Map my ride 97km – note this shows days 3,4 and 5 due to blackouts in coverage.

I was awoken by the sound of incessant chirping and the rush of the river. I am not sure how much sleep I got since it was a pretty chilly night and this morning was no different. Lucky for me no rain!

I was smart about two things yesterday: one was to pack everything for a quick clean up and launch, the second was to wear my bike clothes underneath the layers of clothing. I hummed and hawed about getting up from 5 am to 6am but by 6:15 I was ready and went to the outhouse. Basically it took me hour to decide I was ready for a cold toilet seat. I had a protein bar left but I decided it was better to get going and warm up first rather than eat. In all of about 15 minutes I was packed and leaving.

I saw the German man who gave me a wave and after a quick wave back I was on my way. The body was cold and a little stiff but the sky was clear and a kilometer ahead there was sun beaming across the road. I bolted to the sunshine and got off my bike and just basked in the warm glorious sunshine. The difference between sun and shade in the mountains is very significant and after last night I just wanted to warm up.

It was still pretty cold this time of day but I was wrapped in the scenery which was rapidly changing from pine forest to ranch land. The river was constantly widening with a healthy flow to the right of the highway and curious cows and horses now watched me as I cycled by. I waved at them but received nothing back. The ride into Hedley is wonderful: the valley is closed in by two rocky mountain walls which over time has deposited many boulders, some large as cars, into the flats which is populated with ranches and RV parks along the river. The sides of the mountains also have large flows of gravel descending from almost the top of mountains all the way to the valley floor like an avalanche frozen in time. Trees have managed to grow and cling to this slow moving erosion creating a very real sense of how rugged it is out here.

I stopped in the town center of Hedley for breakfast. Still no reception but I was able to charge my phone in the restaurant. A few locals arrived and the man running the restaurant knew what everyone wanted to eat or drink. There was some discussion about Canuck goaltending but I stayed out of it and ate my mountain of bacon, eggs and hash browns. I will say the parties were divided and that there were many losing teams in 2012 NHL playoffs if Luongo was in net for them.

Back on the road I continued soaking up beautiful Hedley until the valley opened up, the trees became sparser and the wind decided to join the party. The wind kept getting more intense as I approached the next town which is Keromeous. Keromeos is known for being the hottest town in Canada but us Ironman ilk remember it much more for the intense wind. I had forgotten but I was quickly reminded how the wind just blows through the valleys here as there are two separate valleys meeting at one point. There is long row of orchards and orchard stands lining a couple of kilometers of flat road but because of the wind it is considered a hard part of the race. Today was no different so I just rode into town with my head down and the bike in easy gear.

I had lunch in a small diner, spoke with someone at the local newspaper (the editor was out of town so I left my card), bought a tarp and then headed out into what was now a mini storm with gusty wind and rain. It was 50 kilometers to Osoyoos through what is normally beautiful dessert landscape but today was hellish. I still managed to take a few video and pictures but things were getting very wet.

There were many climbs including Sumac road (someone actually pulled over to watch me and cheer me on) but the big one is Richter pass which is also part of the Ironman course. There is talk about it how tough it is, and going East is a little easier, but today I would have none of it. I was riding it hard for a friend I lost this year and her family. I had gone up Sumac road in my 3rd lowest gear and continued in that gear over the top. After a little downhill is up again but I decided I had to crank it out and put it in 4th. It was hard but I was able to get into a rhythm. The last real climb is long and punishing and seems to go on forever with constantly changing grades over 8 or 9 kilometers but I kept pumping my legs until the last 200 meters where I geared up to 5th and really felt the burn in my legs and back. I stopped at the top to record a brief video since it was cold, windy and wet as the rain was still going strong from Keromoes.

There is one tiny hill after which is technically still part of Richter pass but it is hardly worth mentioning. The descent was long, freezing cold and unpleasant but I knew I was wrapping up for the day. By the time I got to the visitor centre in Osoyoos I could hardly use a pen! However there was a very nice lady working there who got me setup with a hotel. I rode out to the hotel, had a hot shower, picked up chips, noodles and chocolate and ate it all. All in all a pretty intense but rewarding day.