Biking to Bodhgaya Day 1–3

Biking to Bodhgaya – Day 1 to 3

Day 1 – March 10, 2021, 70 km

Seventy eh!

When I went to bed last night, I felt like an excited kid, except that I was looking forward to my 70th birthday. When I woke up at 5:07 this morning, I didn’t know if I was more excited at turning 70 or because I was about to start my 13,000 km bike ride. It doesn’t matter, both are worth getting excited about!

I checked the weather for Penticton looking for the best time to ride considering sun, temperature, wind and traffic. . . hmm, a high of 9℃, moderate northerly winds, chance of a light shower in the afternoon.

I took the bike to DӦST for a tuneup last week. Steven, the mechanic, adjusted a few things including the Bafang motor, brake pads, wheels, gearing and chain etc. No real issues appeared after a hard 2500 km since August, including some ugly winter roads.

About 11:00, I’d had my coffee(s) and headed to the garage to get the bike ready, as I had removed the batteries, moved the handlebars, removed the panniers and one pedal, removed the electronics, and covered up the ba . . . lol.

Once I was on the road, it was like someone turned on a light switch. Good energy, sunshine, warmth. I headed south from my home in the north end of Penticton, BC, Canada. All of today’s 70 km would be paved road with 50% on Highway 97 S between Penticton and Oliver. Eastside Road and McLean Creek Road are good roads for cyclists and are used by Ironman Canada. (side note: Hopefully next month I’ll test the DӦST by taking it on the IM Canada 180 km cycle route).

The ride was great, traffic was light, good shoulders but with winter sand, head winds on the way home. Lots of bighorn sheep in this area, but it’s hard to spot them on the cliffs while riding. Will keep looking.

Day 2 – March 11, 2021 – 55 km

Sunny, a cold 4 ℃ , calm…warmed up to 8 ℃.

Early trip this morning to have a coffee with Brian Corbett. Hopefully Brian, a top notch swimmer, will take the bike off the rack and join us for a ride. Took the Penticton bypass to Green Mountain Road, then out on the old airport road to Skaha Lake to the Salty Dog Cafe on shore.

My sister-in-law was out for a paddle in her catamaran and shot this pic of me (?) . . . down the channel cycle path between the Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake.

Some valuable wet lands here on the Penticton Indian Tribal lands (very thankful for their use). Shot up Hwy 97 north of Penticton to Trout Creek. Met up with a friend, Jed Maddock, who was out for a ride (check his adventures on Crazy Guy on Bike).

Jed and I discussed the planned cycling trip to India, hopefully late this year. He and his wife Laura are avid tour cyclists and usually head to Europe to cycle most summers.

Had my first “wave over” this afternoon. A lady saw me and my bike and its Dalai Lama flag ride by. She caught up and waved me over. She asked about the flag and then asked “are you the coroner that was in the paper?” She is donating to the cause and I gave her a Dalai Lama flag.

Lots of stops and visits. The mileage is secondary on this trip. Catching up with old friends (covid smart) is refreshing for my mind.

Day 3- March 12, 2021 – 53 km

Day 3 started with big hopes, but my getting into a routine is critical for most ventures. By “routine”, I mean getting my shite together equipment wise. That means some daily maintenance on the bike and/or equipment. Today I had decided to ride to Naramata then up to Little Tunnel on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail and back home. After 5 km I noted my front tire low, then I noted the battery level and saw that it was lower than what I had anticipated, about 12 km my Garmin Varia showed I only had 8% of my charge. The battery shut down at 14 km but not to worry I always carry a 3rd battery. I installed #3 and started off again . . . 2 km the display showed 5 % remaining. I must had forgotten to recharge. . . my fault . . . and I cycled the last 10 km home unassisted. After my personal frustration had worn off, I checked and found that I had enough juice for a quick 25 km before dinner. Domino’s pizza!