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Issue: 2015-06-11 PHOTO: Amelia Merher
On the Tagish Road
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Issue: 2015-06-11 PHOTO: Amelia Merher
Lake-side view from the road
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Issue: 2015-06-11 PHOTO: Amelia Merher
Don’t Forget the sunscreen
Whitehorse to Atlin
You can do this in two days, fully loaded with your camping gear. I rode to Tarfu Lake the first day, and was in Atlin before dinner on the second. If you haven’t been riding with full panniers, you might want to make the trip a three-day ride though. The weight really slows you down, and the Atlin road is oh-so-hilly, including 22 km of gravel.
As soon as I turned onto Highway 7 towards Atlin, there were two grizzlies playing in the ditch. They did not hear me coming until I whizzed by. I tensely remembered that a friend had been chased by grizzlies while biking the Dempster Highway a few weeks ago. Bears on the highway are so much more real when you’ve only got a pedal bike. Bring spray and a bell.
Most people are friendly to cyclists, perhaps because they think you are nuts. I was chilling by the highway under the willows before Como Lake, escaping the sweltering chip-seal, when a shirtless guy in a F-150 offered me a beer. Tired from biking, that was and probably will be, the besttasting Coors Light of my life. But really, save the beer for the victory, because this has been one hot summer and beer dehydrates. That Coors was definitely not a performance-enhancing beverage.
Jake’s Corner to Carcross
This is an awesome, predominantly downhill ride. Even with a strong headwind it was easy. It’s 55 km to Carcross. There’s not much traffic, and you get to hang out in Tagish — the fastest-growing Yukon community. The Tagish boat launch and campground were bumping on Saturday afternoon. Try not to be intimidated by the 11-year-old boys who catch bigger fish than you. I had Googlemapped the ride, and feared a giant climb before Carcross that actually wasn’t too bad. I made it all the way to town wondering when the big, nasty hill was coming.
Carcross to Whitehorse
There I was, chugging away uphill, feeling pretty cool that I am on my fourth day of my tour, carrying all my gear, still not very sore and what do I see? A guy on a unicycle with what looked like camping gear, balancing his way downhill in the other direction. I wanted to chat with him, but I also didn’t want to startle and kill him, so I just smiled and nodded. There is always someone more badass than you — wherever, whenever.
Over the four days of biking, my average speed was 16 km/ hour, which means I spent about 20 hours on my bike. Built for pleasure, not speed, truly.
Final and crucial tips from one beginner touring cyclist to another: Don’t wear underwear. Do wear butt cream.
Do wear bike shorts. Take a lot of breaks. Lean back, open your chest, and pull your pedals to make it uphill easier. And don’t forget sunscreen.