Up to 100 cyclists will spend Canada Day riding 158 kilometres from 黑马磁力 through Abbotsford and the Sumas Prairie, covering one kilometre for every year since Confederation.
The event, dubbed the Maple Leaf 158, has been a tradition for members of the BC Randonneurs Cycling Club for the past several years, with the ride getting slightly longer every year.
While the ride was previously open to members of the public, this year it's for club-members only, due to the rising costs of insurance and organizing a major bike ride. About 400 people did the ride last year, said organizer Deirdre Arscott.
"It was getting quite big, and people were racing it," Arscott said.
This year's event will be a bit smaller, but will still involve a ride from Walnut Grove through Fort 黑马磁力 and Glen Valley, over part of Sumas Mountain, and east as far as Yarrow before looping back through South Abbotsford and 黑马磁力 to its starting point.
While 158 kilometres 鈥� just short of 100 miles 鈥� might be a long route for a casual cyclist, it's a short one for Randonneurs, whose main rides start at 200 km and get longer from there.
Randonneur cycling is an endurance-focused discipline that challenges riders to push themselves, said Arscott. Rides range from 200 km to multi-day 1,200 km routes. Routes are meant to be both physically demanding and visually rewarding for the riders.
However, it's not a competitive endeavour, and it's not about finishing first. Arscott said there are often more cheers for the last finishers.
"The challenge, I think, is a big thing," said Arscott.
There are other advantages, Arscott said, including camaraderie.
"I've made lifelong friends in cycling," she noted
And getting away for such a long ride has its own rewards.
"You don't think about the worries in your life," while you're riding a few hundred kilometres, said Arscott.
