An Aggregated Ride
Being an aggregated ride there were starting points beginning at Fol Epi. Switch Bridge, Mann Construction, Lochside Park and Michell’s Farm - an option for everyone - with the common destination of Sidney. There was a big turn out with 14 members of the Peloton, including Robin, an honorary member visiting from Western Australia. No, he did not bring his bike with him, Jim graciously lent him his road bike. Unfortunately Doug didn’t make it - he had completed a pre-dawn limousine drive to the airport, and thought he would catch a power nap before the ride. The power nap morphed into a deep sleep!! Everyone was in good spirits with the usual jibes directed at the usual suspects by the usual culprits!
We kept a good pace despite the head winds on the way to Sidney. The only incident of note was when Bob took a small tumble from tail gaiting James on the trail adjacent to Tsawout First Nations land.
The boys from the oil patch were all ready to go into top gear - they are accustomed to coping with spills! They were all ready to create a re-enactment to see how such spills could be prevented in the future! They had the Cartagena Convention on Oil Spills protocol memorised, even in retirement. They conducted a root cause analysis, a fishbone analysis and established a hierarchy of hazard control. Others felt this was overkill, opting instead to consider insurance through BC Cycling. In the end we did nothing. Incidentally, the good news was that Bob suffered no injuries that he was aware of, except perhaps to his pride.
After ensuring that Bob was able to get back on the saddle, we were on our way to Sidney, enjoying coffee in the sun outside the Georgia Cafe. With 14 around 3 tables, there were many conversations going on simultaneously. James shared the advice he got from David on how to proceed with his bike storage project - figure out what the lady of the house would prefer and go with that. There was consensus that was sound advice.
The ride back was uneventful - the Peloton gradually shrinking in size as riders peeled off according to their destination.
For the details of the ride go to Robin's Cyclometer report.
