Friday a.m. - hardcores only

[Claire]

It's going to warm up to a balmy 11 degrees by the morning. Sounds like lovely conditions for a little bike tour around the city. Sunrise at 7:15 should be viewable in Oak Bay. Never mind that we may not actually be able to see anything due to torrents of rain pouring down our faces. There's coffee to be had at the end and hardcore points to be scored. I'm in.

[John D]

There's coffee to be had at the end and hardcore points to be scored.

We call them "gloating points".

[AJ Neale]

Thank you Claire for "inviting" us out for the lovely Friday morning tour of the city. For the non-hardcore cyclists, you missed an epic ride including a flat before starting out, head winds the entire way (?), a swim portion on Shelbourne, seagulls flying backwards on Dallas Road, and that Strava Doodle guy pulling ahead on the last lap. Most importantly: everybody stayed upright!

Apologies to Brenna for the front of the group being unaware of her second flat, we all should have turned back to make sure things were OK, and we had plenty of spare tubes between us. Thank you to Rolf ( and Happy Birthday! ) for staying behind with her on Shelbourne.

Have a good weekend all. Andrew

[barton bourassa]

Well, I was almost hard core! I headed out at 5:45, made it to Cook and Bay and headed back! Can I claim partial gloating pts for at least heading out? Or do I get negative pts for turning around?

Martin, I saw you at Cook and Yates, momentarily thought of following you, but only momentarily!

Barton.

[Claire]

Barton - Booo!! Definitely negative points to you You were soaked already - and then you turned tail and ran back to dry land?? I know who's got to buy the next round of coffee

[Rolf]

That was a wet one. But when it's 10+ degrees I don't think the gloating points should be too high—it's just like showering with your clothes on. Water-skiing through that 10-inch puddle along Shelbourne was pretty fun, and everyone held their line admirably.

Something to keep in mind when we're a single group of twelve like this morning, is that we're a de facto C/B2 ride. Some of you guys are obviously pretty used to a stonking pace. If you're strong on the front, it can really help to occasionally glance back to ensure your pace is right for everyone. In lieu of some timely "Steady up!"s, I did a fair amount of dropping back and bridging folks up to the group. Still: fun ride!

[Lund]

Something to keep in mind when we're a single group of twelve like this morning, is that we're a de facto C/B2 ride

As one who may have contributed to the stonkingness of the pace, I'm going to disagree. The de facto pace is the pace everyone in the group can sustain. Maybe that's B3. Maybe it's A. It all depends on who shows up.

And while glancing back occasionally is polite, I prefer, in the dark and in a downpour, to keep my eyes on the road ahead. The onus is ultimately on the people behind the gap to use their words to manage the pace. Any time "steady up" was hollered, we all steadied up.

[mfarnham]

Barton...if I'd seen you I would have chased you down and made you turn around. Just like I would have done had you turned back on the second ascent of Hurricane Ridge last summer.

I still have kit at your place. Will drop by to retrieve it today or tomorrow. Better than doing laundry.

Martin

[GarthC]

Character building ride...that sure was a wet one this morning! Wasn't expecting to see a lake on Shelbourne...glad everyone was practiced up on their water-skiing skills and stayed upright!
I was pouring water out of my waterproof gloves by the end. But my new rain jacket kept me nice and dry though.

Sorry guys for the lame rear fender extender...it's being fixed today.

POC-man