Easter Monday - Goldstream Heights!

[John D]

No, it's not an early April Fool's Day prank! Join us this coming Monday for Tripleshot's first assault on Goldstream Heights for 2013: We will depart the Douglas Street Bucky's (across from Mayfair Mall) on Monday morning at 6:30am.

For those who may not have done this one before, it's a really great ride! I've posted a link (below) to Kevin Ford's Strava details from the last time TSC rode it as a group back in September 2012. If the climbing seems daunting, be assured that you can ride it at your own pace, and that there are several points along the way where we all re-group (including coffee just after the Malahat ascent).

Ride details: http://www.strava.com/activities/23623925

Cheers,
J.

[barton bourassa]

I am up for this!

[Chris Marshall]

I'm up for this ride.

[Plawless]

Totally in. This has been a spectacular ride every time we have done it. Totally in!!!

[Anika]

I'm in

[sylvan]

I'm in

Oh oh, you're all frigged now. Have fun.

[katew]

I'm in

Um, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.

<bites the ears off a bunny>

[Dave Spiers]

Don't let others that are coming sway your plans Kate. Its a great ride with several waiting/regrouping locations. Those feeling strong have the chance to go their own pace and then they have to wait for the rest of us

[sylvan]

Um, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.

It is NEVER a bad idea to ride Goldstream Heights. It wasn't that long ago that we didn't even know a climb like that existed in these parts.

[Stéphane Tran]

Wish I could be there but I am in Vancouver.

[stevierooks]

Count me in!! Ive never been up that way...its always cool to go somewhere new.

Happy Easter!
Rooks

[barton bourassa]

Home safe and sound! Unfortunately, it did not work out like I had hoped. Two flat tires after hitting an iron bar sitting on edge while going 65 Km/Hr down the back side of the Malahat got the adrenaline flowing overtime! Make that two flat and split tires! Headed home slow and easy.

I hope the rest of the ride went well for everyone.

[stevierooks]

Glad you got back ok Bart. We had a flurry of flats in the group right near the end...including one for me.
Sorry you couldnt experience the hurt of the Goldstream Hights climb today. It was long and painful. You would have loved it!

Rooks

[Krostini]

Didn't manage to get a shot of Steve passing Peter chocolate eggs though...

[John D]

Thanks for the photo Kris. I would also note that Dave, Michael and Richard also made it to the top after the photo was taken....they'd stopped to fix a flat. All told, I think we had 6 flats between us yesterday! My personal thanks to Michael for sitting in the ditch with me opposite Goldstream Park while I fixed a flat (with trucks whizzing by about 3' away from us!).

Thanks to all for a great ride, and great company....let's do it again (just maybe not too soon)!

John

[Rolf]

Thanks for instigating, John. It was a fantastic day to be on the bike.

Sorry if my early departure caused any confusion. I was fixated on Anika's and Bryson's wheels all the way up from the lake and didn't know that grade just kept... on... going! By the time we overshot the turnoff up to the Heights I was seeing stars. I think I mumbled my capitulation to Ritchie, but I'm unsurprised if it sounded ambiguous.

I basically had the choice of making it to the top and going home in a cab, or just limping home at that point. As it was, I was proud to (barely) make it back without stopping for a good cry.

One more entry in a growing list of rides attempted that well exceed my fitness! I look forward to doing some longer rides this year and finishing my business on the Malahat.

[sylvan]

I was proud to (barely) make it back without stopping for a good cry.

You don't actually need to stop to cry. If you keep pushing past that point of utter despair you could end up in a state alternating between giggling and sobbing uncontrollably. It's a wonderful place where great gains in training effect can be realized. My former eastern bloc coach, Dieter, would see one of us in that state, pull up alongside in the car and ask "Do you want to get in the car? Do you want to get in now? Well you can't, because there are still 60 km of training to accomplish." It seems a bit harsh but that kind of thing is very effective. I'm sad to have missed this ride.

[Rolf]

It's a wonderful place where great gains in training effect can be realized.

See, I haven't had any cycling-related goals since I did the very terrible 2010, up-and-back, Nanaimo cancer ride, so the concept of "training" has been anathema. I just occasionally ride my bike for fun and to stay fit. But now I have a goal, so now I must wake my inner Dieter and train.

[FairweatherMike]

Thanks for the pic - sorry I missed an epic adventure! Having done two rides already that (marvelous) weekend, I spent more than a little time in the early hours of Monday staring at the ceiling pondering "can I do this? I probably can, but it would mean missing several days of work while lying in the ICU". In the end my visiting son and I enjoyed a much-lesser climb by doing the Bear Mountain summit and having coffee in the village. Father and son time in the sun...

(That's who was with me when you passed us, Rolf - and you were wearing a smile that I now realize said, "Don't judge me for coming back alone - I tried and I'll be back". btw, it helps on the hills if you have a bike that weighs less than you do)

I'm looking forward to participating in the next Goldstream epic (once a month, you climbing addicts?) -

_________________
Mike Skinner

[trevor]

Thanks for a great ride everyone. I had a blast. Sorry I couldn't stick around after the descent from the Heights. Daddy duty was calling and I was already stretching it thin. I'm glad everyone made it home safely. Great times!
Cheers.
Trevor