Planning is in full swing for the Rapha Festive 500. Only 7 days to go!
I love planning. Luckily I get to do quite a bit of planning as a rail traffic controller. I do enjoy just getting out and going for a ride sometimes, but for these Strava challenges I like to have a pretty good plan in place.
I don't often upload my rides to Garmin Connect, Strava is number one in that department. The best parts of Garmin Connect are the course and workout creation features. You can plan your rides or stationary trainer workouts ahead of time and then upload them to you Garmin device. An average speed or pace can be entered so you'll finish your ride on time and it will tell you if you've strayed off course.
This 84 kilometre loop covers some of my favourite territory. Lots of opportunities to stop and grab a coffee and warm up.
An expansion of the previous route, this 116 kilometre ride heads further east and down into Glen Valley.
I'm tempted to try out this route. Originally it was my plan for the BMC 79 Mile Challenge, which I had to abandon at the last minute. I'd probaby cut out the little detour over the Alex Fraser bridge which I added to to boost the distance over 79 miles. The route is quite urban in some sections, I'm not sure how much effect that would have on my average speed.
I still have to balance these rides with my work schedule, so more planning is in store!
The challenge is as simple as last year, ride 500 kilometres between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. While the distance isn't much of a problem, it isn't the most convenient time to spend riding your bike. Also the weather is often less than ideal for cycling in the greater Vancouver area.
Last year I clocked a respectable 512.1 kilometres spread over seven rides in just over 21 hours. Throw in 3216 metres of elevation gain and things are looking good. I was one of only nine Canadians to complete the challenge, and ranked 636 worldwide.
Rapha Festive 500 - 2011 Canadian Leaderboard
The top two Canadians were from Quebec and the rest from BC. I guess it was a mild winter back east last year? Strava is even more popular than ever before in the cycling community. I'm expecting a big increase in the number of participants and finishers.
The big personal challenge for me this year is trying to ride 500 kilometres while working my regular swing shift at the railway. Last year I was on holidays over Christmas and this year Christmas and Boxing Day fall on my regular days off. So no extra time is available. Also, my wife is considering taking a crack at the challenge. Time management and planning are going to be key.
I've considered trying to challenge myself while completing the 500 kilometeres. Some things I've thought of;
a) Distance - Ride farther is the simplest way to add difficulty. Aim for 600 km? 750 km?
b) Speed - Complete the 500 km faster. This might be too easy as I'm probably already faster than last year.
c) Elevation Gain - Attempting big climbs in winter could prove too hard. Cypress and Seymour could be treacherous. However a Boxing Day Triple Crown has epic written all over it.
Regardless of the path I take to the finish, I'm excited by the thought of the challenge. Who in there right mind cycles 500 kilometres in about a week over the Christmas holidays?
A new cycling option is now available for cyclists in the Metro Vancouver area. The first section of the South Fraser Perimeter road opened on December 1, 2012. The 10 kilometre section of new highway in Surrey runs east from 136th Street out to 176th Street, where it joins Highway 15.
Background
The South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) is part of the Province of British Columbia's Gateway Program, which aims to "improve the movement of people, goods and transit throughout Metro Vancouver..."
The SFPR is a 40 kilometre expressway linking Deltaport to major commercial and industrial facilities along the south shore of the Fraser River. When complete, it will have connections to many other major Provincial highways including Highway 1, 15, 91, and 99.
The project has had its share of opponents; mainly environmental and neighbourhood groups concerned about increased noise, greenhouse gas emissions, and the impact on nearby Burns Bog.
While many of these concerns are valid, it appears the project is going ahead as planned.
Cycling the SFPR
The SFPR is an excellent alternative for cyclists travelling or commuting to or from the eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. There is easy access from the west end of the SFPR to the Scott Road SkyTrain station. The east end has a variety of cycling routes to chose from -- Maple Ridge, Fort Langley, south Surrey, and Langley are all easily accessible.
As you can see in the time lapse, the road itself is signed as a bike route and has very nice wide shoulders with few manhole covers or drainage grates to get in the way. Transitions onto the Centre Creek Crossing are quite smooth. Aside from the hill up to Highway #1 at the eastern end, the gradients are very low. A large portion of the road is paved with a "quiet" pavement. It has less sand and more stone than regular pavement, which reduces noise. I was worried, at first, that this would make for an uncomfortable bike ride. Luckily, that wasn't the case. I found the "quiet" pavement offered better drainage than on regular roads. There was almost no standing water and traction was good.
One thing to be aware of is the speed of the passing cars. The speed limit is 80 km/h for the majority of the route, but with the wide shoulders it doesn't pose much of a problem as there is lots of room. The noise from approaching cars is reduced due to the style of pavement, so certain cars could sneak up on you. The west end of the route is still under construction, so watch out for the safety cones that cause the road to narrow.
There are only two traffic intersections to navigate and both are at the start and end of the route. No need to worry about cars pulling out in front of you.
Conclusions
After only three rides over the SFPR, I'm ready to make the permanent switch. My usual route included Fraser Highway and King George Boulevard. Although it takes me about 15 minutes longer to use the SFPR, the lack of wide shoulders and a heavy traffic volume on my regular commute, makes the switch an easy decision.
I hope you will choose the SFPR the next time you commute to work by bike, or if you want to access the wonderful cycling the the Fraser Valley has to offer.
