Martin organised today’s ride with the Melb’n Cup in mind - in Australia it is “the race that stops the nation!” All participants were asked to select the race winner - and whoever won got a free coffee courtesy of Martin!

The horse race had already been run overnight, and the person with the bragging rights, Doug, who picked both the winner and the runner up, was not there to collect the prize!

We assembled at Mile Zero, not sure of our exact destination, except it was in generally a north-westerly direction. The wind along Dallas Road was certainly “noticeable”, we were glad when it came time to turn off to go through the Ross Bay Cemetery. From there it was through Fairfield, lower Oak Bay, Middle Oak Bay and into Uplands as far as Lansdowne, then back south along Beach Drive to the Oak Bay Hotel where we were assured of inside seating on a cold and blustery day.

Over coffee, the conversation focused on sport - it was Race Day after all.

We talked about fighting in hockey and how it compares with other sports - the consensus was that if the NHL Commissioner wanted to stop fighting, it would happen in an instant. There was also frustration that future franchises would go to Seattle or Portland before Hamilton, Quebec City or Regina! It was agreed that cities should not give dollars to the NHL, that hockey should be played on Olympic size arenas allowing for a more open flowing game. When it came to outdoor stadiums, there was agreement that making stadia smaller [20-30,000] was a move in the right direction. The CFL was losing out to the NFL among millennials; gone are the days when players were integrated into the cities where they played - because they needed the money!

Martin shared his experience of being at the Canada v Maori All Blacks game in Vancouver - the Canadian players lacked the skills and endurance of the Maori All Blacks. Needless to say there was discussion of the Haka - perhaps we could start our bike ride this way?? check out the video.

Given the Australian theme to the day, Martin kindly provided Classic Tim Tams. As an aside, to burn off 1 Tim Tam would require a 20 minute steep hill climb on the bike check the link if you don't believe me!!