Stage 2

Route: Cowichan Lake District - Port Alberni

This is the longest day of the week, boasting a 115km ride from Lake Cowichan to Port Alberni. The route starts out with a relatively flat 53km ride from Lake Cowichan along the south side of Cowichan Lake. There is one 120m climb in this section which makes for a great warm-up for the rest of the day.

At the 53km mark, you'll embark on an 8km climb that gains 285m. Sections of steep pitches and loose gravel will add to the challenge.

A fast descent for a few kilometers will get you ready for the next 8km hill which gradually gains 225m. A 10km descent follows which gives your legs some time to recover for the biggest and final climb of the day - close to 700m to the top of the mountain saddle.

What goes up must come down and you will love the 20km ripping descent into Port Alberni! The final 2km will feature some great singletrack—icing on the cake after eating up all the day's gravel roads. Highlights for this stage include sections of overgrown forests, active forest harvesting, open valley views, and the massive decent from 940m down to sea level.

*Stage & Route details subject to change.

Base Camp Directors' Insights

When you wake up, grab a hearty breakfast before you start off today...it's a long one! You'll leave picturesque Lake Cowichan behind and pedal your way up and over to Port Alberni. Stage 2 ends at the Port Alberni Multiplex (3737 Roger Street). Once you roll in, check your bike, pick up your bag, head over to your tent and relax. Half a kilometre away you will find some places for food if you are experiencing any particularly irresistable Day 2 cravings.

The Multiplex has showers and washrooms and will host our dinner and awards show. We'll be situated in one of the hockey arenas –  minus the ice, of course. How cool will this be: hanging out at floor level of an arena looking at all the hockey banners and the fans in the bleachers?!

Top 10 Moral Support Crew Teasers

Check out these tempting options to keep your moral supporters busy from point-to-point today!

• Admire the 37 professional murals and twelve sculptures in and around the downtown area of Chemainus
• Submerge yourself (literally) in the Stuart Channel between Chemainus and Thetis Island and explore the diving reef that features a purposely-sunken 737 airplane
• Surf the Pacific Rim at Long Beach
• Take a guided kayak adventure from Port Alberni
• Visit the Maritime Discovery Centre in Port Alberni
• Explore the McLean Mill National Historic Site, Canada's only working steam-operated sawmill
• Try to find all 18 hand-painted murals on buildings throughout Port Alberni
• Stop by the Alberni Valley Museum and pick up a brochure on self-guided walking tours of historic Port Alberni 
• Venture along Port Alberni's Kitsukis Walkway, a three-kilometre pathway that passes a playground with a summer water park for kids
• Lose yourself in shopping and gastronomic delights at the Port Alberni Harbour Quay