At 5:22 am, I was ready to cycle over to the start location to being the 300K at 6:00 am. It was +6, supposed to go to +21, and was supposed to be windy in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I woke up thirsty, and was to struggle with hydration for the rest of the ride. I really have to drink more the day before.

The cyclist from Sylvan Lake (Mike) and I headed out at 6 am. He was just planning to ride about half of the route, but it was nice to have company even for that much. The 300K is a fairly challenging route ... there is quite a bit of climbing, right from the start. But fortunately, there was practically no wind and lots of sunshine and greenery, and even some flowers. It was beautiful!

We arrived at the Pine Lake "barn", the first control, in good time, and continued along the road beside Pine Lake. I like that area ... rolling hills, forests, farm land, and the occasional glimpse of the lake. I could wish the road were closer to the lake because I like looking at water when I ride, but there are also a lot of small ponds around.

The wind started kicking up a bit by the time we turned toward Innisfail, and the temperature was rising. I didn't want to stop and take clothes off because I'd gotten into a bit of a groove with my riding, so by the time I got into Innisfail, everything I had on was soaked with sweat, my bottles were empty, and I was THIRSTY!

We had a little bit of difficulty finding toilets in Innisfail. Here's a hint. Unless you have the time to stop at the Tim Horton's as you come into town, go all the way through town to the Fast Gas on the other side. Do not stop at any other likely-looking convenience stores, or you could be very disappointed. We only wanted to stop for a few minutes, so I quickly pealed off my sweat laden clothes ... ah, much cooler ... and stocked up on beverages. Then we set off again.

I have ridden the stretch of road out of Innisfail before ... on the 300K last year, and also as a part of my training century rides, and when I was scouting out this route. But on none of those previous rides was the road as bad as it was this time. It appeared to have been a very tough winter. The road was cracked and broken with no shoulder. In addition to that, there was a tremendous amount of traffic. It made for some very uncomfortable cycling. I am going to change this part of the route for 2008. I have an idea for an alternate route which should be practically devoid of traffic, and more scenic, and somewhat more sheltered from the wind ... but this planned alternate route is even more hilly!

Very shortly out of Innisfail, the gusty wind became strong with even stronger gusts. We were pushing into it!! And that part of the route is fairly flat with very few trees, so the wind can really build up some oomph.

Mike turned off to go back home to Sylvan, and I continued on. By the time I reached Spruce View, I was just about finished. The wind had been so incredibly strong. I promised myself that when I got to Spruce View, I would take a 15 minute break and sit down in the shade somewhere and drink a whole bottle of iced tea. And I did! Spruce View was 135 kms into the ride, and that was the first real break I took. Not too long after Spruce View the wind died a little bit, and the terrain changed to be a bit more hilly, but with more trees to help block the onslaught.

I took another 15 minute break sitting on a bench outside a convenience store in Caroline at 180 kms, where I drank another whole bottle of iced tea. While I was sitting there, someone came up to the store, and started a conversation. "Nice day for a ride", he said. "Yeah", I said, "But a bit windy." "Oh", he said, "I guess there is a little bit of wind." Little bit ... it had been gusting up around 45 km/h for a while there!!

The route turned north shortly after Caroline, and is rolling hills through a forested area. Although there was still a bit of a crosswind, the wind was dying somewhat, and the trees were wonderful wind blocks. My father met me on this stretch to check and see how I was doing. It was very nice to see him out there. He went on into Rocky Mountain House ahead of me.

I downed another entire bottle of iced tea in Rocky Mountain House and managed some corn chips. I was very tired, very thirsty, and my shoulder was killing me. Other than that, I felt pretty good!

I really like the road from Rocky Mountain House to Leslieville. It's relatively flat, quiet, and somewhat scenic. The mosquitoes were out by the time I got to Leslieville. I ate and drank quickly there, then climbed out of Leslieville for the last run back into Red Deer. Fortunately by now the wind had died off and I was able to move along quite well.

I arrived back into Red Deer in about 17 hours.

My mother had to help me out of my jersey. My shoulder had pretty much seized up, and my arm was somewhat numb. The way my shoulder is separated, it tends to fall forward and pinch a nerve in my left arm. I was also very dehydrated, and lost 3 lbs on that ride. I'm not sure exactly why ... it wasn't like I wasn't drinking during the ride ... but perhaps I just needed to drink more the day before.

And there will be some route modifications on this one!