Cross is Here!

[wonger]

Sick Martin- gotta bail. Sorry!

[esilnarson]

I will be there. 6:00 at Pareto?

[mfarnham]

Brian and I rode Geoff's "usual" route today. Fun ride, including dabbling toes in the Pacific on Willows Beach (and hosing sand off bikes afterward). Riding Willows early morning in the fog is surreal. And we had two loud Barred Owls hooting at us (I like to think) as we rode trails through the trees by UVic.

Neat way to mix up your workout.

Martin

[Rolf]

I very much look forward to joining you next week. Figure I'd better try out the CX experience before tackling the Tripleshot Cross Fondo on Oct. 16.

[Greg F]

Anyone else doing the cross ride this evening? A slightly different format this time: Madison style. So we get to pair-up and switch off every lap, like on the track, I'm guessing (I didn't see how it was done last year). Its at Margaret Jenkins School, corner of Fairfield and Foul Bay.

Anyway, I'm happy to pair up with anyone, as long as you're not too serious about winning the 'B' race or have a tendency to do this when you lose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsOVHWXMnk

I'll be in TS gear and orange bike (and a backpack before the "race").

[Fozzy]

Hi Greg.
Not done the Madison style thing either, so looking forward to it.
We can team up if you like.
I will be there (with backpack during the "race")
Cheers

[wonger]

Friday October 7th Cross Ride. All the cool kids will be there. If it's raining it just gets better! No spots of oil, no wet paint, generally single file and if you do fall you usually bounce. 6:00 at Pareto. Bring a good light.

I'm thinking the usual route over to Mystic Vale, do Ten Mile Point, Caddy Bay beach, Mysitc Vale, Uplands, Willows Beach, coffee at Pure Vanilla. Or we can do whatever people want to do - laps of Beacon Hill yesterday were pretty fun. See you there!

[Rolf]

Super stoked to break in some new wheels and get dirty, Geoff.

[mfarnham]

I'll be there.

Martin

[LouiseF]

I have a new cross bike! I think I can make it. I need advice though - tire pressure? headlamp? What else do I need to know?

Will my sparkly new bike get dirty?

[wonger]

Start with your tire pressure at 30 or 40. We can adjust on the fly. You need a good light on the bars - those little blinky things for commuting are useless when you are in a trail in the dark. If you are really stuck let me know and I can help you out with a loner. Hate to have you miss it!

[Claire]

Are cheapskates on mountain bikes shunned from the cross geekery? It would be fun to join some time, but I'm still holding out for the moment a cross bike drops out of the sky just for me (Louise - I'm jealous, but mostly excited for you!). Until then, I might dabble in cross with my MTB. Perhaps even for the upcoming fondo...

Or would I just be better off pasting a big L on my forehead?

[Robgrant]

I'm in if I can get my work stuff done tonight.
Rob

[esilnarson]

I will be there.

[Rolf]

Louise: I'm bringing a pump with pressure gauge, as the pressure thing is a mystery to me too. We can fiddle as required.

And Claire: given your past prowess in MTB, I can't see how you're possibly restrained from joining the cross ride on a mountain bike. There's so much wind-blown crap out there already, you might end up having the best equipment for the job in any event.

As an aside, if you ever suffered rides among the less vicious groups of good Tripleshotters, you'd get to know a gentle giant by the name of Todd who more than holds his own amidst a flotilla of carbon and titanium, riding a creaky hybrid replete with straight bars, rear rack, and running shoes in toeclips. In short, it's not about the ride, it's about the rider. Or something.

[mfarnham]

A headlamp would be nice, but is not strictly necessary. A bright lamp on the bar should be good enough.

In case I forget to mention it tomorrow, just a note about a hazard. There's a trail we usually take that runs from Haultain (behind the hospital) to Richmond which involves a steep connection onto the sidewalk on Richmond which was formerly rideable. They've put some weird asphalt paving on the edge there--it's almost like they've built steps which (for me at least) are unrideable. If you're in the lead, heads up. It's black so the steps are a bit hard to see.

Martin

[LouiseF]

This all sounds great! See you guys tmrw am.

[LouiseF]

The wind hasn't died down quite as much as predicted so just checking in to see that I'll still have some ride buddies once I make the trek down to Pareto?

[mfarnham]

I'm still planning to go.

Martin

[LouiseF]

See you there, so long as I don't get pelted off the road on my way down!