The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, 2020 solo edition

The morning of the race. You can pretty much feel the heart of the 24 hour town beating in anticipation.

Antonio on his first lap, being offered some liquid ‘‘courage’’ at the Whiskey Tree.

A rider stops for a shot at the Whiskey Tree, mayhem ensued!

Whiskey Tree shenanigans!

Jason hitting the rock drop on his first lap.

Antonio coming into Solo Alley on his second lap.

Stopping at our support tent for snacks, bottle refills and cheers!

Pascale preparing some warm food for the racers. After more than 6 hours of racing, they need something more than gels and energy balls to keep going.

Rafael waiting for his daddy to come back from his 4th lap.

Antonio’s golden hour lap.

Antonio trying to change his shoes without sitting down. His original plan was to not sit down at all during the race (for fear of not getting up).

The plan changed and he sat down at every lap (which ended up working really well). Here, Rafael offers him some food.

It was so awesome to have the boys there to cheer and help!

Unexpected things you might do as a support team: taking off your racer’s contact lenses for him since his hands are dirty.

I don’t have night photos and that is the part that has to be experienced to fully feel such an event, but there were lots of warm soup, coffee and quesadillas, and an impromptu dance party to keep the spirits up and the bodies warm. That was right after sunrise.

Jason coming back from his sunrise lap.

Pascale’s love, presence and management skills were instrumental to Antonio’s success.

Most of the crew at the tent on Solo Alley.

Regrouping, eating and drinking before leaving for a 13th lap.

Hop on!

Go, go, go!!

Jason back from his 15th lap and removing some layers as the sun warms up.

Still smiling!

Tire repair with the Liske boys, Formula 1 pit stop style!

Done and dusted!! 14 laps!! That’s 230 miles (370 km) in 24 hours. A well-deserved 3rd place (over 25 solo men single speeders!).

The smile that says it all!

Jason completing his final and 17th lap (that’s 280 miles or 450 km) for a 1st place!!!

He barely had time to hop off (or more like crawl off) his bike and jump on the podium!

You can see it all in that smile: pride, fatigue and relief!

Jason was even barefoot on the podium!

Antonio congratulating his friend Kelly (who took 5th place).

That’s Jason’s where-are-my-dry-clothes-and-my-bed’s face. Pure exhaustion.

Hanging out at camp after the podiums. So happy to celebrate that incredible achievement with our friends!

The girls spent a lot of time playing with the boys and going from the Whiskey Tree to the Rock Drop to keep our racers’ spirits up!

The 24 Hour Town is almost empty by sunset on Sunday night.

Rafael embodying here what this event is truly about: a strong mind in a strong body, a zen attitude and a desire to always push yourself to go higher!

Even if 24 hour mountain bike race events have been losing in popularity in the last 10 years, The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo’s registrations filled up in 55 minutes this year. It might be because this event carries a sense community and inclusivity for riders of all levels that you don’t always find at bike races that it is still so popular after 20 years of existence.

I’ve written about this cool race before here and here, but this year was different: both our dear friends Antonio and Jason were racing it solo on single speed bikes (they had raced it in 4-men teams before - many times for Antonio and twice for Jason). This year, we were their support team for the event. Solo riders are allowed to have a tent on the very last section of the course, aptly named Solo Alley, so this is where we set up camp. It is a great vantage point to see and hear what happens at the Rock Drop, where many people gather to heckle and cheer.

Doing (and supporting) a solo rider for 24 hours was a first experience for all of us, so a lot of it was learn-as-we-go. We were definitely not the well-oiled machine of pro solo rider Taylor Lideen set up nearby, but between all of us, we did a pretty good job!

As I sat down by the fire on Sunday night, still buzzing with the adrenaline of the last 24 hours, I heard campers making up lyrics for a song: My palms are sweaty, my arms are spaghetti… Tighten your headset, loosen your mindset for the 24 Hours of old Pueblo!

To get more of a feel of the place and the event, watch this few minutes video by Lance Armstrong that he did in 2018 when he raced it.

A delicious Christmas and the first two bike races of the year

Making gingerbreads!

Mathilde and JF making tourtières, meat pies and fruit pies!

The girls’ first bûche de Noël!

So many beautiful shared meals.

The Fiesta Roldana of Christmas 2019 was a great success!

Waiting in the exchange tent at Papago 6 hours.

Papago mass start for the duos and quads!

Mara coming in from her 5th lap.

Mathilde leaving on her 4th lap. She raced co-ed with her friend Ben.

The McDowell Meltdown 2020!

Mara finished 5th overall in the Expert women.

After our hectic trip down to Tucson, we reveled in the peaceful atmosphere of our friend’s house and pleasant company. It was lovely to cook and bake in their new kitchen, to play board games and watch Christmas movies together. We left just after New Year for 10 days in the Westy in the Phoenix area for the first two bike races of the year: Papago 6 hours and the McDowell Meltdown. It was the perfect way to kickstart 2020!

The roadtrip from hell

First beautiful sunny morning of the trip. We had no idea what this roadtrip had in store for us.

Our beautiful campsite at Clear Springs Park (an Army Corps park), near Texarkana.

The following night we arrived in this campsite after dark and realized the next morning that the night ended up costing us 53 US$… We had forgotten that Texas State Parks charge a daily fee per person, even for kids in the same family… And we had came here especially to ride at Réveille Ranch… which we found out just after waking up that it was closed for the week because of hunting…

Riding the Northshore Trail system, near Dallas.

Really cool techy red slickrock sections (Northshore Trail number 6, Murrel Park, TX).

Beautiful campsite with water and electricity right by great bike trails for 20$ in Pace Bend State Park, near Austin, TX.

Proudly cooking on our 20+ year old Primus stove.

It was literally raining acorns when we were there. Good thing they are cute, because they hurt when they hit your head.

We didn’t get to explore the trails much because Mara fell and got a light concussion, but the Rock Garden of Greatness was a fun challenge!

The one thing that struck me the most was how much more time we spent outside when traveling in the Westy.

And how much we were pretty much the only ones outside in the campgrounds most nights… Granted, it was cold, but it made for some magical starry sky nights.

Then, the Westy started losing power and lots of oil in the middle of nowhere. After spending the night behind a gas station, we got towed to Alpine, TX, to a small country garage where the mechanics had never worked on a VW Vanagon.

Obviously, they couldn’t solve our problem, so the day after, we got towed from Alpine to Van Horn, TX. To make things even better, the tow truck broke down on its way to us. The driver - who conveniently is also a mechanic and was towing us to his garage - fixed his truck and showed up to pick us up 6 hours after the call was placed.

He towed us to his Oasis (his RV Park -by his garage and the highway and train tracks). Quite the Oasis indeed.

It is quite the funky junk yard.

There is also a motel, a taxi company and a church on the premises where he is the preacher and offers poolside church service on Saturday nights.

That’s the inside of the church/laudromat/gym/used clothing store. We tried to work in there, but the Jesus music was too loud and there was a sign that read: “Anyone caught touching the sound system will get a broken arm.”

So we didn't dare trigger the wrath of God...

Total East Jesus meet Bombay Beach feel. There are even a few abandoned half finished cabins on the property…

But hey, Lyle found a simple temporary solution that allowed us to drive the Westy to Tucson and didn’t charge us a dime (the tow ride was paid by our roadside assistance company).

Beautiful night at Rockhound State Park, near Deming, in New Mexico. We were exhilarated to be able to drive and leave the Oasis!

It felt so amazing to be back in the wild (and to get to a spot at Indian Bread Rocks where we cannot go with the bus) after many days of parking lots night.

You know, even in the thick of it, not once did I think: if only we had a house and live a more normal life… Nope. I guess this is the ultimate nomad test. We might have found ourselves wishing we had more mechanical skills though…

On our way to Tucson, we rode a beautiful section of the Arizona Trail.

Stout is the only cactus casualty so far.

I’m usually pretty good at staying positive in the face of (road) adversity. That with choosing this lifestyle in the first place and being lucky to travel and all that… But the other day when someone reminded me to look for the silver lining - because there is always one - I thought: Is there? I mean, we were finally crawling back out of debts and now this? Back-to-back-to-back unplanned expenses. And everybody falling apart because it’s simply ridiculous to live in a Westfalia with a large dog, 2 full-time working adults and 3 teenagers doing online school many hours a day. 

As I tried to fall asleep to the live country music of the saloon next door where we were stranded, I scratched my head to find that silver lining. How much can you stretch yourself before it comes flying back in your face? 

That's when I thought about the people. The volunteer at a campground who wished us Merry Christmas and waved the camping fee for us when we came to pay the next morning after a late night arrival, the garage owner’s dad that looked to be at least 80 yo and told us stories of his childhood while we waited in the crummy break room, of how he used to ride his horse buggy for 3 days with his dad to get supplies in town and meet indians in skin loins. And there was Allan, our first tow truck driver, who told us amazing stories of the 10 years he worked on fishing boats in Alaska. With stars in his eyes, he told us of the seal that helped him harvest sea cucumbers and of the 94 lbs King salmon he caught, of his dream to save enough money working his towing to buy a dive boat and a piece of land near Homer. He hasn’t been back there in over 20 years, but his heart is still there. 

Of course, it’s all about the people. Even if sometimes the last thing I feel like is to strike a conversation in the stuffy overheated back seat of a tow truck. Even if at 7 am, I rush into a gas station for a morning pee hoping to be incognito, and a cowboy - a real one - throws himself in front of me to gallantly open the door, removes his hat, bows his head and calls me Ma’am with a beautiful smile and a thick Texas accent.

These last few weeks reminded me that by stretching ourselves, we are learning to feel comfortable being uncomfortable. And that's an important life lesson for us and for our girls. And a pretty good silver lining.

And well, this week provided us with quite a collection of good stories to tell by the bonfire.

Güdrun Mountain Biking Festival, Hot Springs, Arkansas

Bonfire at sunset on Saturday night after the Slow roll, Mini enduro and Jump Jam.

The Festival was held at Cedar Glades Park, a venue with a 360 view that is part of the Hot Springs National Park.

I never had my 3 girls stand on the same podium before! Hey, there's a first for everything! Also: first time I saw an Elvis cat with a viking crown.

The local microbrewery, Superior Bathhouse brewery (that uses hot springs water to make its beers ), even created a special beer for the event. It was a delicious Norwegian Farmhouse Kornol (never heard of that type of beer before? Me neither!) brewed with voss yeast and local red cedar. You could really taste the cedar and we really enjoyed it.

Vikings racing!

Mathilde at the start.

Mathilde pushed hard.

… and finished first in her category!

She was so proud!

Stout rolling in the grass and soaking up the sun during the festival.

Aïsha leading the Cat 1 ladies at the start!

Mara showing great form on a flat turn.

Aïsha coming down fast!

That last hill (that they had to do twice!) was a dozer after 25 km of racing.

The girls got to race with a pro from Colorado who was incredibly nice and kept encouraging them. I just love the mountain biking community!

My adorable little vikings shared the podium (they were the only ones in the Cat 1 15-29 category).

The Güdrun Northwoods Mountain Bike Festival celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of Hot Springs’ new Northwoods Trail System and combined a mountain bike expo, a group ride through downtown Hot Springs, a mini enduro, a Jump Jam and the annual Attila the Hun Mountain Bike Race.

Güdrun is a Germanic heroic legend. A woman warrior Viking! She was the wife to Attila the Hun and later defeater of the Huns. We were sold!

As you might know from our social media, we barely made it to Hot Springs National Park** in a cloud of white smoke before the bus engine died on us. Replacing it is an expensive and long process, so we are figuring out the best options. The Festival was a great diversion and allowed us to focus on something else for a bit and let solutions emerge (isn’t it often the best way to go at it?).

We thought we would at least enjoy the hot springs while we are stuck here, but soaking in the springs is only allowed in the bathhouses in town (the cheapest one is 20$ per person, so 100$ for a soak for our family… yeah, no).

Whereas most national parks cover thousands of acres, are far from city streets, and keep natural resources away from commercial users, it is not the case with Hot Springs National Park. This smallest of national parks borders a city that has made an industry out of tapping and dispensing the park's major resource: mineral-rich waters of hot springs.

A National Park inside a city? Well, almost. The city of Hot Springs, Arkansas was founded right up against Hot Springs National Park (which happens to be the smallest National Park in America) to capitalize on the tourists coming to the area for a dip in the healing hot spring waters.The city’s main street (called Bathhouse row) is actually part of the National Park.

Here’s a little back story that won’t surprise anyone:

Following 8,000 years of use by indigenous peoples, European Americans discovered and appropriated the springs. Then, the government decided that bathing in spring water would only be available in approved facilities at a cost (and they diverted the spring water from the mountains to the bathhouses only). The entire Bathhouse Row area is designated as a National Historic Landmark District and contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America. Comprised of eight bathhouses, these stately structures owned by the National Park Service were constructed between the years of 1892 and 1923. The historic Fordyce Bathhouse, located on famous Bathhouse Row, serves as the park's visitor center.

So, there you have it. It’s one interesting way for a National Park to say that they are “protecting the ressources”... 

It’s no biggie. The people we have met here are really nice, the town is just quirky enough for our liking and the trails are pretty sweet! We’ll be OK for a bit.

** Hot Springs National Park is a first-come, first-served campground with full hook-up for 30$ per night, only 10 minutes from the Northwoods mountain biking trails and 5 minutes from Bathhouse Row (downtown Hot Springs).

Mountain biking in Northern Georgia

Super fun trails at Blankets Creek. Fun fact: trail direction changes daily in Georgia!

That red clay is gorgeous and fun to ride… when dry!

So many giant berms here!

Beautiful campground on Lake Allatoona (McKinney Campground).

With our own private beach!

Paynes Creek trails (during the Payne Cave 6 hour race).

Our beautiful campsite at Paynes Creek Campground (and our 3 medalists).

Even if Georgia is not yet a mountain biking destination, we were quite surprised to find some really fun rides only a few hours from Atlanta.

Our favorite were the trails at Blankets Creek in Holly Creek - some of the top-rated in the Atlanta area. At most networks we visited, the direction of travel on the trail loops changes daily (kudos to the trail builders for making trails that are fun to ride in both directions). Hikers and trail runners have to travel in the opposite direction to bikes and foot traffic is meant to yield to bikes here. The trails were very well-marked with lots of emergency exits. The rating is easy, so a black here is much tamer than elsewhere. If you ride here, make sure to ride the Van Michael trail (huge berms and lots of flow) and don’t miss Quehl Holler, a short purpose-built gravity trail full of berms, wooden features and rollers! The Dwelling Loop is a good fast warm up, but is more a green than a blue trail.

The other sector not to miss are the Bull/Jake Mountain trails, near Dalhonega. With over 30+ miles of trails in this network, you can rack up more than 2000 feet of climbing through lush Georgia forests, an unforgettable experience that will take you hours. The Walmart in Dalhonega is a good base camp.

Allatoona Creek – Nearly 20 miles of trail, ranging from beginner to expert. Unfortunately, a big portion of the trails were closed for hunting season and we ended up having to ride the TurtleBack Loop (a very mellow green) for 5 km before being able to hit an interesting trail and it was getting late, so we didn’t get to ride the more interesting Mason’s Bridge and Bluff, Hocus Pocus and Voodoo.

The Pinhoti Trail is an epic mountain bike route that goes from Alabama west to the start of the Appalachian trail. All but one section is open to bikes, though currently about 40 miles of the 140 mile route are on paved roads.

Some sections can be ridden and some of those require a shuttle. Look up P1, P2 and P3.

The girls did a 6 hour race (3 hour for Mathilde who was doing it solo) at Paynes Creek Campground. The trails were fun (think fast, twisty flowy green), but not a destination IMO.

Also check out: 

Chicopee Woods Intermediate Loop (don’t miss the Flying Squirrel and Copperhead gap trails for a fun challenge)

Know of any other fun trail in Georgia that I miss? Leave it in the comments!

Mountain biking, eating and tasting beer in Asheville, NC

It’s the perfect time of year to ride in the Pisgah National Forest!

Working and doing online classes at Odd’s Café in West Asheville. Good coffee at a very decent price and great atmosphere. Dogs everywhere! We loved it.

FOOD!! Hole donuts (made fresh in front on you!), Asheville sandwich company’s shoestring fries and Chai Pani (Indian street food).

West Asheville art and delicious ice cream at The Hop.

The Oysterhouse (West Asheville): dusted and fried oyster with blue cheese and lemon zest; Fish and chips.

Wicked Weed Brewery and beer tasting at the Funkatorium.

Avery Trail in Pisgah.

Just like Bend, OR, and Boulder, CO, Asheville, NC, is among the top cities where everybody wants to move. And for good reasons. It is surrounded by world-class hiking and mountain biking trails, and has a definite liberal vibe with a big LGBTQ+ community, a strong local movement, a big artistic and musical scene, over 30 microbreweries (in a town of a little over 90,000 people! That’s a lot of beer drinkers per capita!) and amazing restaurants with tons of vegan/food intolerance options. Oh, and it’s super dog-friendly (coffee shops, restaurants, trails, etc.).

Needless to say, the city is bursting at the seams. Obviously, we were here during one of the busiest times of the year (fall colors), but I heard locals say that the traffic has gotten simply insane in the last few years. 

Even if the cost of living is not cheap and there is definitely a housing crunch in Asheville, it is still about half of the cost of places like New York City and the Bay Area. However, the economy is mostly service-based and poverty and homelessness are rampant. We saw lots of people sleeping in their cars in parking lots at night and lots of squatting spots around town.

It’s easy to forget that we are in the South, but stepping out of town reminds you quickly that you are indeed not in California. 

Downtown Asheville is very cute, but parking is no fun. Get there early or be ready to be patient! West Asheville is really a fun laid back neighborhood that can be a good option on busy nights to avoid downtown.

FOOD AND BEERS

Here are a few of the places we loved:

The Oysterhouse - Good beer and delicious and affordable food in West Asheville. The girls ordered fish and chips and they had 3 pieces + fries for $12!!

Hole Doughnuts - Simply the best donuts ever. Made fresh right in front of you. They have 4 flavors per day and drip coffee. That’s it. When you do something well, there’s no need to expand your offering. It’s a very cute little spot, but you might leave smelling of donut grease!

The Funkatorium - It’s an off shoot of Wicked Weed Brewery, where they serve their sour and funky beers, along with some tasty food. Try their fried sweet potato burger and their arancini as an appetizer.

The Hop - Great ice cream, not too sweet, lots of vegan and sugar-free options. There are 3-4 locations across town. If they have their Bees Knees flavor, try it!

Odd’s Café - in West Asheville, very good coffee at a reasonable price, beautiful place where to work. The Asheville Sandwich Company is just next door for a quick meal (they are known for their Banh Mi and shoestring fries)

 Goodwill outlet in West Asheville 

For next time (or for you if you go!):

-The Wedge Brewery

-Thirsty Monk Brewery

-Chai Pani - Indian Street Food (they don’t take reservation and there’s often a long wait, so plan accordingly). Things to order there: Sev Potato Dahi Puri, Pani puri, Bhel puri, Butter Chicken Thali and their Mango lassi.

-White Duck Taco (River Arts District Location)

-French Broad Chocolate Lounge - They offer 30 min tours for $6 per person (including a chocolate tasting). We wanted to try their liquid truffles as per our friend recommendation.

And more breweries recommended by our friends from Live Small Ride Free:

Highland Brewery, Green Man Brewery, Hi-Wire, Burial, One World, Asheville Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada (in Mills River), and Oskar Blues (in Brevard).

MOUNTAIN BIKING

 There is so much riding in the Pisgah National Forest! There are tons of ways to connect trails and it is possible to do very long rides. One thing that might surprise some is that a lot of the up tracks are gravel roads. All the good riding is South of town.

Bent Creek area

The biggest issue with Asheville is that there is no cell signal at the trailheads. We are used to park the bus at a trailhead and take turns riding while part of our group works or do school. Being on the East Coast is much trickier schedule-wise for us. The closest trail network from town is Bent Creek and is therefore always busy. We were quite surprised to find the parking lot full on a Wednesday morning. It really reminded me of Boulder, where it seems like nobody works and just hang and have fun.

A few of the trails/rides not to miss at Bent Creek:

Green’s Lick (fast flowy downhill)

Ingles Field Gap Loop (in MTB project)

For an easy exploration ride, check out Pisgah Area SORBA Beginner’s Loop (in MTB project)

For a longer ride, check out Bent Creek Epicito route (in MTB project)

Where to sleep in Bent Creek/West Asheville :

Lake Powhatan Recreation Area is right in the middle of the trails, but the signal is spotty. We were able to work from the Big John Loop (1 to 2 bars 4 G LTE).

Another (free) option is the Cracker Barrel in West Asheville on Crowell Road. The nights were pretty quiet even if the lot is not exactly leveled. 

Brevard/Pisgah area

We found one great spot right by the Brevard trails and the Hub bike shop where we could park the bus and ride right from our door. It is a huge parking lot (look up Walmart Brevard on Google Maps), but it is forbidden to spend the night there.

From there, it’s easy to ride the Black Mountain Trail and the Thrift Cove/Sycamore Cove Trails.

For longer, more challenging rides, this is the place. Here are a few trails that shouldn’t be missed:

Squirrel Gap Trail

Laurel Mountain/Pilot Rock trail

Avery Creek Trail

Trace Ridge Trail 

Where to sleep in Brevard/Pisgah:

Davidson River campground (in the Pisgah National Forest): signal is spotty, but we found out that sites 1 to 11 had good enough signal for work.

Dispersed camping in the Pisgah National Forest: free, no signal, right down the road from the Davidson River Campgrounds (check iOverlander for exact coordinates). First come, first serve basis, 14 nights maximum. Right off the road, but have a fire pit and some with picnic tables. The road is pretty quiet at night. There are some beautiful spots by the creek for smaller rigs and you can ride right from your site.

Walmart Hendersonville: that a good 20 minute’s drive away and is pretty noisy (a street runs through the parking lot and people love to drive fast there!), but it’s free and there is good signal.

Dupont State Forest

Then, there is Dupont State Forest, where the trails are more beginner-intermediate friendly. We loved Ridgeline and Hickory Mountain Loop, but there are many more to ride in that area. We wanted to ride Cedar Rock (the only slickrock in the area) and Reasonover Creek Trail.

This is by no mean an exhaustive list of all the trail areas in Asheville, just some of them that we rode in the most visited areas.

The other sector we didn't get to ride is Mill Creek. It is located between Bent Creek and Brevard. Our friend recommended riding the Fletcher/Spencer Trails there, but we didn’t have time.

 A lot of this great information comes from our friends at Live Small Ride Free. We are always incredibly thankful to get recommendations from local, but Ching’s super exhaustive list made our time in Asheville really incredible.

Assateague Island National Seashore

I know I might be a hopeless romantic, but when I hear « camping on an island where wild horses roam free », I have images of the white Camargue horses galloping free in harmony on the beach… Maybe that’s why I was surprised to see pissed off horses stealing bags of chips from campsites and being aggressive with dogs and people. They reminded me more of giant raccoons than the Camargue horses of the animal channel of my youth… 

Of course they behave like this because people feed them to take pictures with them or try to pet them. One died last year after being fed commercial dog food… Many get hit by cars because they associate vehicles with food. It’s a pretty sad reality.

Like bears, if the horses get used to humans feeding them, they will tear into the tents to get food, raid picnic tables, and even push people out of the way to get to the food sources. Unfortunately, people are not scared of horses like they are of bears, so they just leave food outside unattended even if this is a very clear rule.

Horses have been on Assateague Island for over 300 years. Though nobody knows for sure how they got there, it is certain that they were not originally wild. Domesticated horses could have swam ashore from sinking ships or could have been thrown off of ships that had run aground in an attempt to lighten and refloat the ship. Another theory is that during colonial times, residents on the mainland brought horses to graze on the island to avoid taxation on animals living on the mainland. Regardless, today the horses are wild and, for the most part, left to fend for themselves. (excerpt from here).

And it has to stay that way. But of course this is too much to ask.

So, even if the beach is beautiful and wild (and not littered! I could not find one piece of trash on it!!), we won’t be back. These horses may be corralled and no longer be able to freely roam the island if visitors continue to violate the well-posted park rules. I feel very torn about places like these. I know I don’t want to be part of this. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you consider coming here, make sure to reserve ahead and know that the mosquitoes are pretty bad in the summer months (July and August are the worst; there were none while we were there mid-October). Keep all your food inside your vehicles at all times unless it is in a plate or bowl in front of you. Dogs are accepted in a few loops and adjacent beaches (and please keep them on a leash at all times). Horses will come on your campsite and smell your dog, so if you have a dog that is likely to react to that, either keep him in your rig when a horse approaches or do not come to the island. Expect that people will walk into your campsite if there are horses on it. Also know that there are no campsites with ocean view since there are dunes that separate the campground from the ocean (that is not clear on the map). The campsites closest to the boardwalk that leads to the sea are NOT a good choice since people will walk on your site to get to the ocean. The campsites that are away from the beach offer a little more protection against the elements. Most campsites are sand (with a paved area for rigs). It gets pretty windy and miserable when it rains here, so plan accordingly.

There are miles of dedicated (road) bike trails along the island and there are a handful of places within the park to trap your own crabs or forage your own mussels (trapping supplied cost about $20 and can be found at any of the local tackle shops). Both AT&T and Verizon signal was spotty. This is dry camping, but the shower buildings are amazing. However, some people will run their generators all day (allowed from 7 am to 10 pm), so it can be pretty annoying in such a peaceful place.

While you are there, make sure you check out the cute little town of Berlin, 20 minutes away (skip Ocean City!) and go have delicious craft beer at the Burley Oak Brewery.

Border crossing: from Canada to the US

After a tough border crossing, we had to zoom down to pick up packages in the New York area before they got shipped back (we left Quebec 3 weeks later than planned because of some mechanical issues that needed to be taken care of). There are a few reasons why we don’t do the East Coast (or even the East part of the States). First, there is no Public Land and free camping, and with a big RV, this mostly means sleeping in parking lot (the ones that allow it)… We like to take chances and check out trailheads and more remote spots on maps, but more often than not it ends up being extremely frustrating in this part of the country. We had an epic night of driving up steep hills and narrow roads (man the roads are narrow and the turns tight in New England: another reason we don’t come often!) to scout out a few spots to find them all with No overnight signs… So we stuck to Cracker Barrels and Walmart parking lots and paid for campsites in a few places that were worth it. One that was worth it in our opinion was Turkey Swamp County Park in New Jersey. It’s still $40 a night, which is a big expense for us, but very reasonable for the area and it includes a parking pass to the beautiful Seven President Oceanfront Park (35 minutes drive from the campground). Also, if you are in the area, do not miss Antoinette Boulangerie (a great stop after the beach) for amazing croissants and pâtisserie (get their raspberry chocolate mousse).

Also know that there are Parkway regulations in NY and NJ that prevent RVs to travel on some sections. We got stopped by a police officer who told us we could not be on that specific Parkway (even if this is a touristy area, there were no signs to that regard). We asked if we could take the next exit 2 miles further and he said he would have to give us a ticket if we did that… So we had to drive in reverse to take the exit!

The roads are narrow, the corners are sharp and the bridges and tunnels are low. This all makes for some stress driving.

So about the border crossing… As I posted on Instagram and Facebook, it was our toughest border crossing in 7 years. I can't tell you if it's truly because they are starting to be stricter or because we got a zealous border agent. What I can tell you, is that during the hour we all sat inside the building and the agent literally yelled at JF, I was already making plans for a winter in Canada.
Everything started as usual with the agent at the window. The usual questions; we made sure not to have any food that was problematic (no tropical fruits, especially). He then asked us to park and come inside. Nothing unusual there, we’re used to being searched at customs. However, when we stepped inside, JF was called by an older and much sterner officer who started drilling him with questions, not letting him finish a sentence and not taking our story for an answer.

He kept asking JF why we truly were coming into the States and JF kept saying : to visit, to mountain bike and to enjoy the outdoors, but the agent kept cutting him, saying: “You’re not being forthcoming with me! This is ridiculous!” And he was laughing in JF’s face…

JF went to grab his computer, showed him that we truly had jobs in Canada that we were doing online and that our girls were really studying online with a Yukon program. He searched their schooling website, JF’s job and mine and after a long while came back and told us that we were all set…
The main red flag in our case is that we don’t own a property in Canada. If we hadn’t had the girls registered in school and a job that we could both prove, they would very likely not have let us in this time.
So if you sell everything and go, make sure you have something to prove that you still have ties to Canada because it is possible that you will not be allowed in the US. Have the address of a campground where you will spend the first few nights (they don't like hearing that you don’t really know where you’ll sleep tonight...) and don’t forget that our lifestyle seems totally farfetched for many people. “You’ve been living in this thing for more than 5 years with teenagers?! That’s too funny…” is not what you want the border agent to tell you…

Something else that seems to trigger agents is when you try to give context to your answers. Simply answer by “yes” or “no” if no details are asked for, stay calm, even when the agent is trying to make you lose your cool (I’m so thankful JF is so naturally calm and not easily intimidated) and be patient and in no rush.

This one person has your plans for the upcoming years in their hands. It's not a good feeling, but to keep stating the same  facts while being courteous and honest is the best thing you can do.

Last few weeks in Quebec

Watcha doing with this big camera in my face?

Cousin Thomas turned 2!

There was an inflatable castle… with lots of static!

And cake!

Dinosaur cake!

So much partying is quite tiring.

The last race of the season is a dress-up race. Mathilde was an avocado! Super aerodynamic.

And the twins went as devils.

We’ll soon be making our way down near the US East Coast and we haven’t done that area in a long time. We’d love your recommendations of must-do, must-ride, must-hike and especially your good/decent (free) camping spots. We don’t have much in the plans, except maybe a stop for a few days of beach time around Cape Cod. We'll likely be cutting through Virginia toward Asheville after that. Thank you in advance!

Quebec Championship at Mont Ste-Anne and watching the XCO World Championship!

It was wet and very muddy and the course was extremely greasy, so the commissaires had to make many last minute changes on the course. This unfortunately led Mathilde to miss a newly marked turn that shortened the lap by a minute or so and to get disqualified. She had a great race and it was frustrating for her to not have her end result, but she focused on the positive.

The girls sure got a taste of cyclocross with that course!

Aïsha raced very well for most of the race, but in her final lap, she lost control in a downhill, slipped off a 6 foot bridge and flew into a river, hit her head, and her bike fell on top of her. Fortunately, she landed in a 2 feet deep mud bath. She hit a wooden log, which bruised her left side and hurt her arm. But it could have been much worse!

Mara had a blast and is very happy about her performance grabbing 4th (out of 15 girls) place at the Quebec Championships.

There was a lot of action this weekend at Mont Ste-Anne with the XCO World Championship AND the DH World Championship! It was also the XCO Quebec Championship, the last big race of the season for the girls. 

On a side note, you might have seen me picking up fellow vanlifer’s TP on Instagram. If not, here’s my little rant about it: Vanlifers are now shamelessly peeing and shitting around in free camping spots. This morning, in the Mont Ste-Anne resort parking lot, we saw a guy get out of his car in boxers, walk a few steps and take a leak in plain sight. While we were having breakfast (I know this does not imply TP, but I don't need to see your bird while I’m eating my granola). There were porta-potties 400 feet away. This kind of entitlement that we see more and more in the vanlife community will be the end of it. We've been living full time in our bus for 5 years and what we've seen in the last 2 years is simply disgusting. So many sites are closing because of those careless acts. We have to be more vocal and proactive about this.

Western Canada Summer Games

Waiting to enter the arena for the opening ceremony.

JF and Dean the mechanic (with Aïsha behind him and Mathilde at the far right) entering the arena with the Yukon delegation during the opening ceremonies.

Watching the performers during the ceremonies.

The whole cycling team: Coach Trena on the left, Dean the mechanic, Tori, Veronica, Ava, Mathilde, JF (mission staff), Mara, Aïsha and Peter (team manager).

The whole Yukon delegation!

The girls before the Time Trial (TT) event on Day 1.

Mara just before her TT start.

Race food. Ahem.

Day 2 : Road race (80 km). They found the hilliest place in the area to make the race more demanding!

Day 4 : Modified mountain bike course (Mara).

Aïsha (middle), pushing hard to finish 8th on 21 racers. Mara on the right. I love that we see the grain elevator at the back, so Saskatchewan!

Mara lapping Mathilde (left). Mathilde racing strong to finish 15th (right)! She was the youngest racer out there (the field is from 15 to 19, but she had a special permission since she qualified at the preliminary events).

BRONZE!! So happy for my girl!

First ever medal for the Yukon in women cycling at the Western Games!!!

The Western Canada Summer Games were the girls’ first time competing in a multisport event. The opening ceremony with the delegations entering one by one and the lighting of the flame was pretty special (and it was quite surreal for me to watch it online and see my girls and JF on screen!). The cycling events were a combination of road and mountain biking this year, which is quite unusual since these are two very different disciplines (think of it like cross-country skiing and downhill skiing), so it is the main reason the girls started training last December on a road bike.

The Western Canada Summer Games are held every 4 years and this time around, British Columbia decided not to participate in the Games, so only Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the 3 territories were present. Only Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon had a cycling team.

The girls knew their strong suite was the mountain biking, but they still performed pretty well in the road events. However, when the Mountain Bike Eliminator was cancelled on the 3rd day (the 1st day of mountain biking) because the rain had turned the trail into a deep peanut butter clay, the organizers of the Summer Games decided to cancel it AND change the course for the official XC mountain bike race on Day 4, the girls were very, very disappointed. They changed the race to a short track (mostly on grass). The original plan was that there were 4 cycling events in total during the Games (2 road events and 2 mountain biking events), and obviously, the girls are stronger in mountain biking, so this was a big bummer for them. BUT they all had really strong races and Mara came back home with a medal!

Mara gave many interviews after that win and here’s a link to an article published in the Whitehorse Star: https://www.whitehorsestar.com/Sports/roldan-wins-yukon-s-first-cycling-medal.

Ontario

Cooking dinner in a rest stop is a great way to save money on campings on long drives. We stop in a (free) beautiful spot to stretch our legs and cook dinner and keep driving. After that, it doesn’t matter much where we spend the night.

Beautiful stop along Lake Superior.

Exploring a beautiful free campsite just outside of Lake Superior Provincial Park

Look at that water!

Very cool Cheetos powder lichen.

Eating dinner by Lake Superior

Mathilde at the Horseshoe Canada Cup

The start of the Cadet expert girls at Horseshoe. Mara got stuck at the very back…

Aïsha at the Horseshoe Canada Cup

Mara at the Horseshoe Canada Cup

So, how do we deal with the heat when relying mostly on solar? Even with 750 Watts of panels, we can’t run the AC in the bus. We could pay for a 55$+ campsite, but we try to find public beaches where we can spend the day and sleep in free spots. We haven’t paid for a campsite since we left the Yukon. Actually, we very rarely pay for campsites anymore since it is so easy to find free camping spots, and since at this time of year you need to make reservations in advance to have a good campsite (and in our book, if you pay for a campsite, it better be a good one). 

When we cover a lot of ground like we are doing this summer, our go-to strategy is to stop during the day (and often for dinner) at beautiful spots along the way, stretch our legs, bike, swim, and keep driving afterwards. By then, it’s dark and it doesn’t matter much where we spend the night as long as it’s not too noisy. It allows us to save money (since we are spending a lot on gas during this time) and not worry about making reservations in advance.

In Canada, iOverlander is the best app to use to find free camping spots. Be aware that most users are in vans or 4 x 4 vehicles, so scout out the recommended spots in advance if there is no information about vehicle length in the comments to avoid bad surprises.

The XCO Mountain Biking National Championship was a bit of a bust. Aïsha crashed during her first preride and got a concussion, so there was no racing for her. She is still healing and focusing on the Western Summer Canada Games at the beginning of August. Mara felt strong and ready, but the crazy hot weather at 42 C with humidex was really rough for a Yukon kid. She battled hard, but crashed near the finish and lost 3 positions, finishing 14th over 21 strong girls. It was not the results she was hoping for and she was quite disappointed.

Mathilde is still too young to compete at National level, but took part in the Ontario Cup the next day. The weather was a bit cooler, but there was A LOT of traffic on the course. She’s still quite happy with her race.

The girls are now on Instagram and they will share their own race reviews (and lots more) there. Give them a follow if you want:
@aisha.roldan
@mathilde.roldan
@mara.roldan.mtb

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, AB and SK

Sunrise over the Conglomerate Cliffs. The positive side of getting here in the dark was to wake up to this amazing view.

FREEdom!

Mathilde is working on a jewelry order (you can visit her Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RideItUpJewelry

Riding Last Grizzly, a fun dowhill trail in the Albertan side of the park, near Elkwater Lake.

Riding by Elkwater Lake.

Following Julien’s suggestions (in the book Vie de Van, of course!), we headed to the Conglomerate Cliffs for a sweet boondocking site. However, since we were already in the Albertan side of the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park for biking, we decided to cross through dirt roads. We didn’t expect them to be that steep and were too low in diesel for that inclination (and the pump could not pick up the fuel…) Sooo… We got stuck on a hill and had a bit of a moment trying to back up with the Westy attached (we have to be careful backing up with a tow bar and couldn’t unhook the Westy), but made it with the help of a local. JF drove 45 min to the nearest gas station and came back in the dark. As we stayed behind in the middle of nowhere, many herds of cows came to sniff and check the bus. One young bull stuck around for a while and Mathilde turned a stressful situation into a good laugh, saying: Mom! He must be one of Roaditup’s followers! He wants a selfie with the bus! 

We were only 10 minutes from the boondocking site, but driving in the dark on those roads proved dangerous since cows charged the Westy (that I was driving). There are LOTS of free ranging cows here, so driving during the day is strongly advised. The roads also become a mud fest when it rains, so stay away if it is in the forecast of if there had been rain in the last few days.

Hike to West Wind Pass and the Canmore Canada Cup

Grassi Lake, Canmore

Spray Lake

The view after 5 minutes on the West Wind Trail!

Getting to the Pass.

Wow!

A well deserved break to enjoy the view.

2,5 km to that awesome view? Hell, yeah!

We get spoiled so much in BC and in the Yukon! On this hike, there are a few trails options and not must signage so it can get confusing. Stick to the trails on the right and you’ll get there. Consider taking poles if you struggle with steep descent. It’s a pretty tame hike by Rockies standard (it’s considered moderate), but the climbing is pretty steep and constant, so just plan accordingly if you need breaks. We got to the pass in one hour and back in 30 minutes. After taking a break at the pass and admiring the view, you can keep hiking all the way up to the Wind Tower. 

Mathilde at the start of her race.

Mathilde finishing.

Mara at the start line

Mara at the start

Aïsha getting down the aptly named Organ Donor trail.

Aïsha getting some air!

Well, Canmore was not what I was hoping for. This was for sure not my weekend. I crashed on Thursday during my preride and then crashed again on race morning, bending my front wheel and derailleur 2 hours before my start. We pretty much took a bunch of different parts from other bikes and put them on my bike. When I was finally able to do my race, I didn’t even get 10 minutes into the race and got a flat on my rear wheel. There was lots of experience and learning throughout these few days spent in Canmore, but I’m wishing to get all problems fixed in time for the Horseshoe Canada Cup. What happened to me today was simply bad luck, crashing and flatting are things that are part of cycling and it is for sure not the last time that this will happen to me. Awesome job to everyone who raced today and thank you very much to all the people for helping and supporting me throughout this rough couple of days. What a fun event though, I wish to come back next year and have an even better time riding these amazing trails!

Even after 5 years on the road, we sometimes forget how fragile the balance of our daily life is. Of course, sometimes we just need to get somewhere and drive a lot, but that also means making sure to get outside and be active for an hour or so a day at least. We are pretty good about keeping our regular (healthy) meals schedules and to keeping a work and school morning routine. However, since we left the Yukon, we haven’t slept in a campsite once and parking lot life does take its toll on all of us. Yes, our bus is big, but throw 5 adult-size person + a giant size dog and it feels very small. Especially after 2 weeks. 

Since there isn’t much external framework when you live on the road, you have to constantly check in with yourself to figure out why you feel the way you feel. It’s one of the reasons people say traveling is a fast track to self-improvement. And a fast track to divorce!!

So, yes, even after all this time, we’re still learning how much of a balancing act this is. After two days in nature, I feel like myself again, ready to cross the Prairies and hit the hot humid and buggy weather of Ontario. Just kidding, I’m so not ready for that. But hey, soon we’ll be in Quebec and spending time with our loved ones and I sure am ready for that!!

Finding free QUIET camping spots in Whistler and Canmore is not an easy task (and paid campgrounds are often full or very expensive). Even the usual trail head spots often have NO Overnight camping signs. We lucked out that our friends found a new trailhead that didn’t have a sign up yet, so we could spend two quiet nights here after the chaos of the Visitor Center (there are huge signs saying NO overnight camping there, but they tolerate it if you leave by 8 am).

Down the Cassiar, Westy troubles and Whistler Canada Cup

Boya Lake Provincial Park.

Boya Lake Provincial Park, Northern BC.

Full moon rising over the Stewart-Cassiar Highway.

Aïsha keeping us entertained on long drives with her ukulele songs.

Leaving Burns Lake pulling our broken Westy on a U-Haul platform, still unsure where we will be able to get it fixed and even less when…

Mathilde showing great form on a steep line during the Whistler Canada Cup.

Mathilde, proud to finish that tough race!

Aïsha at the beginning of the race.

Mara feeling tired.

Mara on the left and Aïsha on the right.

Mara

Mara dug deep to finish that race.

Teammate Zachary Brunelle taking one of the technical A line on the course.

Mathilde in 3rd place!

The Whistler Canada Cup course was the most technical race the girls had ever done. On top of that, there was 240 m of climbing PER lap. Some sections of the course were only a few days old and very loose. The whole course was incredibly dusty. Aïsha crashed during the preride; she was in pain during the race and had lost her confidence, so she decided to opt out after one lap to avoid another crash and save herself for next weekend Canada Cup in Canmore. Mathilde coughed all night (and kept everybody awake) and was feeling miserable on the morning of the race (we all brought back a nasty virus from Whitehorse). She freaked out a bit after the first big climb when she stopped and felt like she was choking, but thankfully, coach Dan Sams @terraridersyukon was right there and talked her through it and she kept on going. She finished her race and grabbed the 3rd place. She was super proud to have finished such a tough course in her physical condition. After a sleepless night, too much preriding the day before and still healing from her nasty crash at Baie St-Paul, Mara was able to hang on to 4th place. Quite a feat in her condition! The field of Expert Women U17 was very strong with a few BC riders who are super strong technically. It was a good experience and the girls know what they need to work on for next year!

We were super proud of the girls’ Yukon teammates from U Kon Echelon who came all the way down here to race, not expecting such a tough course, but did it nonetheless! Way to go, friends!

And the girls now have Instagram accounts: @aisha.roldan, @mara.roldan.mtb @mathilde.roldan
Go give them a follow if you want!

Kluane to Chilkat international Bike Relay

At the Dákų̀ Nän Tsʼèddhyèt Festival at Da Kų Cultural Centre in Dakwäkäda (Haines Junction). You go ahead and pronounce it.

Throat singers from Nunavut

Beautiful campspot at a friend of a friend in Haines Junction. Hiding in the Westy because of the bugs. We spent hours just looking outside at the light and clouds shifting on the mountain range.

Mara getting ready to tackle Leg 1 and 2.

Mara at the start line

It’s a go!

Mara leading the head peloton. She had the fastest lap time overall for leg 2 and the fastest lap time for female for leg 1 (in the 5-6-7-8 person-team category, since the other ones do not have split leg time).

There was LOTS of trafic because of all the support vehicles. it was a bit ridiculous…

Waiting for Noah to finish Leg 4 at the Haines Summit. Cold and windy. Even in June.

Like my friend Antonio says: that’s the kind of race who appeals to everybody: from the monkey suits to the spandex suits.

Noah chipping in and passing it on to Aïsha.

Ready!

Strong headwind.

Working in peloton helps.

Approaching the end of Leg 5.

Tiny Aïsha getting ready to tackle a long climb in Leg 6.

Annoyed by Mathilde who was singing silly songs to keep her motivated on the climb!

Aïsha did amazing. She was the fastest female in both her legs!

These kids finished first overall in the 8-person team category over 71 teams! They had put together a team of 6 (still qualifying as a team of 8, but the twins were doing 2 legs each) with 2 boys and 2 girls from the cross-country ski team (all 14 or 15 yo).

Mathilde getting the chip from Jimmy - she was on the U Kon Echelon team and was doing the last leg (Leg 8).

It rained for her leg, but she was zooming through it, passing lots of people.

Mathilde crossing the Finish Line in Haines, Alaska.

Muddy and proud.

The local roadies like to joke that the Kluane Chilkat international bike relay (KCIBR) is the only day of the year when Yukonners road bike. While this is not exactly fair, most people start training about a month before the bike relay and turn to mountain biking after it.

The KCIBR is a huge road bike race - even more by Northern standards - with over 1,000 riders this year. It starts in the Yukon - in Haines Junction, near the Kluane National Park - and finishes 238 km later in Haines, Alaska (with an elevation gain close to 1,600 metres). Some people do it solo, but most do it in teams of 4 or 8 (and some in teams of 2 and solo). If you want more course details, click here.

The KCIBR is celebrating it’s 25th year this year. The amount of volunteers (and the work that these volunteers had to do) to create such a well organized race that ran smoothly is just incredible.

After most people have crossed the finish line in Fort Seward, the celebration continues at the Alaska Fair Ground with a huge fish fry meal for all the racers.

Baie St-Paul and Sherbrooke Canada Cups... and an hospital visit

When the big sisters are gone… the little one gets her parents all to herself. And sushi.

Getting the bikes up on Mamie’s car to get to the race in Baie-St-Paul.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Ready to race the Baie St-Paul Canada Cup!
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Warming up.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Mara crashed hard on the first lap of the Baie St-Paul mountain biking Canada Cup when her handlebar hit a trail marking pole. They carried her down - partly in a coach’s arms and partly in a 4 X 4 (can someone tell me why they didn’t have a proper ambulance with a stretcher at such a big event?!).
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

She was sent to the hospital for some x-rays. It was nerve wracking to follow that from afar, but my mom was with her and the medics and a Dalbix coach took great care of her.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

There is no spinal injury, no fracture and no concussion. Pffeew!! They did an ultrasound to rule out internal bleeding since she crashed on her belly (and the tip of her handlebar poked her in lower abdomen...). There might be some torn ligaments, but all she needs to do is rest + ice and take anti inflammatory meds. She even had the OK to race the Sherbrooke Canada Cup the following weekend! That’s all she wanted to hear! She’s such a tough cookie!

The XCT on Sunday in Baie St-Paul was pretty muddy. Aïsha slid under the tape, but got back on the bike and finished strong. Mara was there to cheer for her team!

Catryana, Mara and Aïsha.

In the tulips with Mamie.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Bringing Mémé out in the sun and eating some fast food (her favorite - Louis Luncheonnette!)

Aïsha racing the Sherbrooke Canada Cup course under the eyes of her grandparents (up on the hill).

Mara on the Sherbrooke Canada Cup course.

Aïsha

Sisters talking about the race just after crossing the finish line.

Debriefing with coach Dan.

Grand-papa and Grand-maman came from Terrebonne to watch the race and cheer for their grand-daughters.

The whole Dalbix-Siboire Expert Cadet and Junior Crew!

Sweet Charles - aka Cha-cha - who was quite confused to hear people cheer for Aïsha using his own nickname (Sha-sha). He kept repeating: but I AM Cha-cha!

Family who cheer for your daughters when you’re not there: Priceless! It made our hearts so full to see them there.

Mara during the XCC on Sunday.

Aïsha during the XCC

Aïsha during the XCC

Sprint finish for 2nd place for Mara at the XCC (she is the first one here).

Breathing a sigh of relief after securing the 2nd place in a sprint finish!

That’s what you call leaving it all on the course!

Aïsha’s back was killing her during the XCC and she was in a lot of pain. She still finished the race and was proud of herself for not quitting.

Mara on the podium of the XCC.

It was the first time the girls were away for 2 weeks and that we could not be at their races. Needless to say, it was nerve-wracking! But they were very well-surrounded!

The girls had a great flight experience and I feel like since we often hear bad things about Air Canada, I feel it is important to talk about the good things they do too. The girls were upgraded to a direct flight from Montreal to Vancouver (instead of a transfer in Winnipeg) and got upgraded to First Class for that flight AND given 20$ each in per diem to spend at the Vancouver airport! Way to go, Air Canada!

And a little something I posted on Instagram that you might not have read:

And they’re off again, this time it’s only the twins, but for a trip to Quebec. It's funny how when your kids are young and you choose to keep them close people are feeling like you are over protecting then… I've always been a believer in the idea that kids who feel secure when young become confident adults, that you cannot force independence, that it actually come from a place of secure attachment. I had cautious little girls who took their time and we gave them that time. And here they are, at 15 yo, leaving on a trip across Canada alone with 3 flights, solid, independent, resourceful and self-reliant. It's a real treat to watch. Maybe it's time for a little pat on the back.

Yukon Energy Cycling Championships

Tori, Mathilde and coach Trena racing the Crit on Friday night.

We had all sorts of weather during the Crit and that made for some pretty cool lighting and even a rainbow!

The Crit racers!

Tori and Mathilde during the Prologue in Whistle Bend on Thursday.

Thomas wearing an aero helmet for the first time. Pride and cuteness overload.

Dave Jackson during the TT on Sunday.

Mathilde finishing the TT on Sunday.

Beautiful wooden medals created by Dave Jackson.

Proud kids!

Mathilde helped for a mountain bike race put together by U Kon Echelon and Participaction. She was very proud to give her handmade chocolate to the kids as prizes. They were delighted too, obviously!

Look at those!!

The Yukon Energy Road Cycling Championships started on Thursday evening with a race in Whistle Bend, a criterium in Marwell on Friday night, the Southern Lakes Yukon Grandfondo on June 1st  — which doubles as a road race in the championships — before concluding with a final time trial race on June 2 on the North Klondike Highway.

Hayman Classic stage road race, Penticton, BC

Mathilde during stage 1 (TT).
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Mara trying to keep up with the boys during stage 3 (crit).
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Mara (at the back) losing ground on the all-boys peloton.
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Mathilde (center in purple + turquoise helmet) taking the start of the crit.
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Aïsha (purple shirt toward the middle) during stage 2 (circuit).
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Aïsha (left) during the circuit. It was wet!
Photo by Cody W Gannon.

Drawing her friend who had a bad crash at the last stage of the race and got a concussion, and adding it to a care package she is preparing for her.

While the girls were gone, JF and I had a beautiful weekend of mountain biking in Carcross.

And good local beer too!

The Hayman Classic is a multi-stage road race that consists of a time trial hill climb and circuit race on the first day, a criterium on the second day and a road race on the last day.

Rather than dividing the field based on age and gender, the field was self-selected based on ability. The change was designed to provide “flexibility to help each rider find their appropriate level.” An unintended side effect of this change, is that most top-five finishes were being awarded to male riders. Since Mara was the only girl riding in the ability ‘A’ category, she is the only Yukonner who got a podium prize money.

Despite only having one gear thanks to mechanical issues, Mara finished her race. Aisha rode in the ability ‘B’ criterium, finishing in ninth for females, just one minute and 50.5 seconds behind the winner. In the ability ‘C’ criterium, Ava was second, Tori third and Mathilde sixth on the female leaderboard.

After Tori took a bad fall, Ava stuck around to wait for her and rode with her until they reached medical attention and Tori withdrew from the race. It was a beautiful example of team spirit. Mathilde took over and Ava was able to finished her race.

The Hayman Classic was the first major road race for our girls, and it was a great experience will to prepare them for the Western Canada Summer Games in August.

Only a day after coming back from Penticton, Mara and Aïsha flew to Québec where they will do two Canada Cup mountain bike races, while Mathilde will take part in the last of the major Yukon road races, the Yukon Energy Road Cycling Championships.

And for those who haven’t read about the butt foam on Instagram:
After a race, we like to ask the girls to share a positive and a negative of their race. This time Mara said: Being the only girl in the A category and being able to hang on to the peloton toward the back allowed me to see all the strategy that was going on. On the down side, 5 or 6 guys from the same team had used a strange shammy butter that started foaming because of all the rain and started flying off everywhere. The guy beside me just had time to say: “What the hell is that?”  before getting hit in the face by butt foam.

Tour de Skagway, AK

You know the mountains are big when the bus looks that small.

The head peloton composed for 3 strong men + Mara getting ready to tackle the climb to the summit on the lap race on Saturday.

Trena, Ava, Tori and Mathilde getting fast on the downhill.

Look at that backdrop.

11 pm in the Pass. Summer here is truly disorienting. I really struggle to sleep well and enough. Even after so many years of practice, having dark curtains and putting myself in the dark around 9:30 pm (+ using a buff on my eyes + earplugs to not ear the birds signing at 3 am…), I still have a restless light sleep. My body is really influenced by light as I have shared many times here and too much light is not better than not enough light for me. I have to cut down on my coffee intake because I truly feel like I’m hyper agitated by all this light. That being said, the midnight sun is something you have to experience at least once in your lifetime.

The start of the hill climb on Sunday morning in the green and lush Coastal forest of Skagway, AK.

Climbing!

Mara and Lukas stuck together for the whole climb and finished super strong hand in hand! I love to see this kind of team spirit!

Westy made it to the summit! That in itself is an accomplishment.

Mathilde was able to finish the hill climb thanks to this awesome young girl who kept encouraging her and stayed with her the whole time. They also got an extra adrenaline boost thanks to a close encounter (4 meters!) with a black bear cub on the side of the road

We’re just back from an incredible weekend of racing the Tour de Skagway in the White Pass between Alaska and the Yukon. The weather was perfect, which is rarely the case there, and the riders were strong and ready for a challenge. Because a challenge, it was. On the first day, there was a 20 km Time Trial and a 72 km lap race (24 or 48 km for some), and on the second day, there was the hill climb, which started from Skagway, AK, at sea level all the way to the White Pass summit at 3292 feet. It is rated the second hardest hill climb in Canada!