They were on a journey that encompassed the best of times and quite possibly the worst of times, but cyclists participating in the annual YK2HR bike from Yellowknife to Hay River event overcame many challenges along the long and lonesome stretch of Highway 3 to cycle almost 500 kilometres over three days.
“The terrain is hugely challenging because it's flat and monotonous. It's not a physical challenge. It's a mental challenge,“ Charmaine Routery, the new event coordinator said.
“So when you've got a headwind and everything is the same, and you're riding this flat landscape, it gets mentally challenging. It's defeating because there's no points of interest. It's, you know, trees, and then more trees.”
This year, Routery said there were 42 youth and adult participants who did the trek and she was pleased they had a great deal of support along the barren stretch to ensure their safety.
“They put out signs all over notifying the traffic, the drivers, that there would be cyclists on the road all weekend, from Yellowknife all the way into Hay River," she said. "In addition, they put on extra patrols. So everywhere we went, we saw patrols, so we were never in danger.
“We were always safe. And that was really, really wonderful to have that kind of support to keep us safe on the highway,” she said.
Onward, forward
YK2HR was the brainchild of Yellowknifer Andy Wong in 2009 and has since become an annual event. Along with his daughter Sara, they have planned and organized each event.
Both recently stepped back from their organizing roles, however, and at the thought of having the event discontinued, Routery, a volunteer for several years, decided she would take the helm to ensure it continued.
“So many fantastic NWT events end or get discontinued, not because they're not loved, but just because the organizers get fatigued and aren't able to do it anymore, and so I really didn't want that to happen to this event, because I really enjoyed my participation in it, and I felt that it was a fantastic event.
“So I stepped up. I said I would help,” she said.
Challenges aplenty
One of the big challenges during this year's weekend event was the extremely high winds, Routery said.
“One of our riders described it as riding through all four seasons in one day.
“When we woke up at our rest stop on the second day, it was freezing cold, with gale force winds, headwinds all the way, which makes the ride more challenging for them, and makes it super cold. Then by the end of the day, it was super hot,” she said of the intense weather conditions.
The cyclists carried on, however, facing each condition as it occurred, she added.
On one stretch of the highway, Routery said they encountered several herds of bison - a very challenging situation for cyclists.
“You can't ride through a herd, because that scares them, and they interpret it as predator. So cyclists had to wait.
“A couple of cyclists were escorted by just random traffic. People were driving by and saw their predicament and allowed them to go on the far side of their vehicle, and went slowly so that the riders could cross the herd,” she said.
Routery noted the ride was particularly challenging because of the devastation from the wildfires in the region.
“So the fire devastation is up close and personal when you're on a bike, and you're going through those burnt out trees when you enter Enterprise, and the landmarks that you expect to see aren't there anymore.
“The signs welcoming you that they have going into Enterprise, or used to have, they're all gone, and all you can see is the burn, and it just stretches on forever when you're going at 20 km/h,” she said.
“So, I think for most of our riders, it's that mental challenge, and I definitely saw it when they rode into Enterprise. They were devastated. They were crying. It was a challenge.”
Inner strength
For such a long excursion, Routery said everyone had to find their own motivation to keep going.
“You've got to dig deep, and when you're facing that mental challenge, some people use music to get them over that hump. One person listened to audio books, historical and factual audio books, to keep them engaged. The young people were travelling in a peloton. So they were travelling together and having conversation, which is what makes this ride so special,” she said.
“The experienced riders are going to ride no matter what. So, you've got riders, you know, people like Andy Wong and Sara who are going to ride no matter what. But the magic are the people who are coming out and saying, ‘I haven't been on a bike in a while. I used to love it, and I want to get back into it,’” she added. “Those are the true reasons why our volunteers come out and do this and why I stepped up - to allow people to have that opportunity to experience something fantastic.”
Celebrating longevity
Routery said as next year is the 15th anniversary of YK2HR, the volunteers and riders are looking forward to celebrating the event.
“We want to really do something special for the riders, for Andy and Sara, who started this. We haven't decided yet, so it's still early days, but we're definitely going to be celebrating the 15th anniversary," she said. "I definitely want to thank Hay River for allowing us to use their swimming pool to shower and clean up.
“And the people of Hay River were so amazing.”
