While it is said a long journey begins with a single step, it could also be said that a long bicycle ride should begin with a comfortable seat.
And after biking almost 500 kilometres from Yellowknife to Hay River recently, a group of avid cyclists would no doubt concur that a bit of comfort goes a long way when pedaling towards their destination for almost nine hours a day.
Sara Wong was one of the cyclists who made the ardent journey recently and said she also helped organize the annual event along with her dad, Andy Wong, who began it in 2009.
“He had done a bike ride to Edmonton. And then he did a bike ride to Fort Providence. And then after that, he just got the idea to do Yellowknife to Hay River and he thought that it would be a good event for the community,” Wong said.
Since then, apart from the interruption of Covid, she said the three-day event has been held annually for enthusiastic cyclists testing their mettle along Highway 3 south. While 48 people signed up for this year's challenge, 38 actually participated, Wong said.
While travelling along the two-lane road, Wong said they had a cyclist in the front who blocks the wind, followed by the middle group, who travel in a line and draft, which reduces the wind and helps increase speed, and then in the back they have someone designated as the sweeper, whose role is to ensure no one is left far behind and to help anyone experiencing difficulties with their bikes.
Respite for the weary
After the Friday and Saturday’s eight to nine-hour days of cycling, the bikers set up camp and enjoy cooked meals, Wong said of the fully-supported ride.
“So we have a trailer with us that we pack full of all the food and we have tables. And we have the canopies that we set up every night. Then we also have everybody's personal belongings inside the trailer as well,” Wong said of the accompanying vehicle. “A good analogy is we're like a moving hotel because they have everything in this trailer and then we just move as a big group together down the highway.”
Wong praised the volunteers who played a big part in the logistics of the ride.
“We have many people who come back year after year and it's really not easy because it's three full days of volunteering, and, unless you're sleeping, you're basically doing tasks for the cyclists to help keep them comfortable and safe.
“And without the volunteers, the ride actually can't go ahead and we're incredibly grateful for that,” she added.
The good and the bad
The lengthy ride was not without its challenges, however. Wong said because it is held at the end of May, the weather is not always favourable, although there are advantages as well, such as happening before it gets too hot and before the bug season begins. And they are always watchful and cautious of bison along the highway, she added.
The Friday morning departure was a cold and cloudy start, she said.
“But then because we had this crummy weather, we had an epic tailwind for most of the first day and then half of the second day,” she said. “And we had a pretty epic headwind on the third day.”
Wong said participants travel on the chip-sealed highway on various types of bicycles: mountain, gravel, or road bikes.
“And I would say the gravel bikes and the road bikes are best suited for this ride.
“Because it's such a long distance, you want to maintain a certain speed so you don't have to be on the bicycle for so many hours. And road bikes generally tend to be the lightest and the fastest,” she said.
Wong said cycling itself is a “really great way to see the landscape”.
“You really get to be able to see the atmosphere around you. And also, you're getting some pretty good activity while you're at it.”
She said the best thing about the ride is that under 18 years of age get to sign up for free.
“The reason that we do that is because we want to encourage families to come along. And so it makes it feel like a very community-like atmosphere. And that's something that's definitely very special about our ride.
“And every year there's stories of people who go out of their way to help other riders that are struggling. For example, there was a couple on mountain bikes and I think that somebody ended up actually swapping and giving them their road bikes for a while,” she said of the support during the ride. “Everybody's always looking out for each other and that's the most important part.”