July 27, 2009 (Kamloops, BC) – You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the inaugural Intermontane Challenge. Of course that’s if you enjoy temperatures high enough to cause birds to spontaneously combust mid-flight! We awoke to a stellar Kamloops morning with the mercury rising fast as the start time approached. It was a respectable 9am start, which may seem civilized and generous but would weigh significantly on the riders as they hit mid race in the midday sun.

A field of about 80 riders in various configurations of solo and team, made their way through the streets of Kamloops, escorted by two RCMP patrol bikes. Not only did this showcase the event to the residents of the area it allowed us to warm up at a moderate pace before hitting the dusty trails set for this stage. Now I’m not exactly sure where the “Batchelor” part of the stage name comes in but the “Burner” part was fairly obvious.

We were in for a 80km stage today with about 2,000 meters of climbing. There were a lot of pro riders such as “Tinker” Juarez, Chris Shepherd, Jeremiah Bishop, Lyne Bessette, Sue Butler, and Kevin Gass, who led the charge as soon as the RCMP escort peeled off. Many tried to go with the lead group and would pay dearly for their over eagerness on day one of this 5-day event.

The course was incredibly dry and fast but the heat did tend to govern the speeds a little as it was the main hurdle to tackle today. Much of the course wound through private lands which, according to organizers, has been gracefully provided to us by many private land owners, including three individual First Nations Bands. We were on some of Kamloops most treasured trails, trails that many never get a chance (legally) to ever experience.

Riders strung out quickly over a mix of fire road and single track, many commenting on the heat as we rode by – it was indeed intense! Water bottles heated up within about 20 minutes of filling them, to a point where your fluids were like hot tea, Only things like Cytomax were never actually meant to be served at 100°!!

The last 30km of trail were a mix of incredible BC Interior single track trails and fire roads but in what we have now dubbed the “Blast Furnace!” As riders exited the “BF” and made their way into the last, fairly technical, section of the course you could see everyone was hurting in one form or another. Fatigue, cramps, bonks, and complete exhaustion, all induced by 4 to 8+ hours on the bike (depending on the rider), were the reward for todays efforts. To many that may seem a bit insane – and doubly so since we are about to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Temperatures are supposed to get even hotter tomorrow, something most of us are dreading as we have some big climbs and long kilometers ahead. If I mange to not burst into flames during tomorrow’s stage I will bring you all the details of Intermontane – Stage Two “Wheeler Mountain”.

I notice there is no “burning” in the title of tomorrow’s stage… thats a good thing… right?