Victoria 2 Cowichan Aug 28, 2011

[bikehart]

That was fun!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110184507

[Brian S]

That was a great day! Thanks to Kim/Jo, the Ullrich clan, Peter L and everyone at OBB who supported, helped out,and dragged various hot and tired bodies along the route. Loved the route, and really surprised how good the road quality towards Renfrew turned out to be. Still surfing endorphins and tasting the burger and sausage.

[jj12]

That was an awesome ride! Thanks to Rhonda, Chris and Stephan also Andrew. Great climbing after Jordan river i was surprised i didn't crack..lol

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1288618

[Rolf]

That was one hard but satisfying day. What I took away:

1. the OBB family, the Gards, Peter, Jeremy, Sarah, and all the other organizer/logistics volunteers did a fantastic job over a huge course with a diverse group of riders -- I'm grateful for your smarts, your industry and your time; the sponsors also rock and should be noted for future patronage and recognition
2. I still have lots and lots to learn about doing these kinds of rides
3. having an unreliable wake-up system may result in spending your first 15 minutes of 7 hrs. on the bike chasing at 90% effort, all before 6 a.m.
4. don't bother carrying a camera if you're going to be too shattered to operate it
5. don't bother carrying huge handfuls of Shotbloks and Clif bars when they're going to be available (alongside delicious real food) in the feed zone
6. never training more than 60K and then riding hard to stay near the front of a much fitter group of riders will result in, yes, blowing up after 60K!
7. clearcuts can be kinda beautiful
8. it's awesome to think you've buggered your wheel by getting stuck in a crack on a wooden bridge at speed in the middle of nowhere and suddenly have a mechanic appear from out of thin air, holding not one but two spare wheels and checking your bike with great care and skill
9. I like going downhill and I'm going to try to do it more often
10. I need to drink more pickle juice on long rides
11. John D, Jimmy, and FairweatherMike make for great riding partners and are willing to put up with a lot of swearing
12. it might... just might... be time to retire the 31 lb bike

Time to hobble over to Carly's office for a massage...

[Andrew]

That was an awesome ride! Thanks to Rhonda, Chris and Stephan also Andrew. Great climbing after Jordan river i was surprised i didn't crack..lol

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1288618

That was great ride!! Thanks to Stephan, Chris, Rhonda and John for a great spin, and thanks to OBB and the volunteers and sponsors for a great event. I hope that more people will make it out next year.

[Stéphane Tran]

First off, thanks to all the OBB crew, Peter, the Gards, Jeremy and everyone who devoted time and energy to organising and running this AWESOME event.

After the roll-out from OBB Westshore, I found myself in the front group (mainly IRC it seemed) riding at a pace I was not sure I could sustain for 150 odd km. I decided after a while that I didn't really want to get into a racing mindset and potentially blow-up early on, but would rather choose my own pace and "enjoy the scenery". So, I slid off the front and into a smaller group of 5 other guys who were riding at a pace that was more to my liking. We traded pulls like clockwork and picked up some IRC guys along the way. When we pulled into Renfrew I was not expecting such a lavish layout of Clif bars, gel shots and other goodies. That and the support motos made me feel like a pampered pro!
I left Renfrew with a group of about 15 riders and we pretty much stuck together until the big climb at 120 km. At that point, we got strung out along the hill and I was just grinding it out in my 39x26. After the big hill I was feeling pretty good so I put in a big effort to bridge up to John G from TS and Chris and Rhonda from IRC. We were cruising at about 35-40km/hr when Andrew came out of nowhere after what must have been a MASSIVE effort and joined us to make it a 5-man TT team all the way to Cowichan Lake. Oddly enough I felt stronger in the last 40 kms than I did in the first 40. Andrew and John G must have felt the same because they were going great guns all the way to the finish. Of course the BBQ was fantastic and we sat around for about an hour before catching the bus home.

All aboard the MAMIL bus:

[mat_baker]

Wow, wow, wow. What a great day. Not to be missed next year. A part of me (a small part) thinks that we should ride this route more than once a year. Huge thanks to all involved for organizing a great day. Motorbikes with water and wheels blocking traffic, good food (thanks for the burger Jer) and great weather (I thought the ocean mist was pretty sweet if a bit chilly at times). A big thanks to "Jens" Calbick, who's wheel I sucked for ~100 of the 170km's I logged on Sunday (he let me pull occasionally so that he could have a sip of water and a gel ). The only small hiccough was that Ryan and I blew past the park and started riding to Youbou (although I'm pretty sure this had more to do with the condition our blood sugars than anything else).

A fantastic day that ended with a two years olds birthday party and one of the heaviest sleeps I've had in a while.

-m

[jj12]

Some photos are posted here is one

[jj12]

http://duanebc.smugmug.com/Sports/Nanai ... 77_LXzjTNz more pics.