Former Charlie Lake resident Timothy Gladysz didn’t just take on one mountain, he took on the Rocky Mountains as he biked 399 kilometres from Fernie, B.C. to Canmore, Alta. for the TransRockies Challenge Aug. 8 to 14.

Gladysz finished the seven-stage race, which had a total elevation of 12,000 metres, in 38 hours 13 minutes four seconds.

“It was a blast. Regardless of how hard a day can be, it’s kind of amazing how by the time you’re done, you’re warm and you’ve eaten a good supper how you can look back and the day seems pretty good anyways,” he said from his current home in Calgary three days after finishing the grueling race.

Day 6 was the hardest day of the challenge for Gladysz due to the amount of climbing through the mountains as they neared Calgary. It was also his longest day, clocking in at 8:10:08.

Gladysz and the team of riders he competed with, after his riding partner had to drop out on Day 2 due to a knee injury, usually averaged about six hours a day per stage. The changing weather could really hold up cyclists.

“It’s been really wet in Alberta, so days four and five were quite a bit longer just because the trails we were using were also cattle trails, so basically three feet of mud that you had to try and walk through versus ride.”

The first stage was 31 kilometres through Fernie, Day 2 saw the cyclists pedal the 71 kilometres between Fernie and Elkford. Day 3 was a 65-kilometre ride to Etherington Creek, with Day 4 seeing them cycle 60 kilometres to Anchor D Ranch. Day 5 was a 54-kilometre trip to Little Elbow. Day 6's gruelling ride saw them make it 72 kilometres to the Rafter 6 Ranch and they pedalled 46 kilometres to get back to Canmore on Day 7.

This was Gladysz's first time riding in the TransRockies Challenge. He decided not to race and just ride, though he plans on trying it competitively next year and hopes to get in the top 15.

Doing the race as more of a recreational activity gave him a chance to enjoy it in a different capacity.

“I got quite a few pictures and got to talk and hang out with people more so than if I was actually going to try and race. You get to see some sights that most people will probably never get the opportunity to see.”

The TransRockies Challenge started in 2002 as a “cousin” to the TransAlp Challenge held annually in Europe. This year, about 450 riders from roughly 20 countries came out to trek across the mountains of B.C. and Alberta.

“The event itself is so well run that it’s just really interesting, a lot of fun to meet people,” he said.

Gladysz, a recent graduate of the University of Calgary in mechanical engineering, said he rode his bike around 20 hours a week in preparation for the challenge but he mostly trained on a road bike, and practiced in the mountains in the Kananaskis area as much as he could. He also rock climbed while he was in school.

Though he said he was fairly tired from sleeping in a tent for a week, it didn’t take much of a physical toll on him. He said the hardest part of his nomadic lifestyle was putting on his gear in the cold mornings.

“You’re not really in an environment where you want to be getting into clothing that’s going to be fairly chilly until you start riding. You have to kind of force yourself to do it and get ready for the day.”

For more information on the TransRockies Challenge, check out http://transrockies.com.