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| Day 13 - July 10 - Cochrane to Drumheller 170km |
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| Lloyd and I leave Calgary at 5:30am on our way to Cochrane. We arrive shortly after 6, and I give him my old tent as I won't have the space for it in the truck. I leave camp by 7 with Karen, Leslie, Spencer and Deb with a long day ahead of us. It's going to be another long, hot ride because there is nowhere to get water. |
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| The first 40km are fun. There are a few tough hills out of Cochrane, the worst being 8km. On one of the downhills I break my speed record and get up to 76kmh. Despite the heat, I'm really enjoying this. I pass some people on a hill, then I pass a few more who are taking a break. Before I know it, I'm all alone. I go solo for 20km on flat terrain with a powerful tailwind, trying to keep in mind that I should pace myself as I still have 110km to go. Just then I see Jan in my mirror. It almost looks like he's chasing me - and as it turns out he is. Jan, like me, has a slight competitive streak to him. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone. |
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| I ride with Jan for 40km until we reach Beiseker, where I stumble into the Esso restaurant and take a seat at the table where Al and Dave are just finishing up. I feel dizzy and sick to my stomach as I am severely dehydrated. It's another 70km to Drumheller and the thermometer reads 38 degrees Celcius (100 F). |
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| Just twenty minutes after filling my bottles at the Esso, the water gets hot and loses its appeal. We grind through a stiff headwind all the way to Horseshoe Canyon, one of Alberta's tourist attractions. And where there are people, there are cold drinks. I guzzle a bottle of water, but it seems that I don't make it too much farther down the road before intense thirst strikes again. It's a hard day for all of us. In fact, Spencer says it best when he remarks, "The only thing motivating me right now is Dairy Queen". It's a struggle to make it to Drumheller with so little fluid intake. I never want to have another day like this one. Today is right up there with Day 3 - poor hydration makes any form of exercise harder than it should be. |
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| Once in Drumheller, our first stop is Dairy Queen. Then we continue on in search of the campground. On the way there, Jonathan spots the community fountain/wading pool. Moments later there is a pile of shoes and socks on the lawn as we splash around like the kids around us. |
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| Seven km later I get to the campground, set up my tent and collapse in a heap. Fortunately there's a rest day tomorrow, a much needed one. |
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