Following some of the previous days, today was a comparatively easy day with just 106km to pedal. It was also the beginning of an amazing few days in the run in to Calgary. I set off on a light breakfast – just coffee and cereal plus an enjoyable science conversation with Rebecca – good to remember what I do! I set off quickly today and was first to lunch with John and Heather. Insects continued to pester and today was the first sign of any rain we had seen since Vancouver, although a slightly damp road hardly qualifies by Vancouver standards The wind was kind and the first half of the day was fast. I was equipped with a brand new set of rear brakes, having burned through my others on the descent from the Salmo Crest summit.
Lunch:
Post lunch I set off on my own and was blown along at 25 mph through some great scenery and relatively flat roads. Of course it couldn’t quite continue like that and about 12 km from Cranbrook I got my second flat. Feeling fully competent after my lesson from David I had the tube changed and the wheel back on the bike when Simon and Jen arrived on the scene. They hung around to check I got it fully changed, which was very fortunate as with the wheel back on the bike I tried to inflate it and promptly snapped the valve off. So with a second tube from Simon I changed it again and we set off for Cranbrook. The final 12 km were fantastic as I got to ride with 2 of the fastest riders in the group – and kept up! I’m sure they could have easily dropped me but it was so great to blast into Cranbrook with them, very good for my confidence, and I even allowed myself a very cheeky over taking move towards the end. This last 12 km for me was so good as after the frustration of Day 6 I had started to feel I was getting stronger and today had been a great day.
So following stowage of the bike we met up with Tom who arrived quickly behind us and headed for Denny’s (one of our sponsors) for some food, cold drink and bike discussion. These post-ride times were proving a favorite for me.
Bike discussion:
The day was not over and after I had a quick trip to the pharmacist for more insect repellent and itch creme (what a pest these things are!!) – my first trip in the red van, ferried by Faye, we had dinner at Denny’s. It was at this point we were grateful to be inside as a giant storm hit, apparently it was part of a storm that included a tornado hitting Creston where we had been the night before. It was really quite amazing.
After dinner many of us retired to David and Zach’s room for a discussion on CF, including myself and Rebecca contributing a perspective on what it is we do in research. For me this was a great session and very useful. I spend most of my day in the lab looking at the minutiae of the bugs that cause infection in CF. Whilst I used to work on CF bugs in my previous world, it was only since coming to Vancouver that I have had access to the perspective of those who live with CF. It certainly gives added impetus to one’s research endeavours. It was also very useful to hear the questions of those who were raising money for research and find out the sorts of places it is used.
Discussion (Rebecca and Hilda):
Raising money for cystic fibrosis by cycling 