BC Bike Race Stage 3

Moving up slow and steady from the back of the race...I’ve gone from 589 to 582 to 552 in the first three stages...but who’s counting? 
😂
Today was perfect riding in Powell River!

52km, 1046m elevation gain, and a feature trail called Death Rattle! It was my best day yet at this race, and proud to say I rode the whole thing! My Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt BC Trail Edition was the perfect bike for these trails. The riding challenged me, but was manageable with my cornering, descending and braking skills all improving day by day.

Aid stations were fantastic today, my highlights being the 50’s style pin-up girls and diner theme complete with flat Coke! And the tiki-themed area where the volunteers were wearing grass skirts and serving shots of pineapple juice was pretty special, although placed mid-climb so difficult to stop and really enjoy it. You have to love the volunteers and their dedication to standing out in the heat all day cheering us on and helping us stay hydrated and fed.

There were some swoopy singletrack sections today, some pretty technical rooty sections, as always, loads of climbing. My skills are improving exponentially and I was sending it over anything and everything today! Roots were invisible to me and I only stopped to let faster riders pass.

The forests of Powell River are lush and green, and as I write this, it is pissing it down, so it’s not hard to see why!

John was amazing again today. We weren’t registered as a team and they wouldn’t switch it at the end, so we’re technically riding solo, but John’s been riding ahead and waiting ages for me at the end of nearly every section. Taking photos, cheering me up steep climbs and just being wonderful.

Because we finished earlier today, and we are camping in the same place as last night, we were able to actually enjoy the camp after our ride. We had beers at the Rocky Mountain Bicycles beer tent, I had a dip in the Pacific Ocean, and we are now chilling in the tent for the first time other than sleeping.
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Buses will shuttle us down the road for dinner and tomorrow morning we wake up, eat, take a ferry to Earl’s Cove and expect a late finish as the stage doesn’t kick off until 11AM.

Because we finished earlier today, and we are camping in the same place as last night, we were able to actually enjoy the camp after our ride. We had beers at the Rocky Mountain Bicycles beer tent, I had a dip in the Pacific Ocean, and we are now chilling in the tent for the first time other than sleeping.
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Buses will shuttle us down the road for dinner and tomorrow morning we wake up, eat, take a ferry to Earl’s Cove and expect a late finish as the stage doesn’t kick off until 11AM.