17 July 2012

Rocky Mountain 1200 - Coming Soon

What comes after the Cascade 1200 ... the Rocky Mountain 1200.

These paired events are nearby, a month apart, both 1200 km randonees.  And completion of both results in the award of the "Can-Am Challenge" pin, coveted among randonneurs (who seem to like these pins almost as much as elementary school boys like little league baseball trophies).

As far as I can tell, the main difference is that things are bigger in Canada.  The mountains, for one, are a lot bigger.  3000+ meter peaks stretching as far as the eye can see.  Big glaciers.  Very wild.

And the bears are bigger.  Washington State has mostly black bears -- those cute bears.  Canada has more grizzly bears -- the ones that rip you apart with a single swipe of the paw.  I would love to see one, very far away, in the daylight, when I am riding as part of a group.

I do not want to see a mama grizzly and her cubs up close, at night, when I am alone climbing up a hill.

I am hopeful that this event will have less rain than the Cascade 1200 .. the odds are pretty good in late July instead of late June.

The ride starts at 10PM local time on Sunday July 22nd.  The organizers' page is here.

The route looks spectacular, and it is quite demanding, especially to make the time limits over the 2000+ meter passes in the middle section of the ride.  If I get through those, it should be fairly relaxed heading home, assuming no major surprises.

The route is here:


3 comments:

Manfred von Holstein said...

It's a lovely area. I spent a summer holiday in the Canadian rockies some years ago. Good luck and be safe!

Yan said...

Banff national park is one of places I would like to go. My friends showed me photos taken there including a lot of beautifl landscapes and wild animals... as if it was in a big zoo. I am worried about night run in this area, since animals run against too bright lights. Anyway, I hope your safe ride.

P.S. I stoped by c speed and received hub dynamo, PV-8 today. Thank you for your kindness. I plan to use it for 600km BRM in September.

David Litt said...

Manfred, Yan: Thank you for your comments!
I will be careful about bright lights at night. I see that it is possible to buy a "bear bell" and "bear spray" at camp stores in Vancouver and Kamloops. I guess not only bears, but elk and bighorn sheep even can be dangerous for cyclists. Still I do hope that I see some wildlife.

The Cascade 1200 scenery was beautiful, and I did see some deer when going through/near Winthrrop at dusk ... but most memorable "wildlife" were slugs on the road the first and last days, and dead and nearly dead grasshopper/locust type bugs -- almost as big as Japanese cicadas -- on the road during the hot steep climb up the next hill after the Vernita rest area far East of Yakima. For the Rocky Mountain 1200, we have been warned to bring mosquito spray!