be known as the nicest place we stay for the rest of the week.

Day 2
Cowichan Lake to Port Alberni Pedaling out of the venue at 9:00 am we were off for a 130 km hot, rolling mostly dirt road riding day. The first 10 k held most of the excitement for this crew. Within minutes off the line I heard the ping of one of my spokes breaking. Too scared to look down in the tight pack I went with it trying not to worry, heck , we were still on pavement and the day ahead held mostly dirt roads for the day. A good day for an out-of-true wheel. Then, as if catapulted we saw Kent's teammate Andy hit the pavement, and Kent pulling over, they would be today's roll out casualties. Both were fine, albeit Andy was a bit skinned up and bloodied. Poor guy.

Hitting the dirt, the race was on. It was hot, fast pack riding. Kent and Andy caught back up and rode the day with Amy and me. Kent worked the front of the pack to keep our group moving. The entire pack rode together for about 80 k until a big climb sorted out the climbers with something left from the rest of the group. Amy and I motored up the hill and looked back to an empty road. Taking the hint we stayed on task and rolled along, catching more riders ahead and cruising towards the finish. In the last few kilometers we road along with a very tired 2-man team. When Amy and I passed the last turn it was their consistent whistling that got us turned around. Thanks guys! This would be the first of several wrong turns to come for us. We made it in to the finish in Port Alberni in second place for women showing us our strong riding the day before was not a fluke!

Kent and Andy roll in soon behind us and eventually we are all in, Grant, Chris, Mark and Guy, regrouped with Tracy we are complete.. Icing our legs and bodies, the heat is overbearing. Our chief rivals Helly Hanson girls are feeling the heat too, with one suffering a bit of heat stroke.

Day 3
Port Alberni to Cumberland Another hot one. In fact, we are experiencing record breaking high temperatures for Vancouver Island. Expecting close to 100 degrees today, with high humidity we start hydrating early. Endurolytes have been eaten like candy, and have saved our bodies from the excruciating cramps that stop these fit athletes in there tracks. We have seen weeping, straining and crying from grown men. It is an uncontrolled spasm of pain that only subsides when the muscle is ready to stop. They have been frequent and unannounced for the past few day for many a rider. Amy has had her share of them but has risen above the pain and rides right through the suffering. She knows stopping only makes it worse. Good girl, Amy.

Today we roll out on the Port Alberni running track, headed for Cumberland. We are promised some sweet single-track at the end of our ride. Trail names include bucket of blood, see colors and puke etc.

Amy and I have another strong day as we are again riding near Kent and Andy. We have come to settle in with a familiar bunch, same paced as us, and we are now all friendly. There is little girl and her male partner, The Yukons (the couple from the Yukon), Greenies (The Steed Sistas) Helly Hanson girls, Kenda guys, Annie and her husband and many more.

We are treated to a shady ride along a dirt road climb and rolling terrain. A chilly stream crossing at the halfway point was waist deep with a current strong enough to haul off a small woman (speaking from experience). Our thighs tingled upon stepping out the other side. It was deep and cool, and volunteers were on hand to receive our bikes when we approached the banks. A quick scramble up and we were off again.

Kent, Andy, Amy and I all hit the single track about the same time. Amy and I rode ahead trying to keep moving as we darted along the trails. As we made our way through the last 10K we heard girl voices behind and decided we had better kick it up a notch. We should have kicked it up two! The Helly Hanson girls dropped in ahead of us and took the lead. We chased them down and followed their lead till we were all spit out on a final road connecting to the last bit of single track. Amy and I jumped into overdrive and powered up the final climb, getting the hole shot for the final section. We tackled the roots and drops and never looked back, riding across the finish in Cumberland with less than a minute between us and our girls. A close call that made us all smile about the race for second place. We shared a coke with them and toasted the race together. We all like the challenge of a race.

Soon we re-grouped with Chris and Grant, and Guy and Mark and made our way to a nearby town for rest and re-group, then back to the venue for fuel and fellowship with the other riders. Tomorrow will mark the half way mark, and it holds the long awaited ferry crossings to the mainland.

Authors Note: On the second half of this ride we saw a pile off bear scat so large it made us all hope we never saw its producer. It was huge!

Day 4
Cumberland to Kinnikinnik Today we board a bus, a ferry, a bus and another ferry then start our race at 11:00 right off the docks! As we hustle in the morning to get out of our room I accidentally forget to pack my bike shorts with all my ferry travel clothes. I make this discovery on the bus. It is a sinking, sinking feeling. I turn around to see who is sitting in the vicinity that might save me with a spare pair. I look at Chris, but his bags are on the truck, I look at Kent, he is wearing all the clothes he has! I look at Mark and he shrugs, but Marks seat mate Richard says his bag is on the bus and he will give me whatever I need. Richard, you saved the day. Your shorts fit like a glove, rode like a champ, and offered a much needed change from the chamois I had been wearing. In fact, Amy and I rode our bikes to the Podium for the 4th day in a row. Richard thanks again!

Today's ride started us straight uphill from the ferry dock. Anaerobic from the start we hammered on. I can see Kent in front to me and I can hear the purr of Amy right behind me, we are where we need to be. Kent had a tough start noticing a flat rear tire while in the chute minutes from starting. He and Andy had to get out of the start pack, fix the flat and re-enter. With seconds to spare they were all hyped and made for quick business on the initial climb.

As the lead pack departed the pavement we all sorted out on the double track turned single track. Fast paced the line snaked along the undulating power line trails, step down, steep up, always with a sand pit at the summit. Finally we are kicked out back on pavement and there were the top two girls, apparently suffering a bit of a crash in the mix. Soon they were riding away from the rest of us girls and back in front. This would be the only time Amy and I see them during the race.

Kent and Andy were not in sight all day as we were lagging back a bit from their pace. Several of us girls were racing together including the girls from Arizona, the Steed Sista and the Helly Hanson girls. In fact, Helly Hanson girls led us through a section of single track for a bit, unfortunately Amy and I followed a couple of guys off in once direction and the course went another direction. Fortunately within minutes we realized our error, and were back on track, however this became a lesson we would fail to learn soon enough, never follow a fellow racer...

Popping into the second aid station we run into Kent and Andy, this time fixing Andy's flat. Tough luck guy's, but they would soon be rolling and we kept going.

I must say a bit about our nutrition at this point in the race. Amy and I have been subsisting on three foods, Clif block Margarita flavor with 3x salt, Gu gels and endurlolytes. In fact we ate about 6 packs of blocks and 12 gels per day between us, and about 10-12 endurolytes each over the course of a day. This represents a mere 1000 calories of in-race food per person plus some calories from Gu2O drink. At an average of 5.5 hours of race pace riding we were in a bit of a deficit at days end, refueling with double doses of Recoverite as soon as we could get it in. Thanks to Gu and Hammer Nutrition for sponsoring our effort. The extreme heat and humidity made eating anything but liquid food nearly impossible to achieve.

By the end of the day we were still on the podium, third place but holding our overall GC position of 2nd place. Kent and Andy came in from their bumpy ride soon after, and soon chris and Grant and Mark joined us. Unfortunately Guy had had a rough go of today opting to drop out suffering from heart exhaustion. He was not alone, this heat, the race and the terrain were taking its toll on a lot of teams.

Out layover town of Sechelt was darling. We were lodged on the shore of ocean, treated to a beautiful sunset and lapping surf. Kent and I steal a romantic moment with a 30 minute stroll along the boardwalk. Then we are back to our respective rooms with our roommates for the week, preparing for another days ride.

Side note. As racers, we are treated each evening to very good food, and plenty of it. Greens, meats, breads, vegetables and flavors were abundantly. Service was good, and calories were easily made up for at each meal. Good job race organizers, caterers and support staff!

Another side note. Tracy Fenton deserves hats off. She is Grant's wife, and is also the person who was responsible for shuttling all our stuff from venue to venue, managing not only poor directions and ferries, but lots of bags, hotels, foods, etc. Thank you Tracy for making it to us every day with a smile on your face. Girl, you rock!

Day 5
Sechelt to Squamish This day promises a solid day of single-track. We have 65 km ahead of us and another hot day.

Rolling out we have settled in to the same pack of riders we have been with all week. Its interesting how the mix rarely changes after day one.

Dirt roads mixed with a power line single-track section, we are riding to catch the early Ferry to Squamish. We were told the first 200 riders in would likely make the 12:30 cut off for this early boat. Easy, we have been in the top 200 consistently. Again, we find ourselves riding with Kent and Andy. Always a comfortable sight as Kent is definitely the guy you want near by in any mechanical situation. He can fix anything with virtually nothing but sticks and rocks. All week he has been riding with a brake lever missing its set screw. Content with the trailside fix he jury-rigged together using a stick, he rides still with the same stick. HE has sourced the part from Odyssey bike the wrenches on staff with the event, but he likes this woodsy fix better. We still have the stick!

Bridges and logs have become commonplace. Where early in the week we looked at these obstacles with trepidation, we now all hop and skip over the typical north shore stunts without a thought. We are High altitude mountain riders. Our terrain at home challenges include lack of oxygen, endless climbs, loose dirt and drops. We rarely ride in the woods, in mud or in shadows. Here we are treated to the lush growth indicative of the Pacific Northwest. Roots make up the trail tops, soil is soft, both on the body and tires, and shade is abundant. The air is rich with the scent of greens and growth. It is a treat. Our high desert trails rarely have an olfactory effect.

Zipping by us go the Helly Hanson girls. Frequently Amy and I lose the notion we are in a race, and our main competition rides on par with us. Race on we follow them through a sweet wooded single track section. We all dismount for a long narrow log bridge spanning at least 150 feet and elevated at least 8 feet. Back on the twisty track we lag back a bit. Riding with a large group we pop out on a dirt road, cross over and are back on a sweet section of steep, fast downhill. The whole pack descends together whooping it up and losing altitude quickly. But shit, riders are walking their bikes toward us ahead! Shit, shit, shit... no flagging. In fact, no one recalls when exactly we last saw the pink ribbons. The only option, now well rehearsed is to back-track to the last flag seen but in this case it is a hike-a-bike up, and at least 4km worth. I see Kent and Andy are with us. Again all in the same boat. We reckon we are at least 25-30 minutes back from where we made our mistake. For Amy and I that would be our entire time advantage and then some over 3rd place Helly Hanson girls. Too bad for us…

Back on track we eventually hit some of the sweetest swooping, technical single-track yet. Are appetites are more then whet for the final two days to come. This day becomes very long as we continue to climb and hit single track, climb, single-track, climb, single-track. And on and on. We soon realize we will never make the early ferry. Race organizers have grossly underestimated the time it takes for racers to finish today. In fact, only 12 people (6 teams) make the first ferry. But showers were ready for us, we cleaned and dined at the ferry docks, again, in search of calories now! We are fourth coming in today, our worst finish to date. We were 18 minutes behind the Helly girls, less time than we were off the trail, so we are confident in our riding as we are still in the mix, however we are both quite content with third place in the general contention.

Honestly neither one of us had any idea how well we would work together as a team. Amy and I are new to this friendship. We have ridden several times in the last two months, but nothing like the pace and duration we are doing in this race. Let alone sharing quarters, clothes, floors and bathrooms. We are both in awe of the others ability to roll with the punches. Everything from trying to eat three gels at once because one has neglected calories for too long, to plate checks at breakfast and dinner to ensure the other one has consumed enough of everything to make it another day. We must be eating at least 3000 calories in the two meals provided each day, topping off our diners before bed with a bag of jelly belly’s or an energy bar. Mmmm, a far cry from the Ghirardelli chocolates and final glass of wine I usually top off my evenings with at home!

The last of our ferry rides gets us back to the final chunk of mainland we will ride, the Squamish/Whislter days lie ahead. We are looking forward to two nights in Squamish. For us that means not having to pack up our belongings hours after arriving at the hotel. We simply leave our stuff in the room for the day. This also means we are finally able to wash clothes. I have been carrying Richards’s shorts around until this wash day. It’s the least I can do! Now all I have to do is remember to bring them to dinner. When I do see Richard I try to get his shirt size so I can send him an Eriksen T shirt, jersey, hoody, whatever he wants. He refuses to take anything, stating he simply got the glory of his shorts getting on the podium! He deserves more than that and will get it! This event is truly about helping each other through the lows and disasters, as well as cheering each other on in the triumphs of clearing an obstacle, summiting a bulky climb, or simply finishing the days ride. We are all here together.

On that note I need to talk a bit about partners, attitude and Amy. For those of you who have never met Amy she is a 5'4" muscle bound red-head. She is pretty, smart, skilled and strong. And above all she is humble, respectful and fun. She is the definition of what you would hope to describe in your perfect partner. Her attitude on the trail was infectious. I have plenty of experience with assuming the right attitude to maintain your spirits. And Amy was a soldier of the art. She made more friends on the trail than I think we even know of. She chatted with anyone around her if she had the air, listened to tales of woe like only a mother could, and applauded for efforts witnessed and recalled by fellow riders. If she was quiet for too long I could simply enquire about her well being and she would tell me she felt like a million bucks, even though we both new it was more like a pocket full of pennies. She never cracked, ever. And so it is we rode.

Day 6
Squamish area Finally, true single-track. All I can say about today is fun, fun, fun! Too bad the fun had to come at the expense of a mechanical plagued day. Amy's rear derailleur cable started out the day in a bad mood. Sounding like a stretched cable, we hit the single tack and tried to make it work. Chunking along unable to get in the three top cogs, she stood out as a problem. A guy riding near us offered to pull over and fix the problem, and we jumped on it. He was riding only this day as he was tech support for Kona, and was give a free pas for the day. What luck. We were back and rolling in minutes with all gears in tact. Good thing because we needed every gear today. Technical but fast single track up, and dropsy, rooty downhill’s tested the skill level of all of us. Sometime simply too far in to bail out, sections were ridden en mass by the pack. When one did fall, (like me) the landing was a loamy one, with moss and softy dirt all around. On one fall Amy twisted her bars around and unknowingly ripped the front derailleur cable out of its shifter pod. As soon as she needed it we were at aid 1 and there was Kent. He fixed what he could and got us rolling again, thanks Kent!

The day flew by with single track dominating, connected by long sections of dirt road climbs. We relaxed during these, content with our GC position, and saving our energy for the big Whistler day where we hoped to hold our own in this BC wonderland.

We zipped past the Arizona girls we had been riding with all day in the final 4 km finishing in what was another 5 plus hour day. What fun, in fourth, but solid in 3rd in the women’s open class. Kent and Andy are in first 100 + category today, top of the podium and second overall in their category.

Day 7
Whistler. Skies are overcast; the temperature is about 20 degrees cooler than every other day. It might rain. Actually, it looks like it will rain. We want to get started so if it does rain, we are already started. There is nothing worse than staring in the rain.

The last start, finally. It is a 10:00 am start, which is an hour later than usual. We know today’s course is not going to be easy. With trail names like "cut yer bars" and "A river runs through it", we know we area in for a treat, as well as some torture. Off the gun we climb straight up. At least 35 minutes of climbing about half-way up the ski area before we even begin to circumnavigate the trails. Amy and I soon sort ourselves from all the girls except Helly Hanson and the lead women. They are in sight, which is a comfort, but we are really only interested in maintaining our buffer over 4th place. We will not be a threat to any positions above us on this day.

Dropping into single track and climbing back up, this went on for over five hours. Incredible, technical, playful and unique. This singlet-rack experience was one to come back for. We were tested both aerobically and on skills. It would be today Amy would show her mettle and leave a bit on the trail. At about the half way point a guy behind me described the section we were coming into. Rocky approach, then a rock face drop, ridable, but he suggested knowing the line the first time. I knew I would be off the bike. Amy was off her bike when I got there, however she dismounted the hard way, over her bars. It was a dramatic helmet knocking crash. I am sure she bounced because by the time I saw her she was shaking it off.

She was the talk of the trail as we motored on we were applauded for her valiant effort on the trail. Good on ya Amy, you really know how to hang it out there!

This would become the day that went on and on, by the time we reached the bottom we were sent back out for a final 5 km of trail. I now refer to these distances as Canadian kilometers, always double what they state. We finally came in for the final few hundred feet of single track when we heard our rivals, the Helly Hanson girls name called out over the PA system as they finish. They were only two minutes in front of us in the end of this day. Amy and I can be proud we hung it out there with these two fierce competitors all week, separated in the end by time less than we spent lost of trails. It was a good battle and we are proud to have been on the podium in the end with a 3rd place in the general classification for open women.

Kent and Andy win here day today staying in second GC in the 100 plus category. Excellent job guys! Even more cool are the friends they made in the two brothers who won their category overall, Brian and Bruce. Thanks for all the fun out there guys, great to meet you and we look forward to you visiting us some day in Steamboat!

So, in the end we have lots of side stories, tales to tell, moments to share, but this hits the highlights for Amy and my race. Kent has a story to tell to be certain, just ask and he will share the excitements.

We met many people who were inspired to meet Kent and to se him out racing and riding the wonderful bikes he makes. He is truly a gifted, well rounded bike maker who know for the dirt up what his bikes should look, act and feel like after hours under the saddle. Thanks for reading and hopefully our long drive home will be over soon!

-Katie Lindquist

Posted by Katie | July 5, 2008

Day 1

Hot, humid and hot...The start was muggy and the day only got hotter!  We started out at 9:00 am, two aid stations, and lots of climbing.  A 90 km day was ahead.  We all took off and the attrition started.  Lots of top riders out in the first few minutes with the hay field taking it toll on equipment.  We were all safe, and the eight of us making up the Eriksen riders made it onto the course safely.  From there our days all took a different direction.

Kent and his partner hit it hard early but suffered the consequences in the heat.  Cramping slowed the team, but in the end they were Able to secure second place on the podium in the 100 plus category.

Katie and Amy rode conservative in the beginning, and steady throughout, moving through the masses of cramped riders as they held a pace that put them in second place open women by the end of the day.

Chris and Grant motored along in a gallant way to keep them in the mix of the 80 plus mens and Mark and Guy were the unlucky two who were unable to get the water they needed in a timely manner as the aid stations were ill prepared and had to refill.  but in they came at the end of the day with their own heroic tales to tell.

We are all settling in for a tough night of sleep, and ready to do  it all again on Sunday.

Stay tuned

Posted by Katie | June 29, 2008

Day 0
We are here!  Vancouver Island, BC.  The Victoria Comfort Inn. We are hanging out this morning, while Mark tours the island while getting to know his internet partner, Guy.  After a brief ride we will embark on the last leg of our journey to Shawnigan lake, race headquarters.  There we will join our fellow racers in the registration, check in, and bike details.

Stay tuned for an update and pictures later in the day.

Posted by Katie | June 27, 2008

We arrived in Hood River, Oregon mid afternoon. Ready to get out of the truck and on our bikes we checked in with local bike shop Discover bikes and were lined out on the local rides.  All I can say is fun, fun, fun! Twisty, hard-pack and wooded. We are here, the pacific northwest!  Many travel to Colorado to ride the sweet single-track we have in abundance, but the grass is always greener and for us mountain goats, we were loving the unique style of single track Hood River is famous for.  We also got a taste for what lies ahead for the BC Bike race.

Our plan is to spend the night here, head out of town after a morning ride and arrive in Port Angeles WA by late afternoon in time to catch the 5:15 ferry to Victoria.  Canada, here we come!

Friday is pre-race day. We will be busy traveling to the race start, meeting other racers, gathering our race items and learning about the next week.

Posted by Katie | June 26, 2008

The BC Bike race is a 7-day stage race across Vancouver island, eventually heading to mainland BC for the last two days of racing, finishing our adventure at Whistler Ski Area.  We are 8 people racing on four teams, in three different categories.  Amy and I are racing in the women's open, Kent and Andy as well as Mark and Guy are both racing in the 100 + mens category, and Grant and Chris are racing in the mens 80 plus category.  In all we have 7 Eriksen bikes being raced, and hopefully we will convert Guy, our sole Canadian, to titanium!

Kent is riding a new design hot off the jig.  It is a 650B wheel size, full suspension bike complete with  Ventana's rear suspension  and a kent modified titanium seatstay kit, welded hours before our departure, Kent got the bike built and out for a test ride to dial in the parts the day before we departed.

Mark is in an Eriksen/ventana 26" wheeel bike, Grant is on a 640B full suspension, like Kent's sans ti seatstay modifiaction, and Chris is on a Eriksen 96'er using a Maverick rear suspension system, and a 29" front wheel.

In matching colors, Amy and I are riding the lightweight cross country gazelles kent created using a 26" wheel and a Yeti carbon rear eds suspension desigh.  Both bikes weighing in under 23 pounds!  Look for our signature candy pink and blue decals.

More later, with pictures

Posted by Katie | June 25, 2008