Goldstream Heights June 26

[Stéphane Tran]

Since the Masters race is cancelled, I will be doing Goldstream Heights on Sunday the 26th. I want to get an early start so will be heading out at 6:30am from Alpha St. Starbucks (across from Mayfair mall). Anyone interested?

[Bosie]

Hi Stephane,
Im definitely interested but I cannot commit as I am on call on Saturday night and my ability to ride early very much depends on whims of the sick.
If Im get to Alpha St by 6h30, I am in...

Craig

[AJ Neale]

Hi Stephane. I'd like to give it a shot. Should I bring my pickle juice?

Andrew

[Stéphane Tran]

Hi Stephane. I'd like to give it a shot. Should I bring my pickle juice?

Andrew

Sure!

[Rolf]

Penciled in for me...

...aaand erased.

[Andrew]

There is also a nice little road race in Comox with A, B and Cs

http://comoxvalleycycleclub.ca

[Greg F]

Pending the outcome of our weekly coin-toss, I may be in.

Do you have a sense of the duration/distance of the ride?

Thanks,
Greg

[Stéphane Tran]

This gives a good idea of the distance/time:

https://www.strava.com/activities/197768312

We usually regroup at several points along the route and stop for coffee in Mill Bay on the way up.

[GarthC]

Wish I was in town for this ride...I've wanted to do Goldstream Heights ride for a while.
Looks like it'll be a great day for it!

[Greg F]

Lost the coin toss, maybe next time!

(Note to self: there is no "Rock" option in a coin toss...)

[robhasegawa]

I'm in and I'll bring along a couple other chums.

[barton bourassa]

In also.

For those of you who have not ridden this route before or if you are concerned about the potential strength and speed of those who have signed onto this ride Sunday, this is doable!! The group generally rides together to Goldstream Park then the climb starts. At your own pace. Most times folks wait at the last parking/lookout area just past the summit then fly down the backside to Serious Coffee at Frayne Rd on the west side of the highway. Have a quick coffee or coke, whatever you need to help you on your way, then as a group we ride to the Shawnigan Lk Mill Bay Rd to Shawnigan Lake turning Left onto Shawnigan Lake Rd. The group generally stays together until West Shawnigan Lake Rd where the climbing up to Stebbings Rd begins (4K from W Shawnigan Lk Rd to Stebbings, a long steady climb). Stebbings has been another wait up point or quicker riders go back and ride up to Stebbings with the slower riders. Then we head up towards Goldstream Heights Drive (left off of Stebbings, 1.6K from Shawnigan Lk Rd). You climb for 3 K till you get to the highest point on Goldstream Heights Drive then descend for 2.5 K down to Goldstream Ridge. This is a wonderful fast descent on a wide road with swooping curves and little traffic, except the odd deer!

The climb up Goldstream Ridge is interesting. It is only 700 m but! Grades can reach 18/19%. Your Garmin will likely go into Pause mode! You will be amazed at how slow you can ride and still stay upright! The group waits up at the top then down we go and then back up we go! Everyone has in the past waited at Stebbings and Shawnigan Lk Rd before heading back to the Malahat.

Descending down the Hat is also interesting and a bit challenging. The trickiest part is the last 2 or 2.5 K into Goldstream Park. The shoulder is quite narrow. It is important to give the rider in front of you lots of room just in case they have to stop quickly or encounter debris on the shoulder.

The ride from Goldstream Park up to the lights at West Shore Pkwy is strangely challenging. The climbing part is only 1.5K but it seems to go on forever and feels a whole lot steeper than it is! Once we get to the light we head back to town, usually on Goldstream Ave, as a group.

Anyway, there are lots of places the really quick riders can hammer it while us C and B wannabes huff and puff up the hills and regroup and get dragged along by the stronger riders. The club has done this ride many times with no serious incidents other than the odd flat tire. The highway is fairly quiet going up. Not so coming back. We are riding in narrow shoulders for only a short portion of the route.

Good times!

BB

[mtsmith439]

I was thinking about wandering around the Highlands for 4 or 5 hours tomorrow but this sounds like more fun. I did the Malahat and Shawnigan Lake (not Coldstream Heights) last year and riding the Malahat, early in the morning with little traffic, is a real treat!

That being said, I am going to the Jazz Festival tonight.

If I behave, I will see you at Starbucks at 6:30a.

[mtsmith439]

Well, I behaved myself last night and I'm glad I did.

Fantastic ride today. Beautiful weather, great group, and outstanding group management by the key players.

I have to admit, I was nervous about joining this ride. There were some very strong riders in the group. The nerves were about all the normal stuff: Can I keep up? Will the stronger riders be "put off" by having weaker riders in the group (me!)? If I do get dropped, do I know the route well enough to do it myself? Can I even do the climbs? etc.

Over the course of the ride, all my nerves were settled.

The stronger riders were very welcoming. There were a number of spots on the route where we re-grouped. So, when I did get dropped (and it happened often ), I knew it wouldn't be for long.

The route is actually quite simple to follow. There are only a few turns, and the rest of the time you "just ride".

I won't kid you, the climbing is tough. The Malahat is the easier climb of the two. There were a few times on Goldstream Heights when I said to myself "Can I die now? Please. Can I?". Barton wasn't kidding when he said "You will be amazed at how slow you can ride and still stay upright!". But I kept plugging away and eventually I made it to the top of Goldstream Ridge. And making it to the top is why we do this. The pride that comes with perseverance and accomplishing a task.

Big thanks to Rob and Stephane. Your group management skills and communication were excellent today.

Another big thanks to Tim. After a nasty bump in Langford, one of my spokes broke (99K mark). Thank you for stopping, helping me get the broken spoke out, and riding with me, and my wobbly bike, back into town (Velofix appointment booked for tomorrow).

Lastly, for anyone who felt "I don't know. That ride sounds a bit too hard core for me". I would suggest stuff those nerves back in the closet, get outside your comfort zone, and try one of these rides. Your fellow, amazing members of Tripleshot will make you glad that you did.

[AJ Neale]

Stephane - Thank you for getting this ride organized! It was a great day for climbing and a great group to do it with including a couple of guests. We did have a few gaps, and our re-grouping worked for the most part, but we lost a couple of bodies near the end. Mark, I hope you made it back safely and your cramps have been conquered. When we went back to see if you had stopped you had vanished. I guess I should actually bring some pickle juice next year!

I was just getting ready to submit this when your post came up Mark. We're sorry you had a mechanical, and very glad Tim was there to assist, Tripleshot teamwork! As I said, I didn't see you when I rode back to the crossing of Six Mile bridge and the Goose so assumed you had gone home another route. You must have "spoked" just before the turn. We're glad you made it and well done .... you had some lighter French climbers ahead of you and those guys just cannot be caught! Your encouraging words to others contemplating a ride like this are bang on; the fun is in the group accomplishment and time together on the road.

Andrew

P.S. Thanks for the coffee Barton and thanks for letting us chase you up the hills Stephane, it was fun ..........actually it hurt, but it was fun.

[Stéphane Tran]

It was pretty fun wasn't it? The air was warm, the hills were hard and the Tripleshot spirit was strong. A perfect day!

[barton bourassa]

It was great! I have not perspired (sweat!) so much in a long time as I did up Goldstream heights! Thanks All!!

I strongly echo Mark's comments. I hoping to do this same ride again July 9 (Saturday, actually believe it or not, Nunavut Day!) with the hope of encouraging any of those not sure about this ride to come along! And it will be the week before the Big Loop. Great training!

What a wonderful day and a wonderful group for riding bikes!!

Barton.

[mtsmith439]

It's all good Andrew.
I took the cut pavement pretty hard. It's quite challenging to bunny-hop when your legs are knackered and you weigh-in darn close to 200 lbs.
By the time I realized the spoke had popped, you guys were out of ear distance.
Tim, somehow realized something was amiss, doubled back, and I had his most capable hands to assist.
Me and my bike made it home in one piece, and there is no way that small incident could put a damper on such an outstanding day.

An update on the cramping: I was holding the cramping at bay and I probably would have made it back to town without any "lock-ups". The spoke incident did help the cause, and might have been a blessing in disguise. Pickle juice would have helped though.