This race was back in May, and in the days after the race my life was consumed with the two events I work for, the Mega Volt and the BC Bike Race, so I never got around to talking about it.

The race experience was particularly special in that the whole weekend was so filled with the affection of warm friendship, precious time spent together and a lot of laughter. A lot.

But this is about the racing.

I drove out on Thursday so I wouldn’t have to race the day after 12 hours behind the wheel. I got out for a short pedal on Friday to shake out my legs and then had time for a snooze as well. Friends arrived later on Friday and we met for dinner and race packet pick-up. This pre-race gathering of participants is at once a little nerve wracking and also a delight because there are always familiar faces, all so happy to see each other. Lovely Ryan (who’s kindness made me cry at Moab Rocks) came bounding out of the pub to give me a big hug. I saw some women I know from the BCBR Gravel Explorer and of course Carter, the Race Director and Hannah were there as well to welcome the racers to the Cranbrook Gravel Grind.

We probably stayed out later than we should have the night before the race, but on race morning, you pull yourself together and get going. I’m a tangle of nerves on race morning anyway so it probably didn’t matter. It was nice to be able to ride to the start from our hotel, not far enough to be a warm up, but definitely helped the the pre race jitters.

Saw more friendly faces at the start and had a number of conversations about 7mesh bibs with people who recognised me from the website. Yes – they really do pull down to pee. Yes, they really are that comfortable. And yes, these navy blue ones are pretty damned great. Nobody cares about the jersey or my favourite item, the Northwoods windshell; they just want to know about the bibs. If you’re buying the bibs, get the cargo ones.

The race course took us out of the park and onto the pavement for a swoopy descent and then we were right back into the woods. The course was really well marked and there were plenty of marshals on course to help navigate any sections where you needed to keep your head up.

It is an absolutely gorgeous course with an insane amount of flowy singletrack. There was a great climbing trail somewhere on the first half of the course that was so well built and great to ride on the gravel bike. For the most part, the course before the first aid station is either flat or gently downhill which made it really fast and fun to ride. Singletrack on a gravel bike feels so much more playful for me because the bike is lighter and more nimble than a mountain bike. This was quite possibly some of the most fun I’ve ever had on my gravel bike in a race.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, there was a sign that promised provisions ahead. The medieval themed aid station was fun and rowdy, brimming with good vibes. I am always so appreciative of people who give up their time to take care of us fools who pay money to suffer; and do so with such great enthusiasm.

The fun aid station was a decoy so you wouldn’t think about the climb ahead. The next hour or so of the ride was all boo hoo hoo with a lot of colourful language and a number of rest stops as the course climbed steeply. I managed to stay on my bike and keep turning the pedals, even though it was in molasses mode. Rumour has it that the views were spectacular, but the cloud had rolled in by the time I slogged my way up the climb, so I missed it. Several hundred years later it seemed, the next aid station came into view. All the suffering was instantly forgotten and I felt victorious for not having to walk any part of the climb.

I stopped to check my water supply and top up my fuel stash, not realising that the course is pretty much straight downhill to the finish from that point on. Next year, I’ll plan to not stop at this aid station. My speedy friends were ahead of me and try as I might to catch them, I wasn’t able to. The upside of that is that I rolled into the finish line to a little cheering squad.

One of the group was still out on course doing the longer route, so we got to lie on the grass in the sunshine after enjoying our post race meal and wait for him. The weather had been overcast and cool all day which was great for riding, so to have the sun put it an appearance after the race was just perfect.

We had to peel ourselves off the grass eventually to roll back to the hotel for a shower. The day wrapped up with the award presentations at a local pub, followed by some live music, another great dinner and more race tales exchanged with people who were either way too far ahead or did the longer course.

I love the human connection of racing. We are all trying hard, we are all questioning our decisions, and at the same time, we are all so high on life and the giddy delight of racing. Even at the low points, you are out there, riding your bike. You may be struggling but you are still doing it, and we choose this struggle. We pay money, travel a long way and train hard so we CAN struggle. The magic is that I may be at the back of the pack, but the experience is still shared with everyone else doing the race. And nobody cares how slow I am, everyone is just delighted to have been out, riding our bikes in stunningly beautiful places with like minded people.

This race is one of those that I’d like to get on my calendar every year. My goal for next year is to figure out how to be race ready following a challenging week of work at BC Bike Race, so I can also do their Fernie Gravel Grind.