The ride for Hallowe'en Day was set to start at Michel’s Farm - where there is the biggest selection of pumpkins on the Island. The group assembled without the organizer, he called off due to lower back issues. The merry band of cyclists were in fine spirits basking in the magnificent fall sunshine - all with a sense of self-satisfaction at how smart they were to have chosen to move to Victoria in retirement. Unwittingly, they took pity on their friends they had left behind in Edmonton, Prince George, or Kitchener.

All was hunky dory with the plan to go around the airport and check out the Fig, that was till they reached the corner of Beacon Drive and the Pat Bay Highway where Ken T discovered to his horror that his back tyre was flat. The five cyclists struck a committee [they all had been civil servants for differing lengths of time] which was given the challenge, "What can we do?"

Four of the five lads had taken tyre changing lessons - this had been a theoretical session, one where you didn’t get your hands dirty! But this is the real world! With great gusto and trepidation the brains trust discussed the dilemma. After much debate and angst, they all started to pull and twist the tyre as well taking the wheel from the bike. Despite the odds, the flat was repaired!

To our surprise when all was said and done, not one of the group had any hands on training in an institution that teaches you what to do with your hands despite massive , collective intellectual heft. That begged the question "How many University/College academic degrees does it take to change a flat tyre?” The answer? 12,TWELVE Wayne alone has 4 degrees including a PhD!

Feeling very proud of themselves, the intellectuals continued on to Sidney by the Sea for coffee!

After some refreshment, the boys rode back to Mitchel’s thinking this might be the last day in 2017 when it could be a “shorts” ride.

Your blogger thanks those who participated for the content and photos.