Janice KYLE
Special to superfastbody
It looked like it would be a cold wet Tour de Bella Coola but as usual the weather forecast doesn’t include the magic of this event. Lots of people rolled over with a cup of coffee, which honestly looked appealing at 6 a.m. But by 9 a.m. the sun was trying to break out above Fisheries Pool (Stuie) and by 11 a.m. riding conditions were perfect
In total, 24 cyclists arrived for the ride to the foot of the Hill and back (36 km.) The options include more but this distance seemed just right for Sunday, April 28.
The history of this ride was provided by Rick and Donna Ratcliffe who are undoubtedly the most committed cyclists in Bella Coola. Probably anywhere if you consider that Donna rode her bike to the Bella Coola Hospital pharmacy through decades of work and literally every weather and all road conditions; officially retiring in May.
She estimates she could have ridden across Canada eight times – clocking 175,000 km. Rick has had a bike shop in the Valley forever but it is now closed due to retirement. Together they spend most holidays riding various parts of B.C. and this year plan to ride to Williams lake and back, camping along the way. True advocates of the sport – if you see a tandem along the highway it is likely Rick and Donna.
The idea of the “Tour” started in the late 80s with Rick and Andy Schmidt riding from the foot of the Hill, including the Saloompt Road and riding to the end of the now defunct logging road and then back home. Other variations and distances were tried.
When Monica Tutt was Active Communities co-ordinator, she varied the model. Very often it included starting everyone at the foot of the Hill, sometimes riding to Hagensborg and sometimes creating a turnaround and then back to Tweedsmuir Lodge.
These days, the Tour starts and finishes at Fisheries Pool with options for all levels of riders. Many families tow their young ones who later come back to complete the 36km as teens. The barbecue keeps rolling out the burgers under Fred Sorensen’s discerning eye as chef.
We are thankful to have the support of the BC Parks crew to support riders for all eventualities, rarely used but coming in handy this year with a flat. Other kind riders stopped to supply repair supplies.
As a community, we all look forward to GoByBike week coming June 3-9 and ask drivers to be mindful of the safe passage distance of 1.5 m, especially for young riders. As cyclists, we would love to expand the shoulders to make riding safer. Only about 40 per cent of drivers care enough to move over.
Janice Kyle is the organizer of the Tour de Bella Coola and Go By Bike Week events in the valley.
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