CANMORE – What is a couple to do when they feel their marriage unravelling?
Why, embark on a year-long, 13,000-kilometre cycling journey, of course.
That’s the story Katrina Rosen, author of With You By Bike will share at the Alpine Club of Canada Rocky Mountain Section’s monthly presentation next Thursday (Nov. 21).
Honest and raw, Rosen’s book describes how, after 11 years of marriage, she was an adventure athlete who lived to spend time in wild places, while her husband, Mike, enjoyed watching sports with his buddies. Realizing they’d grown apart to being mere acquaintances, as opposed to husband and wife, they decided a change was necessary to rediscover their love.
After testing their wheels on some long-distance cycling in North America, they set off to explore the backroads of New Zealand. Continuing to Asia, they pedalled through barren landscapes, scorching fires and humid jungles. From sharing a picnic with a man and his multiple wives in Malaysia or camping at an orphanage in Cambodia they were continually touched by locals who shared stories, laughter and yummy food.
Together they repaired 54 flat tires and endured many-kilometre detours when difficulties in reading road signs and maps in local languages sent them on wrong turns. They overcame the challenges of experiencing two robberies, navigated heat exhaustion in Vietnam, altitude sickness in Tibet, and then faced their last hard climb as they pedalled the road approaching the world’s tallest mountain.
“What I love about cycling is how it immerses the rider into the land,” Rosen said. “One feels every dip and roll of the earth beneath the tires. You become affected by sun, wind and rain. Locals, who you'd never see by car, suddenly stop you for a conversation, or invite you in. I love strolling through small villages, ones I wouldn't have noticed in a vehicle, but mostly, I love what is in between those small villages.”
Living in Canmore, Rosen works as a hiking and cycling guide. She and Mike are raising their son, Zion, to believe it’s entirely normal to sleep in huts and tents as often as his own bed, and to spend as much time as possible biking, skiing, hiking and playing.
Rosen presents With You By Bike at the Mineshaft Tavern in Origin at Spring Creek on Thursday (Nov. 21). Doors open at 7 p.m., the presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to all.
