Highway to Heaven

Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...

- Jason Eite

In the build-up to our trip to Canada, I went through a range of emotions, from excitement to trepidation, and elation to doubt. This was a big one. What gave me the conviction to push on with the plans was that this was not our first rodeo. I have been riding with Richard and Roy for years, including long tours in Europe, southern Africa, and America. But still, this was our biggest challenge so far. We'd spent the past few months meticulously planning a ride from Vancouver in the southwest of Canada all the way north to Inuvik. It was a long one, covering over 3000 miles in two weeks, but it was only the last 457 miles that worried me: the Dempster Highway. It has a fearsome reputation due to its utter remoteness, harsh conditions, and scarcity of any support services you might need if you get into trouble. And it's all gravel. I hate gravel!

However, what I do like is a challenge, and as much as the gravel section played on my mind, I wanted to do it. And I knew that the three of us were a tight unit - we had got this!

Also, I had an ulterior motive for exposing myself to the gruelling ride: my company, Diamond Coatings, recently had launched a new product called VISIN. It's a battery-operated heated visor insert, basically a Pinlock on steroids, and a ride like this, with drastic changes in the conditions, temperature and weather, was going to be a perfect real-world test for it.

Once we'd finalised our route, booked hotels, hired bikes and a support vehicle, and hatched a plan of how to avoid being eaten by bears or getting into too much trouble if things went wrong, it was all set. It was too late to back away now.

Reality check