The 2022 Golden Triangle was a hit with 21 riders. Alternating cloud bursts and sunshine with a slight head wind greeted riders Friday. The recently swept shoulders were still silty so riders who drafted sported grey tans and shoe covers and dark stripes on their backs. A few wore kitchen gloves under cycling gloves.
The wind, rain and hills of day one were soon forgotten as Saturday and Sunday (days 2,3) were windless, sunny and dry with smiles all around.
Hwy 95 now sports smooth wide shoulders added to handle the detoured traffic during Hwy 1 construction. With Hwy 1 open, Hwy 95 was all ours.
Traffic was amazingly light on all 3 days but particularly appreciated on day 3.
The cyclists were shuttled from Golden past the narrow construction zone (a requirement of the construction company).
A traveling representative of Tomahawk Chips (Native Canadian Chip Corporation) noticed our Elbow Valley Cycle Club emblazoned canopy in the Field Visitor Center parking lot and gifted us a 50 bag carton of potato chips. Reflections of Mts. King and Deville in the still waters of the Kicking Horse River were the perfect backdrop to lunch at the Visitor Center.
The Corral Creek day use area had not yet been commissioned for the season and the access road was blocked, so we set up in the approach. Local cyclists out for rides on the Bow Valley Parkway stopped in at our Corral Creek rest stop to chat and learn about the EVCC. Both of our canopies are printed with the club’s name.
Lacking a special event permit from Parks, we could not obtain permission from our contacts to park overnight at Castle Junction. We used a couple of passenger vans to move the cyclists and a 5m cube van to move the bikes and luggage back and forth between Canada Olympic Park to Castle Jnc. The vans proved useful to shuttle the riders to and from the Radium Hot Springs and the hotel as well as the construction shuttle in Golden.
Doug McCulloch booked the volunteer's hotels, blocked rooms for the riders and organized custom sandwiches each day, helped extract and store GT gear from Heidi's basement in his garage, brought us ice in coolers to COP but due to recent health concerns was unable to participate during the GT. (Heidi Schwab donated her basement to the EVCC to store our GT equipment)
Liz Jamieson took over the rest of the food ordering, logistics and snack stop serving. She was vigilant in getting us on the road, set up and open each day before riders arrived.
Gord Gilbertson picked up sandwich orders moved baggage, shuttled hot springs bathers and cyclists to/from Calgary and over the construction. Gord also single-handedly set up the lunch stops complete with EVCC logo’d canopy.
Garry Denman came up from High River to take over from Doug at the last minute, drove the 2nd van, shuttling riders, swept and helped where ever needed.
I drove the cube truck and helped Liz with the snack stops.
Riders took charge of the bike loading for the shuttles. Bob Hallet, Trevor Penford and Wade Veronelly stepped up and stacked the bikes on top of the luggage 8-9 across the cube truck in 2 rows then added the other bikes near the door amongst the food and community gear. Riders cooperated in removing each others pedals before each shuttle. By the 3rd shuttle home, the group was working like a well oiled machine.
From Craig Murray:
“I would like to thank the EVCC, Don and his amazing crew of volunteers for the incredible experience they provided for the riders of the 2022 GT. As a GT first timer (and I only started cycling in 2019), I had no idea what to expect from a physical or organizational point of view, and I can tell you that neither disappointed me. Everything was absolutely top notch: timing was like clockwork, the snack selection simply amazing, and the food was delicious. This all done with smiles, advice and good cheer.
The riders too were a wonderful bunch of people who shared their love of cycling with much fun, enthusiasm and helping hands along the way.
I enjoyed the ride immensely (other than the rain on the first day) and would do it again in a heart beat.”
