Goldstream Heights post-mortem

[FairweatherMike]

I should have known it would be a bit of a challenge when Barton said he was foregoing this ride since he'll be in the Whistler Gran Fondo (with Forte!) the following weekend. 5 of us set off from St. Arbucks chapel Sunday morning near Mayfair - 2 strong male riders (Stephane, Dylan), 2 strong female riders (Lisa, Louise) and me. The rider was fast and fun, kind of - with plenty of time for me to commune with nature as I watched the foursome float up hills with some type of anti-gravity devices strapped to their bikes. I started to feel very pro... I realized I can climb just like Mark Cavendish, who when asked where spectators should look for him in the peloton on the big mountain stages, said, "I'm right after the marching band and just before the ice cream truck." The final 700 metre pull up the instant-death-if-you-drive-it-in-winter-ice road (18%!) that gives the ride its name had me traversing all the way. Took a partial selfie at the summit; with distressingly fresh looking group:

Perhaps anonymity would have been better

So thanks to a gracious group that waited for me at the various summits and crests, and to Stephane who doubled back a number of times to confirm I was still moving. Just to top things off, my trusty steed showed it had been equally traumatized by the festivities to the point that it declined to stay with the group on the Malahat descent. Front shifter packed it in. Field repairs allowed it to limp home where it cowered in the bike shed, not saying a word to the other bikes. Upgrades to both bike and rider are in the works. Until next time...