Dawn Rollers Along the Sea-to-Sky
Riding 122 kilometers north from Howe Sound fjords into the Coast Mountains of British Columbia as glacial mist lifts off the granite.
Highway 99 might be one of the most dramatic ribbons of asphalt in North America. Starting near sea level before sunrise, your left shoulder hangs over dark emerald fjord water while your right shoulder brushes sheer granite walls dripping with cedar moss.
Pacing the Climb Past Squamish
The secret to Sea-to-Sky is resisting the urge to burn matches on the punchy coastal rollers in the first forty kilometers. The real climbing only begins once you pass the monolith of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, where the road tilts into long, grinding false flats through Cheakamus Canyon.
Tucking a tiny pocket camera into my jersey pocket meant pulling off twice for thirty seconds where waterfalls spilled right beside the guardrail—worth every lost second on the clock.