From Ice to the Sun
That time of the year again and I feel the pull of the Atlas…my favourite book. Those remoter parts of the globe send out their call to me; I don’t pick up their vibrations directly but my trusty cyclocross bike is a dab-hand at discerning their message. Having a very close molecular relationship with said bike I am immediately made aware of the invitation. And I’m only so willing to RSVP always in the affirmative.
This year’s invitation is both similar and different to those of previous years. Similiar in that this cycle starts by exploring the tundra wilderness of the extreme north of Canada. That in itself will be a new experience in an area with very little of what we regard as essential services. Different in that I'm switching direction. All previous cycles have traversed continents east/west along lines of latitude as I fancied cycling across land masses. This time I’ll cycle north/south following the rings of longitude; that will ensure that I’ll have various climatic experiences.
ROUTE
This cycle starts in the town of Tuktoyaktuk (locally referred to as Tuk) in the Nortwest Territories of Canada on the shores of the Beaufort Sea almost 500 km north of the Arctic Circle. The initial cycling will be 1000 km on the gravel of the Dempster Highway bringing us to the Yukon and Klondike of Gold Rush fame. From there through the corner of British Columbia and into Alberta with the scenic area around Jasper and Banff. Continuing on 'downhill' we'll cross into the States after 37 days of cycling to sample the mid-western states on the eastern side of the Rockies through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colarado and Utah for another 30 days.
I'll finish in Moab (Utah) just short of the Grand Canyon and return home.
GROUP
Again this expedition is organised by TDA, a Canadian company; I cycled with them from Vienna to Istanbul and also on the Silk Route.
34 cyclists will set out from Tuk on the morning of July 4th . Some will just cycle for a week or two and other will take their place for the later stages. I am just doing just over 6000 km to Moab but 14 are cycling the full trip (Tuk to Panama City) a distance of 16,000 km. The group is almost an even mix of male and female (I don’t know the age profile yet) and come from Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand and various European countries. I'm the only Irish resident but another cyclist has an Irish passport. I have met a few of them on previous TDA cycles. Meeting the new ones is all part of the experience.
BIKE
Very simple….the same as before. All my cycles over the last 11 years have been done on my trusty Specialized Cyclocross. Some small elements have been replaced (but not as fundamental as Trigger !!) It has served me well on rough and smooth, in heat and cold and I can see no good reason to put it out to grass. I’ll start on the gravel with 40mm tyres but change to 28mm when paved surfaces are guaranteed. Just a trunk bag on the rear for requirements along the day’s ride; TDA will ferry our duffle bag and tent from site to site.
Addressing the logistics for previous cycles tended to complicated with visas and vaccines. Some visas could only be obtained in person in London.
Canadian and US visas this time are simply obtained online and just basic vaccines. But getting to the start of the cycle is a bit more circuitous than previously. Most othe cycles start from large centres of population with good airline cover. To get to Tuk involves 4 flights and a 150km transfer on that same gravel highway. Adds to the novelty !
My intention again is to upload daily bulletins on this blog. Not only will coverage be spotty for the first 10 days or so, but I am also led to believe that SIM cards cannot be obtained in Tuk or nearby Inuvik. I hope to obtain one during stopovers in Calgary or Edmonton. Either way, I'll write up the posts each evening (no light problem with 24 hour daylight) and there’ll be a binge read of posts when we get back into the cyberland of Yukon.
Looking forward to the trip and hope that you’ll accompany me from the comfort of your armchair.
The posts will start in early July.
See you all then.
