Geof Harries

It’s the middle of August – almost 3 months after the BWR - and I still haven’t shared how it went. Oops!

Consider this my very condensed post-race report.

Finishing

• My goal was finishing in 10 hours or less. I finished in 10 hours and 3 minutes. This put me into 149th place, almost exactly mid-pack.
• 218 km and 3,330 m of climbing makes for a long day!
• I feel I could have gone faster and likely cut at least 30 minutes off my time. I had no idea what to expect on a course of this length, so I played it safe and stopped at every aid station, and didn’t push myself as hard as I could have.

Course

• Based on the marketing and communications prior to the event, I was expecting much gnarlier singletrack and a harder course overall. I could have made the ride more painful by riding faster, but again I didn’t know how my body would react.
• I didn’t do as much training as others I know, but what I did do clearly made a huge difference. I was able to enjoy the experience and not just suffer endlessly. Thanks to Matti Rowe for his training plan, personal support and encouraging emails.
• I appreciated the fact that this wasn’t just a gravel road event. The singletrack and asphalt sections combined with gravel made it much more interesting and fun. I’d seek out this event format again in the future.
• Bike races have many smells. One I won’t soon forget is the stench of several hundreds of disc brake pads all burning at once as a large group of us rode through the opening swoopy road sections together.
• I got lost a few times. Having a bike computer with the course map on it would have been helpful.

Training and preparation

As mentioned in previous posts, training for BWR BC has resulted in my highest-ever annual training numbers since I started digitally recording them.

Activities to date

• 3,674 km of cycling
• 180 hours of cycling, walking and weight training
• 45,500 m of elevation gain

Here were my final numbers prior to the BWR BC on May 28, 2023.

May 2023

• 523 km of cycling
• 29 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,000 m of elevation gain

April 2023

• 860 km of cycling
• 38 hours of cycling and weight training
• 9,000 m of elevation gain

March 2023

• 239 km of walking
• 33 hours of walking and weight training
• 2,350 m of elevation gain

February 2023

• 417 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 5,100 m of elevation gain

January 2023

• 445 km of indoor bike riding
• 25 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,800 m of elevation gain

December 2022

• 263 km of indoor bike riding
• 18 hours of cycling and weight training
• 3,900 m of elevation gain

Post-event, I hit a serious slump, especially in July. I wasn't particularly motivated to ride my bike and instead wisely chose to swim, hang out with my family and eat ice cream.

July 2023

• 297 km of cycling
• 20 hours of cycling and weight training
• 4,500 m of elevation gain

June 2023

• 574 km of cycling
• 27 hours of cycling and weight training
• 6,300 m of elevation gain

Equipment

• My Trek Checkpoint SL 5 performed flawlessly. I was very thankful for my size 61 cm frame and its ability to run 3 bottle cages.
• The Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 40 tires were amazing. I ran 45 PSI in the rear tire and 40 PSI in the front tire. No issues at all. I could have ridden lower pressures, but I was concerned about flatting.

Food

• I ate so much food! Almost 8,000 calories worth. I was very thankful for the well-stocked aid stations.
• Speaking of food from aid stations, if I ever must eat a single Powerbar Powergel Shot again – I probably ate 12 pouches of them – bad things will happen. That was in addition to the other food I brought and ate.
• I was very thankful for the dill pickles served. Dill pickles (especially paired with a can of Coca-Cola) are wonderful things.

Friendships

• It was amazing to have met people from all over Canada and talk to them during the event and over beers afterwards. I wore our Team Yukon kit, and that was a conversation starter for sure.
• I got to ride with other Yukoners throughout the race as there were so many of us there.
• Most of all, I really enjoyed the hours I spent with my house mates: Colin, Steven and Jordy. That was a big highlight for me, in so many ways. Great memories of times at home, on rides beforehand, and conversations afterwards.

Overall, BWR BC was an incredible experience and I’m glad I did it.