Fol Epi to Sidney by the Sea

Even without our intrepid leader (to quote “I will probably not make this ride. We have work starting in our house that day.”) the Peleton by-laws were upheld, two riders departed Foi Epi precisely at the stroke of 9:30.  A third rider fast approaching the starting point, but clearly late, was required to turn around to join these two.  No flat tire excuse this time.  Two more riders joined at the “Y” at Uptown making our number five for the trip north.

At the Blenkinsop Connector we lost Rob who had to be on a important conference call.  He wanted to get in some riding after being off for a while - a short ride is better than none.  Preceding north our number was now four.  At Michell’s Farm we regained a fifth.  A gentleman on a “recumbent” jumped in behind us saying it was for a short distance.  He enjoyed drafting off us to the first round-about in Sidney, not so short a distance.  He did profess that his taking the lead was of little value to the rest of us given his low profile.

In order to enjoy our break at Georgia Cafe & Deli we had to move an outside table and chairs on to the sidewalk away from the building. This was to avoid window washers repelling down the side of the hotel above Georgia’s.  Conversation was varied as usual with the main topic being the WhatsApp email virus.  Apparently the virus uses subject lines from previous emails sending the infected message to your contact list.  It looks innocent enough but …

The return trip was uneventful, no additional riders taking advantage of our hard work.  At Michell’s Farm we stopped to say goodbye to Rusty and learned that even after eye surgery he had completed the Sooke River 10K race on the 19th.   His pace was only slightly slower than in previous races in the Vancouver Island Runners’ Association series.  He did relate that this year he was fourth in his division.  Apparently a couple of younger runners have “aged” into his division providing stiff completion.   Three of us continued south, Ian and Hans turning off at Royal Oak, John continuing on home.  Another great ride on a beautiful day.  

Click for Ride stats

Pre-Cruise Season Ride

With the cruise season scheduled to start on Wednesday and the arrival of the Grand Princess sailing from Vancouver to San Francisco, we enjoyed the ride along the Victoria/Oak Bay shoreline. Tom asked how to deal with pop-up errors - everyone was happy to offer advice. Seven riders, some in shorts as per recommendation, assembled at Mile Zero under bright sun and a stiff breeze - before heading off, we had a moment's silence for friends in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto who are countenancing yet  another "snow experience". The ride along Dallas was most enjoyable, despite the construction and occasional buffeting from unexpected directions. Although the original thinking was to take the route less hilly, we opted to face the challenge of King George Terrace - after all it will be several months before we return. As we cycled through Oak Bay we picked up David B. along the way.

Coffee conversation ranged from the upcoming British election, with the prospect of the SNP holding the balance of power in a government from which it wants to separate, to today's budget with niche tax breaks for targeted groups to the Conservative definition of infrastructure spending being Senate spending habits.

As per usual on the ride back members peeled off along the way with only David A,, Bob and Tom A. riding back to Mile Zero.

And this week's extra - the best ever bike lights - from just across the border in WA

The return to Leechtown

There were seven riders for our first crack at the Leechtown ride for this year.  Unfortunately, two riders, "tired" but nameless, did not make the start line at Stickleback.  One returned to bed after a tiring restless night, the other was confined to his garage with tiring tube failures..... 

The uphill leg went quickly once we got Jack's brakes reconnected after a recent tire change. In fact, after the uphill, our legs definitely felt "tired" enough to stop for a few minutes at the Sooke Potholes before continuing to Leechtown. On the downhill trip we stopped at the ruined lodge on the very edge of the Sooke River canyon.  Some of riders took an adventurous tour through the old ruins, marvelling at the size and ambition of developer Albert Yuen's dream.

The only incident to report was one lost water bottle on the descent.

Thanks to Dave N for the photos

And for a bonus: how cities can become more friendly

Sooke Pot Holes

Watch the birdie

What's not to like about this

Spring run off

As the licence plate says "Beautiful BC".

Who took this one?

Anniversary Special

The third anniversary ride of the Victoria Peloton began at Fol Epi - half an hour earlier than usual to allow time to freshen up after the ride and before heading to Swan's for a pub lunch. It was a chilly morning and the early start only made it feel that much cooler than expected for the time of year. David B., unlike John, started out in long pants - he was only following orders! David, that is. The world normalized at Hatley Castle where David showed off his shorts for the ride home.

Assembly Point at Fol Epi

Wardrobe Change

Who's the bird?

What guides our conversation over coffee.

It was another aggregate ride , 10 starting at Fol Epi, with James joining us Switch Bridge and Jack at 6 Mile bringing our total to 12. There was nothing exceptional to report along the way, except for some walking groups being a tad reluctant to make way for cyclists.

Although it was a cool day, sitting outside in the sunny, sheltered setting at Hatley Castle over coffee, tea, water or diet coke was a welcome omen of the months to come. Topics of conversation included hearing loss as we age, and how ageing men in a coffee shop can be quite disruptive to others as they have to either raise their voices by several decibels to be heard, as well as repeat their thoughts several times till everyone has heard the pearls of wisdom! The forthcoming US Presidential election was considered for a moment, Jim figured, despite her experience as Secretary of State, Hillary was at a severe disadvantage since she could not see Russia from her kitchen window. David A.'s summary said it all - the Republicans who are either so far to the right, or off the edge. Jim was at his "punning" best - there were too many for this poor blogger to remember! Except that an upcoming strata debate on barbecues would go up in smoke! The return ride was a little less cohesive as individuals peeled off, heading home for a shower and ample deodorant.

Swans Pub

Saying grace

Chowing down

Everyone was in good form

Checking the fine print of the dessert voucher

Just desserts????

How many kilometres to burn this off?

A moment of quiet contemplation

My lips are sealed, except for Jack.

Zero calories?

The Peloton Clubhouse

The Peloton re-assembled at Swan's for a late lunch. It was evident that the gentlemen had paid attention to their wardrobe - not a snippet of lycra was to be seen anywhere. It was good to see Rusty had recovered sufficiently from eye surgery allowing him to join us for lunch, if not the ride. Conversation over lunch got off to a rocky start - sitting under a portrait of PET led to a discussion of the merits [or otherwise] of the NEP Fortunately, the food was soon served affording a distraction, with the Peloton wondering why David B. was served first. It couldn't be because he is the most senior? John shared with us that bars in Seattle were accepting C$ at par this last weekend - he had been at a bonspiel - of course Jim had lots more puns related to "rocks" and "stones".

Despite the main course being substantial, many still had room for a large dessert to follow - thanks to Jim photocopying vouchers for free dessert. To save paper, Jim made the print size very small causing Norm T. some challenges.

Many thanks to Jim for organizing the lunch and bringing free lunch vouchers- we will forgive him his many puns, but just for today!

Another "f" free ride

6 riders met at Michells, 4 having ridden from "the city". We took the Lockside and then the south trail around the airport. Coffee at Melinda's. Conversation around Duffy the clown and his handlers, Vancouver oil spill. No incidents or near misses so no need for an extensive safety meeting or debrief. The "f" word has not been experienced for some time now. Maybe everyone has secretly upgraded their tires over time. We did notice a number of other cycle groups, many with very expensive road bikes and aggressive speeds. We can only speculate they are starting to train seriously for the upcoming cycle event season. 

Melinda's Cafe

Editorial comment - who was the clown that appointed Senator Duffy? To represent PEI, no less!

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.

The Peloton at Lochside

The Peloton at Georgia Cafe

Jim on the phone with the realtor

Jack Nicholson and a no name

Good Friday Ride to Mechosin

On Good Friday, April 3 nine riders reluctantly assembled on a cold and damp
morning on the Goose near Royal Roads in preparation for the ride to
Metchosin.  We were comforted by the prospect of warm coffee and cinnamon
buns at My Chosen Café who were reported to be  opening at 10am.  Little did
we know that the café would be full and taking a waiting list when we
arrived - requiring us to continue our journey to a new coffee shop - see
photo.

Despite having waited the traditional 3 minutes for "maybe" Rusty at the
start of the ride we were pleased to see his craggy face arriving in
Metchosin just as we remounted for the return.  Despite jibes about the
clocks having changed, Rusty had misread the invite and had thought the ride
started from Fol Epi at 9:30 - not Royal Roads.  Ha ha - perhaps a late
April Fools!

Despite the cold damp weather I am glad to report that David B's knees
survived  the ride clad only in a pair of shorts and the medicinal brandy
was not required!

If you felt that the ride was quite relaxed and assumed that it was because we were cycling slower than usual, check the data below provided by Jack comparing the ride today with the same ride on February 10 and 20 - distance the same, but the speed higher, and Jack's HR lower - way to go Jack.

Cycle Safety

Volvo Cars presents LifePaint. Road safety shouldn’t be for the few. It should be for everyone. The ones not driving our cars, and the ones who prefer two wheels to four.

LifePaint is a unique reflective safety spray. Invisible by daylight, it glows brightly in the glare of car headlights. Making the invisible, visible. LifePaint washes off, and will not affect the colour or surface of your chosen material, lasting for approximately one week after application.

Though designed for safer cycling LifePaint can be used in all sorts of ways. Applied to clothes, shoes, helmets, pushchairs and children’s backpacks - even dog leads and collars.

Check out the website and video here

Thanks to Jim for sharing this with us. I have also put on the Worth a Look Page of the website.

A Tale of Two Rides

Today was one of those days - there was light rain in downtown Victoria around 6.30 am, but not enough to call off the ride. Despite the forecast of 20% PoP throughout the morning, by 8,30 the rain was quite heavy, one might say off-putting.

Norm L. opted to ignore the weather on the Songhees and met up with David A., & Tom only to be joined by Jack.

Norm T. over in Fairfield was experiencing miserable rain, opting to cancel the ride. I cannot repeat the words used to describe this decision!!

Jack, Tom, David & Norm L. assembled at Michell’s farm under sunshine and a blustery northerly wind, but no rain. Indeed, there had been no rain in North Saanich - the roads were dry. Heading off in the direction of the airport, the enemy was the strong wind. The first big decision was whether to go around the airport in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Anti-clockwise was the preferred route on the day. The second major decision was the coffee stop destination - the decision was to go to the Spitfire.

Coffee conversation started with Tom’s German lessons - he should check this video, then to what happens when a dog eats butter ,  before moving on to the crash of the German Wings airliner, and how to deal with issues presented by the recent crash whether it be with airlines, bulk tankers, taxis or nuclear facilities. The consensus was not to rush to put so many procedures in place based on a one-of.

A head wind was encountered on the ride back to Mitchell’s - due to our speed which averaged 23.9 over the entire ride.

Meanwhile, although canceled because of heavy rain (which stopped just in time), the McDonald's Ride went ahead as planned.  John & Jim left Foi Epi amid brilliant sunshine and met Rusty at the Uptown overpass.  We went pretty much non-stop to our planned stop and then over coffee (& diet coke) talked about past and future rides.  We think there might be interest in a number of our group doing the Trestle Ride this July from Kelowna to Penticton so Jim will put out a separate Evite for that ride. Last day for reduced pricing is June 15.  The ride is July 5th.  http://www.okanagantrestlestour.com/

John has signed up for the 140 KM Tour de Victoria in August (http://www.tourdevictoria.com/).  Today is the last day for early bird pricing and John says you can downgrade if you decide not to do the distance you signed up for. 

And in closing, how to park your bike - Cool link :    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diRNpogv3g0

In the news

These are three interesting stories I came across on my RSS feed.

This one we hope we don't need: an ambulance with a bike rack! Read more about it here

And here's a contraption we hope we will never be able to use - an ice bike

And lastly a bike we can only dream about. Those growing up in Europe or if you were an avid cyclist in your youth you would know the name Eddie Merckx

At 6's and 7's

On March 27th, 2015 twelve riders set out from Mile Zero with the goal of meeting for coffee in Caddy Bay.  We were particularly pleased that David A could join us after a six week medical leave.  After the obligatory few minutes delay for the final "yes" rider, we set off with Rob H setting a cracking pace.  After the initial flat section along Dallas Road, the pack split with the "flat landers" cutting through rolling Oak Bay and the "hill billies" continuing over King Edward Terrace and the Oak Bay golf course.  Periodically, the front of the pack waited to see that the rear was still present and upright.  Norm L. was so pre-occupied with solving problems that he cycled right past the regular Cattle Point stop and did a solo ride around 10 Mile Point. Mark was the leader of the pack for a stretch of the ride, keeping ahead of the speedsters! At Caddy Bay the pack split again, with three hill-billies heading around Ten Mile Point while the remainder held the prime spot on Olive Oleo's patio. 

The image of Rob H in mid wardrobe change was censored!

Given the number in the Peloton today, it was hard to keep track of all the conversations - Norm L. finds it extremely challenging to simultaneously drink his coffee and remember the conversation, although others confessed to memory issues such as forgetting where the car is parked, especially if he is driving "her" car!. This is one for the books - ICBC got plaudits for its change in policy of instituting increased premiums for new drivers irrespective of age. 

Since there are a few cricket fans in the Peloton, there was some discussion of the cricket world cup currently being hosted by our Australasian Commonwealth cousins with the final being a trans Tasman duel. It is to be hoped the the Baggy Green [the Australians] don't resort to dirty tactics the way they did in 1981  If you want the short video version of this incident go here, and if you want a longer version go here.

As usual, the return ride was reminiscent of a school bus run - various riders exiting the route along the scheduled route.

Lake Matheson

It was a glorious day for any bike ride, but particularly for this ride. On Jack's recommendation, we started at the Stickleback and headed east to Mechosin claiming that it was downhill. Jack's judgement was called into question over the first few kilometres, only to be vindicated as we enjoyed the downhill run to Mechosin.

Because of strata council commitments, Norm did not stop for coffee, instead turned around in Mechosin and rode back to the starting point, but not without taking this photograph.

Looking over Sooke Basin

Coffee chat went around the tremendous development that has taken place over the last 100 years (Doug mentioned that this is the 100th ann. of the relativity theory). Jack reminisced about doing physics on the old UBC 2 story high Van de Graff machine in the days before transistors and the transition to the amazing 4096 bite PDP computer and the state of the art “kicksorter”. This of course led to the discussion of present day computers, phones, watches etc.

Van de Graffe

Jim rode back with us to km 28 then headed back to Vic to put on his target number of kilometers - his age. Doug and Jack cruised back to the cars easily doing 24 – 30 km/hr (except for the two “dips”. Ended with a discussion on the latest republican presidential candidate and how the world might evolve if he wins (followed by another Harper majority). A depressing note on such an uplifting day!

And now for a couple of bonus items:

This day in history - on March 24, 1603 the Scottish King became King of Scotland, England and Wales - a take-over of major proportions.

For a cycling story with a difference - there was an interesting story in the Globe about the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair being held in Pittsburgh. One of the members of Team Canada is one Duncan Stothers,  from Vancouver, who made the team based on his invention - a modified bike frame that's up to 90% safer in a front on collision. And in today's world, he has his own website where there are interesting videos of his testing of his project. 

First Co-Ed of 2015

The first co-ed bike ride for 2015 was a low key affair - quality rather than quantity!

Rather than going around the airport, it was decided to keep it simple and start formal Epi and head to Matticks. Cy and Casey, Sheila and Norm started in town with Ken and Lila joining us at Mann Construction. The conditions for cycling were good, although it was surprising how damp the Lochside was, but it did not interfere with cycling at all. At Matticks we were joined by David and Agnes and her Mum visiting from the Prairies. Decision making was put to the test when it came to decide where to go for coffee - at the fourth or fifth attempt, a decision was made to go to the golf club which had lots of space for us, although there were many weekend golfers.

There was indeed a Peloton on Friday March 20. Blog Fri. March 20.

A good turnout (but less that the 9 yes and 5 maybes posted) cycled from Foi Epi to RRU. Mostly dry weather with only a bit of drizzle near the end of the ride. No incidents were recorded. Coffee at RRU where talk was the usual including the ICIS/ ISIL situation. No photos of the group but Norm T these 35 + lb halibut coming ashore at Oak Bay Marina this week. The seals had some nice snacks after the cleaning. 

In the absence of a ride

I made the mistake of believing the forecast on Friday morning, opting instead to go to the gym. - I haven't heard any reports of a ride, so instead, I thought I would post a couple of fun items.

First, a great cartoon from Ian

The second is a link to a video that did well at the world's largest short film festival - The TropFest held in Australia

Click on the image to see the short film - 7 minutes

St Patrick's Day Ride

It was big turnout for a joint ride today starting at Mile Zero. We followed a slightly different route today, following Fairfield where the blossom was on full view - thanks Rob for the suggestion. The statutory stop was made at Cattle Point taking in the view on a beautiful spring day - there was a moment of silence while we took time to reflect on the plight of Canadians digging out from yet another snow storm. From Cattle Point it was on to Olive Olio's at Cadboro' Bay. Surprisingly, no one exercised the Ten Mile Point option today.

David A. was a welcome "visitor" at coffee break - he hopes to be back on the saddle in the not too distant future.

Over coffee, there was discussion on the poor ski season in Western Canada with many resorts experiencing their worst season in a long time. While we enjoyed the mild winter, there was discussion on the impact on Seattle's water supply and the possible impact on salmon stocks.

In keeping with the spirit of the day Norm T had a one liner - what is green and only comes out in the spring? Paddy O' Furniture. Norm L, not be out done shared a news item which claims that St Patrick was actually Welsh not Irish.

The Peloton is coming up for its third anniversary at the beginning of April - a small celebration may be in the works, probably on April 14. You won't want to miss that.

I bike ride longer than 3.142 km

On a cool clear morning four rode and one person drove to the start at Lochside Park.  An initial attempt by James to delay the ride by deflating, rather than inflating, his front tire was solved by Bob with the help of the CRD bike pump and tools permanently installed at Lochside Park. We rode up to Michell's where we were joined by Doug for the ride up to the airport.  Despite the absence of Jack's heart rate monitor, we generally agreed it was a fast time.

We were glad to find a fresh apple pie awaiting us at Melinda's (see photo) and even more pleased when David A joined us for coffee.  There were various pi-related jokes and observations. We noted Dave N's absence due to a sore hip which led our conversation to recovery times from various injuries, operations and joint replacements.  We agreed that the best approach is

1. to be fit before the operation and
2. to follow instructions after the operation.

 The ride back to Michell's was fast and uneventful. South of Michell's we were joined by a man riding a laid-back tricycle.  This caused considerable amusement and banter when we discovered that he could draft behind us much better than we could draft behind him! 

For the Garmin details click here

March 10, 2015

The ride started out at Hatley Gardens in foggy conditions - indeed the consensus among James, Tom & Norm L that it was almost cold, for Victoria. The ride to Mechosin was uneventful, indeed no one had a Rusty puncture outside the Outpost Bike Company! The pace was energetic.

Given that there were only the 3 Musketeers, we enjoyed refreshments at the Broken Paddle.

Discussion was limited to travel experiences in Turkey, Greece, Venice and Nigeria. No world problems were solved today!

With the end of the ride in sight, the sun came out - just in time for the afternoon tasks.

A phalanx of donkeys on Santorini

Crowds in Venice

Security in Nigeria

The second Peloton consisted of Rusty and Jack who met at the switch bridge and waited patiently for the others to arrive. By 9:50 no others were in site so the duo proceeded on the ride to Sidney by the sea. The weather was cloudy but not foggy and a good temperature for a ride with light winds. Good time was made to Sidney as few stops were required to regroup. 

Coffee conversation revolved around Vancouver housing, Victoria gardening and Swiss acquaintances returning to Canada or living at Whistler. The return ride to Michel’s was fast and uneventful. Rusty turned off for home and Jack continued on to town.

For details of this ride click here

Are humans smarter than dinosaurs? That is the question

Who wears short shorts? A Canadian of Scottish origins, of course.

On March 6, eight riders assembled at Mann Construction in cool dry conditions.  Most had started from home, including Dave N who was discovered sitting on a bench about 200 yards from the start, making us nine riders.  We rode up to Sidney with a mild head wind then enjoyed coffee at the Sidney Pier.  The discussion over coffee was as eclectic as ever - how to respond to terror threats at home and overseas, whether Alberta will introduce a sales tax, and the profoundest of them all came from Dave N. who posed the the climate change question of the week - are humans smarter than dinosaurs?As in recent visits, Norm L. found some Aberdonians to discuss the state of Scottish soccer, confirming Sidney as the local centre of displaced Aberdonians. One of these displaced Aberdonians is a member of the Vancouver Island Jaguar Car Club.

We returned to Mann Construction tired, but without incident.

The Future of Motoring

Motor company Ford has launched electric bicycles at Mobile World Congress, as part of its plans to extend its footprint beyond cars. March 3, 2015

MEC Bike Fest

Mark your calendar - May 2 for the MEC Bike Fest