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Meaghan Hackinen

Writer, cyclist & adventure seeker

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You can’t always get what you want: I’d been looking forward to the @racearounddenmark Extreme 1600 since 2020. After two years of deferring my entry, my time to compete had finally arrived… and then I caught Covid-19 on training camp in Mallorca. 😭😷 I wrote myself off as a DNS but continued onto Denmark anyways visit friends and sightsee. Then at the 11th hour, I decided to participate in the RAD 400 Experience, a sprint-distance ultra that takes riders across Jutland. Check out my race report (link in bio ⬆️) to read about how my first event post-Covid went down. The Begwyns, just outside of Hay-on-Wye, have quickly become one of my favourite upland areas to explore. I also opted to route my Parallels ride last weekend through these greener-than-green hillsides - link to ride report of that adventure in bio ⬆️. Recap in emojis: 🐑🐑⛰🚴‍♀️⛰🐑🐑 508 km with 10,035 metres of elevation - not bad for a solstice Sunday! I wanted to do something challenging for the @Apidura Parallels24 event, but since I was dog sitting in Hereford (UK), I also knew that I couldn’t abandon my pup and take off on an epic 24-hour point-to-point adventure. So I got creative: I mapped out a 170 km loop zigzagging over the hilltops between England and Wales, and completed that loop 3 times, stopping by the house to check in on Lili during my breaks. I left at 11:57 pm (Saturday) and wrapped up at 11:49 pm (Sunday) with some serious miles in my legs and a head full of spectator views. What I loved most was seeing the same countryside at three different times over the course of 24 hours, and how the light and activities transitioned from night to day to night again - I was shooing sheep of the road at 3:00 am, for instance, and veering into pullouts to let vehicles pass at 3:00 pm. This is my biggest ride post-Covid, and I’m pleased that I could pull it off with the help of a furry, four-legged cheerleader! Link to Strava in bio ⬆️ More photos from my recent overnighter to Wales (AKA: that time I accidentally ascended the elevation of Everest in two days because I didn’t look at the track first and had no idea how quickly all those punchy little hills added up). I know it looks sunny, but the rain came down in buckets for the final hours - that’s the part that gets missed when taking pictures, I guess. Glad I checked the forecast and packed descent waterproof kit, but damn, those steep lanes are a pretty sketchy descent in wet conditions on carbon wheels with rim brakes! #bikepacking #biketouring #roadslikethese #walesadventure #solotravel #ridingbikes #bikewander 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 36 hours / 547 km / 9,111 metres of elevation gain (!!!) - a whirlwind bikepack mini-tour of Southern Wales through Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia featuring quad-crushing climbs (like the whimsically named Tumble), incredible views of the Welsh coastline, and a pleasant bivvy next to a hedgerow. While I was only away for one night, I experienced SO MUCH (and did a bit of recon for @apidura‘s upcoming #parallels24 challenge)! I love the feeling of exploring a new place - everything fresh & exciting. From the expansive views to flocks of sheep, to the quiet hues of sunrise and the pastel-coloured houses in little villages along the way. #bikepacking #roadcycling #enduranceclimbing #fromwhereIride #cycletouring #welshcoast #adventurecycling #nobaddays And the scenery changes again! 🇬🇧 I landed in the UK just in time for the Queen’s Jubilee. I’m based out of Hereford and aim to spend the next month training, catching up with friends, dog sitting, and snapping photos of churches and lanes. Looking forward to exploring the area and doing some bikepacking trips into Wales, because I hear it’s pretty rad. If you have any route suggestions or places I really should check out, lemmie know! #roadcycling #ultraendurancecycling #twowheels #bikelife Stoked to arrive on the start line of @racearounddenmark (RAD), even if it wasn’t how I’d imagined it. I made the tough call not to race RAD Ultra 1600km because I wasn’t quite full-strength after coming down with Covid19 earlier this month. But then the race director suggested the sprint distance - only 400km! - and literally an hour before the 4:00 pm roll out I put my name on the roster. The afternoon was windy and rainy - typical “Danish summer” weather I’ve learned - and I crushed my previous power PRs fighting a gusty 30 km/hr+ headwind for the first 210km, grateful my efforts were rewarded by a ripping tailwind on the back half. The route rolled through lovely low-traffics countryside roads and bike path across Jutland and back again; I stopped only once to refuel and top off my bottles but slowed to deal with minor mechanicals, including a poorly shifting derailleur and a slow leak from when I punctured en route to the start (yes, I rode 100 km to and from a 400 km race - all within the 36 hr 600 km brevet cutoff, I might add). Though a small field, it felt amazing to be competing again - even if I didn’t have cell data to check the tracker. I finished in 14 hours 17 minutes, just ten minutes behind the first supported rider. Special thanks to Morten, Uggi, and Preben for your incredible kindness and encouragement. Massive kudos to all the other RAD racers - ya’ll are my heroes! Link to Strava in bio. #ultraendurancecycling #ultracycling #ridefar #nobaddays #racearounddenmark #roadcycling #400km #lifeontwosheels With all the vineyards between Vevey and Lausanne, it’s like I haven’t even left the Okanagan Valley! Okay, maybe Switzerland is slightly different from BC’s Interior, but either way I’m stoked to have friends to roam with. 😊#roadcycling #lakegeneva #endurancecycling #winecountry #freewheelin #roadslikethese 🇨🇭🇨🇭Stoked to be on the mend in Switzerland where every mile is more gorgeous than the last. 🐄 🐄 #roadcycling #roadslikethese #fromwhereIride #homeswisshome #backinaction

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Tag: kettle valley rail trail

Playin’ It Cool: How I Survived the 2021 BC Epic

July 23, 2021 The number one question people ask me regarding the 2021 BC Epic 1000 is How did you manage to ride through the heat?  I actually gave my heat strategy a lot of consideration—both in preparation for the event, and in execution. I definitely didn’t roll up to the start line without a […]

Read More Playin’ It Cool: How I Survived the 2021 BC Epic
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