BIG LOOP RIDE - 270km July 7

[Paul C.]

Its the Epic west coast ride....Yes YOU Can.

Sunday, July 7 start 6:30am Cook St. Starbucks.
Victoria-Sooke-Port Renfrew-Lake Cowichan-Duncan-Shawnigan-Malahat-Home

Approximately 270km ,10 to 14 hours.

Talk with Paul C. or Mark Ford at Coffee, or watch here for more info.
Are YOU in?

[John D]

Hi Paul;

I'm in. I'll have been off my bike for the entire month of June, so what better way to get the legs moving again! I've done this route twice, and agree that it's one of the best rides anywhere. As we discussed, Tripleshot may be able to provide some modest support for the event if we get enough interest.

Thanks to you and Mark for stepping up to take the lead on this.

John

[barton bourassa]

In? Maybe! I still remember how I felt after the 200 K in April!

[katew]

"That would be about the stupidest thing you could possibly do."

--my darling son.

Probably in.

[DavidB]

"That would be about the stupidest thing you could possibly do."

--my darling son.

Probably in.

Both Statements are lies.

[Rolf]

And wit is apparently genetic.

[AndreaR]

If you know approximately what time you'll be headed through Shawnigan, I might jump on the train after the MS Tour.

[John D]

"That would be about the stupidest thing you could possibly do."

--my darling son.

Probably in.

Both Statements are lies.

Excellent - so I take it that you're in too, David? I mean, somebody has to step up and help your Mom get home, right? (like she needs any help!)

J.

[FairweatherMike]

Probably in. This is one of those marvelous, irresistible stupidest ideas ever (to quote some adolescent who has yet to be bitten by the bug - but just you wait).

May I be the contrarian and throw out an idea that was floated previously in a past post, to the sound of one hand clapping? Same route and length, but in reverse. My argument:

- this would have us doing the Malahat, arguably the most dangerous part of the route, in the early morning with less traffic. We would enjoy early morning sun, as opposed to heavy traffic and afternoon shadows and glare. Encountering the usual shoulder Malacrap would be less hazardous and easier to avoid as we grind our way up;

- the long slow ascent to Cowichan in the mid-day Mad Dogs and Englishmen sun by the conventional route would instead be a long swooping descent into the Valley;

- the delightful curving descent in the forest past Lizard lake (I believe) would become an ascent, but the forest cover would provide some coolness in the heat of the day (At this point, I suspect some readers are saying, "doesn't he GET IT? this is about suffering for the sport");

- the waterfront stretch from Port Renfrew to home, when everyone except the smiling pathological liars will confess to being pretty beat, will have the sun (and probably the convection-produced afternoon wind) at our back. No morning mists, fog or slippery roads to deal with;

- coming back through Sooke and onward to the Goose would provide a multitude of restaurants to choose from for a celebratory post-epic-ride meal. And this route might allow people to conserve enough energy to see what's on their plate.

OK, start throwing bottles...

[Rolf]

The thought of climbing south out of Renfrew makes me trembly. But then there are plenty of ramps either direction that provide a challenge. I've heard that the ride from Cowichan to Renfrew often features a real beast of a headwind.

Ultimately, I'm in favour of whichever direction features more descending and less climbing. Also: if anyone has a cold-fusion, perpetual motion engine I can borrow, that would be super keen, too.

[Paul C.]

Thanks for all your replies,comments,feedback and suggestions. More info to follow soon....
A suggestion for anyone contemplating this July 7, epic "Big Loop Ride" : START TRAING!!

How about a couple of training rides,in JUNE tied in with Sunday ride?120 to 160km?
Also we will have a support vehicle for your extra bike parts and chocolate bars.
cheers, pc

[Marcus]

I have offered to support the July 7 ride by driving my westfalia van along with the cyclists. I think the idea would be to jump ahead of the riders and have some refreshments at hand when the riders catch up. If someone doesn't show up I would have to backtrack to find them. Otherwise, I would keep jumping ahead which should work until a significant time differential occurs between the first and last rider. In that case, I would wait for the last rider. As nice as Paul and Mark are, the only condition is that I don't want to do this if only a handful of people are going to ride. So please post a note on this forum thread if you are going to go. I'm thinking I would like to see at least 10 people make a commitment before I commit to provide the support. I can bring spare wheels, extra clothing, tools, cold beer and hot or cold food in my van. So let me know what you would like to eat or drink. For example, hot dogs or chili are doable. Just like the Victoria Gran Fondo without the $300 entry fee. Last year, I was in the saddle for 10 hours and 15 minutes, so the ride is doable for just about any Tripleshot rider.

[Jimmy49]

For those of you doing this ride, myself and the rest of the O2 guys just completed the ride this past weekend. Overnighted in Renfrew which was a great pit stop for those of us not hardy enough to tackle the full loop in a day. Roads are good right up to the Malahat decent. We had three riders go down coming through Goldstream in the wet and if I were to do over again, I'd do a lap around Shawnigan verses that time waster/danger.
Otherwise, remember to keep your eyes up cause the countryside is well worth the look.

[conway]

To avoid the riding down the Malahat on the way back, assuming we ride the clockwise route, it may be possible (fast riders) to catch the Mill Bay Ferry. The last ferry leaves at 6:30pm.

[John D]

Mark - two thoughts on this:

1. We just leave early enough (5:00am?) to ensure that we can all make the last Mill Bay ferry.

or

2. If we decide to take Malahat, we agree to collect at the south Shawnigan entrance to the highway. We then ride together from there and have the support vehicle block traffic behind us as we take the whole lane and all head down the Malahat - thereby avoiding both rumble strips, roadside garbage, and construction obstructions.

J.

[Jimmy49]

Good ideas on both parts. We thought taking the lane was a good option but w/o a sweeper vehicle thought that might be dangerous if you caught the wrong car back.
Be wary that the mud (from construction) and rain made the shoulder turn to camel snot (for those of you that know what that is..)
I'd opt for the boat cruise and Brentwood run home.

[katew]

Yes, an early start should be the least of this group's problems on an odyssey of this nature.

I can't believe I'm still thinking of doing this. Coach will fire me for this, I am sure.

Hey, did I mention that there are some brutal rumble strips on the Malahat?

Kate, who is still scrubbing camel snot off her dear darling sweetiepie bike.
----
"Jeez, Kate. They aren't made of marshmallows, you know."
--Lister, when I was snivelling about getting the carbon fibre bike, like, wet.

[barton bourassa]

I like the idea of the Mill Bay Ferry. I do not like the idea of the Malahat late on a Sunday after 210 K or so. Leaving at 5 AM is fine with me!

[FairweatherMike]

So, uh, forgive me for being a pest on this, but it sounds like the counterclockwise route has a number of factors in its favour, not least being a better way of dealing with the Malahat. Has anyone done the counterclockwise route in the past? Are there some compelling reasons why it's the less attractive way to tackle this loop?

[gab]

I've done the counter-clockwise route.
Seemed fine, except I got lost a couple of times, so it became the 290km big loop ride.
I have not done the clockwise direction, so can't compare.
We could have two teams, going in either direction, to see who finishes first!