(Saskatchewan Cycling Association provincial bike festival)
May 30
- June 1, 1997
© Darrell Noakes, for the Saskatchewan
Cycling Association
What
could be better than two whole days dedicated to nothing but cycling!
That was certainly the feeling of a dozen happy cyclists who rallied at
the 1997 Provincial Bicycle Festival, May 30 - June 1 near Fort
Qu'Appelle.
The event was the first since the successful Spoke Festival held in Qu'Appelle in 1986. Now, more than a decade later, the SCA revived an opportunity for cyclists to gather, do what they enjoy most, and promote cycling.
Cyclists began gathering at the Echo Valley Conference Centre at Fort San on Friday night. Staff at the centre lit up the huge fire pit for a marshmallow and weenie roast while cyclists selected their rooms. Lightning silhouetted the hillsides of the valley and thunder echoed in the distance as we gathered round the fire to hear plans for the weekend's cycling.
Saturday morning dawned sunny and clear. Conference centre staff were waiting with a plentiful and hearty breakfast, ready to fuel us up for the day's ride. Today's route: through the valley to Indian Head then back via the Trans-Canada and Qu'Appelle, 96 km round trip. A light rain shower sprinkled us on our way out of the centre, but the sun soon returned to warm our backs. The cycling was exhilarating, all the more so being on a spring day on roads designed before people thought they needed to get places instantly.
The group made a brief lunch stop in Indian Head then continued on its way, returning to Fort Qu'Appelle in time for ice cream at one of this small town's three - count 'em! - ice cream vendors. Some of us still had enough energy for a ride around the lake before returning to the conference centre for supper. After supper, we made an ice cream run into Fort Qu'Appelle. The evening was warm and the twilight gave the town's main street a surrealistic glow.
Saturday night's bonfire presented a perfect setting to reflect on the day's ride and recount tales from past cycling adventures: old Heritage Tours, recent vacations, favourite trips, legendary exploits. In our little circle of warm light, all that existed in the universe was cycling.
After another filling breakfast on Sunday morning, we headed back into the valley. We stopped briefly in Lebret to check out a new antique store, where we found a genuine military handheld rocket launcher. Imagine how this amazingly lightweight toy could command respect from inconsiderate motorists! Imagine our disappointment that there were no rockets to go along with it.
We continued on our way, taking the old highway up to Balcarres for our planned lunch and pie stop. The service station restaurant on the west side of town makes absolutely the best pies south of Macdowall, but we arrived too late for the fresh rhubarb pie. There were still plenty of other choices, including apple or raisin, and as always only four tall slices per pie, topped with mounds of ice cream.
Taking the new highway back to Fort Qu'Appelle allowed us a high-speed descent into the valley. Once there, we continued on the 20 km loop around the lakes. The day was becoming quite warm and we were looking forward to something to cool us off. As we rounded the corner on the way out of town we spotted a sign advertising portable hot-tubs for rent - an idea for next year's event. At B-Say-Tah some of our cyclists decided they'd had enough of the heat, dropped their bikes on the beach and ran splashing into Echo Lake.
By early afternoon we were back at the conference centre. The staff allowed us some extra time to shower and pack up, then we slowly loaded up our cars. We weren't ready to end the weekend just yet, so we agreed to meet for one last ice cream before everyone went their separate ways. Over banana splits and sundaes, we made plans for next year's festival: same weekend, same place, more rides, hot tub, more rides, cycling movies or slide shows, more rides, more people, more rides. Don't miss it!
Borealis
Outdoor Adventure
Home
Page