Drumheller 2023

For the second year in a row, we turned the Gran Fondo Badlands into a family event. Ian and I were signed up to do the full 163 km distance this year, and Tammy and Miranda signed up to be tourists in Drumheller.

Due to the early start time (7:30 am), it meant for an early morning. Alarms went off at 4:30 am, long before sunup.

The car was already packed and the bikes were on the rack, so we were on the road a little after 5. The sky was funny. There was a bank of fog? smoke? cloud? to the east, which meant that the sun rose gradually, turning from deep red to orange as we drove.

We got there about 20 to seven, enough time to get everything ready, use the washroom and for Ian and I to have the provided breakfast: a breakfast burrito, fruit salad and a muffin, with coffee. We ate the burritos and fruit, and then gifted the muffins to the ladies.

From the start, our pace was fast. I had predicted to Tammy that our ride would be slower than last year, because as far as I knew, Ian and I would be riding alone and working together. Last year we had a strong group with Phil, Adam and others who kept the pace fast, especially the first 80 km when Ian was still with us. But what happened was I was working with the groups of riders on the course, putting in an effort here and there to get into groups and saving energy while still moving fast. We got to the ferry in time for the second boatload.

We met up with Roy, one of the BCC club members, in the starting chute. We rode together all day, mixing in with whoever was available to form “grupettos” along the way. We rode with Josh, a random guy who rode with us last year. He remembered Ian’s amazing effort in 2022.

The wind was not a factor for once. The weird haze kept things cool, until suddenly it wasn’t. I swear it went from 20 degrees to 29 in the course of a half hour. In the end, I was amazed at how fast we finished. We averaged 32 km/h, faster than the previous best of 31, that I was sure we’d never beat. I thought we’d be done at 2:30, but we were done just after 1:00.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9413933396

Aaaaand… then there was Tammy & Miranda’s adventure. I really think that they should post something to do it justice, but they’re tired too.

• They had breakfast. Apparently the bacon was to die for.
• They visited bookshops, local breweries, the coffee roaster.
• They did not visit the Tyrrell Museum. They didn’t bring their bikes this time, so stuck to downtown Drumheller.
• They got some crafty stuff and beer and coffee and baked goods.

They had a great day, but you’ll have to wait to read more about it until they’ve recovered.

The New Bike

Thanks to the way I got it (right before a BCC ride) and then work and a hailstorm the next day, I didn’t get a chance to take some pictures of my new bike until Friday afternoon, when Ian and I were getting our rides ready for Drumheller.

The story started back a couple of years. Tammy told me that for my 50th birthday I could get whatever bike I wanted. I began doing research, narrowing it down. After dealing with the Roubaix for years and worrying about the carbon frame (getting banged about, dying in even a minor crash) I was leaning towards a metal frame. Titanium was my plan, but steel was always on the list. Ti bikes are much more expensive, but effectively are “forever” bikes. Unless you smash it, it’s going to be around forever as good as new. Steel has a lot of similar qualities, but is heavier and corrodes. The leading contenders were Ti bikes from Moots or Seven. I considered reaching out to Naked on Quadra Island.

But then the pandemic hit, and wait times for bikes and components got long. Even a fairly basic off-the-shelf bike like my Norco Search took 9 months to arrive. The prospect of having to wait over a year for something made me lose interest. The Roubaix actually had been working really well in the second half of the 2022 season. Tammy was irked, because she’d thought that she didn’t have to think much about a 50th birthday present for me, and then she did.

But then as the season got underway, I started to reconsider. I started spec’ing out bikes again and while I still wanted a titanium bike, I couldn’t seem to stomach the idea of a bike that cost in the neighbourhood of 10-15 thousand. Yes, I ride a lot, but that argument only goes so far. I talked to Mark about it, and one of the bikes on my short list was the Norco Section. I’ve been really happy with my Norco Search gravel bike. I considered getting a set of road wheels and swapping back and forth for gravel and road rides. But I felt that would end up with a bike that was neither fish nor fowl. Norco sells a Section all-road bike that is similar to the Search. The geometry is a little different for a road & rough road use, but the basics are the same. We could order a steel frame + carbon fork set that we could use to build a bike. With my ambassador discount, the frame was less than a thousand, and then I could leverage my discount to pick and choose everything that went around it.

I put down $500 and ordered the frame in early June, and Mark started a box of parts to put on the bike and ordered some of the parts that weren’t in stock. The frame came in, and Mark started putting the bike together.

The handlebars and seat post were the last parts to arrive, and once they were on, it took about a week to get an “appointment” with one of the service techs to install the brake system. Mark was good with assembling the rest, but wanted a pro to do the hydraulics.

In the end, it’s a one-of-a-kind build. The steel frame is rare and the combination of parts won’t be found elsewhere. Almost half of the total cost was the wheels and the pedals. The pedals have built-in power meters, which is a new experience for me. It’s a simple, clean-looking bike. It’s light, but not ultralight. If I want to go up hills faster I should eat better. It’s a solid bike and worked really well in Drumheller. The feel is very different from the Roubaix. You can feel a lot more of the road, but with 32 mm tires and a carbon fork, it still soaks up harsh pavement well.

The Roubaix lasted 7 and a half seasons. It was finicky at times and spent a fair bit of time in the shop, but it remains a great ride. Ian might adopt it, or not. I’m going to get it completely overhauled and then it will be ready for Ian or a semi-retirement.