Sat Early & Long

[barton bourassa]

Time to start another training cycle; build, build, build, rest.

This Saturday: https://www.strava.com/routes/11826431

The fun part is around loop around Liberty. 1st of the year. I plan on adding 1 every couple weeks (typically I like to ride the hillyness of Metchosin & Gillespie one week and the flatterer Peninsula the next) up to 6 times around. I think the Masters race is 7 laps?

Anyway, leaving Discovery Coffee on Menzies at 7 AM. Cish kind of pace, steady, keeping stops to a minimum and everyone together, except up them hills.

Barton.

[myboys]

Barton,

Just got home from Nanaimo an hour ago (Trudeau was in town). Now working on the second, badly needed, glass of wine. Would love to go, but have one sick kid, the other is celebrating his birthday with a friends sleepover, and the hubby is heading to Vancouver for the BC Liberal convention tomorrow.

May join for an hour, then turn back. But if I do, I’ll meet you at the Johnson Street bridge-y area.

See you (hopefully) dark, and early!

[barton bourassa]

Sounds like there was a raucous good time in Nanaimo!

Also sounds like busy times for you. Hope to see you out.

Barton.

[barton bourassa]

Five souls started this epic, four of us finished! The telling part was the one lap of the master's course, Rocky Pt from the school to Liberty to La Bonne to Kangaroo then back to the school. 26 minutes for 10 K. Really? That means that at this point in time it would take me 3 hours to complete the master's race! I wonder how many times I'd be lapped?!

But! it is early days! This little Saturday ride will do this again in a couple weeks. What is more exciting is we'll do it twice! Maybe up to 6 X by the middle of April. What could be more fun than that? Really now!

Thanks to John D, Tim, Roxanne, Penny for the company, the pulls and the encouragement.

Monday, Hills. 6 AM at the bottom of Caddy and Sinclair. 4 Caddy, 1 Sinclair, 1 Caddy, 1 Sinclair, 3 Tolmie.

Barton.

[myboys]

Sorry I missed the ride, Barton. Sounds like a good, tough one. I’ll see you Tuesday morning.

[barton bourassa]

For Saturday Feb 10 here is the plan: https://www.strava.com/routes/11016988

Leaving Disco Coffee on Menzies at 7 AM. The usual, C ish, nice and steady, limited stopping, try for continual rolling along the country roads.

Barton

[myboys]

OK Barton, see you dark, and early!

[myboys]

Barton, are you contemplating delaying ride to the cold... The dewpoint is -3 at my house.

[John D]

Hi Mary;

It's not the dew-point, per se, that's important, it's the dew-point relative to the air temperature. When I headed out to meet Barton this morning the air temp was only about +1.5C, but the dew-point was about -3C. So long as the temp doesn't fall below the dew-point you should be OK in terms of black ice, etc. This morning was dry enough that there was no black ice to be seen.

All that said, I still only made it as far as Uplands with Barton, Gerry and Tim. My front derailleur decided to die on me and totally frack up my chain, necessitating a road-side rescue from Michaella.

J.

[barton bourassa]

I hope you did not have to wait too long for Michaella.

Mary joined us just before Cordova Bay. Gerry left us at Old W Saanich. Three us rolling along with Mary strong on the front!

A beautiful morning for riding.

We'll do another 90 k ride next Saturday, with a twist. Heading out Metchosin Gillespie way throwing in two laps of the Canadian Master's race course along the way.

Barton.

[myboys]

John, sorry to hear about your equipment troubles... We had a great ride. And thank-you for the dew point explainer... I'm always trying to figure out if it's too icy, and Saturday was perfect!

[barton bourassa]

For Sat Feb 17, out to Metchosin again with 2 X the Canadian Masters route.

The plan: https://www.strava.com/routes/11990864 slightly altered course.

Leaving Discovery Coffee at 7 AM.

Barton.

[JohnT]

Did you go Barton? I got up at 6 am and then checked the weather again at 6:30 am, but it was raining too hard for this weak man. I'll try to join next week - I am keen to ride the course.

JT

[mfarnham]

There were several freshly showered but shell-shocked looking Tripleshotters at the kit fitting today.

I can attest to the fact that Barton is, in fact, a hard man of winter.

Martin

[myboys]

Barton, Penny, and Todd are beasts. I was lucky to hook up with them somewhere in Colwood, and then we all headed out to Metchosin. Luckily, I had the excuse of the kit fitting at OBR to bail before repeats of Liberty. But my husband’s thinking we are all out of our minds confirmed by the shell of a wife whimpering (ok, crying, but only a little) at the front door.

[barton bourassa]

It was tough. We had a few moments where it wasn't raining but it pretty well poured and blew the whole way. After the second time around the masters course, by consensus, we turned left at Rocky Pt and Kangaroo and headed home instead of going right to William Head then back again. We were soaked, cold and mentally and physically done!

Not sure what is going to happen next Saturday. If the weather cooperates and I get in the rides I plan for this week I'll start another period of rest (this was the last of three Saturday rides in this four week cycle). If I don't get much riding in this week then next Saturday will be 95 to 100 K thru the Peninsula. Every second week is a more hilly ride thru Metchosin with increasing numbers of laps of the Masters course.

John, take a look at our average speed. A bit slow for you maybe. Check out Garth's Saturday rides. Looks like they are throwing in a lap each weekend but their pace may be more to your fitness. Your are welcome to join us, just keep in mind the pace may be a bit slow for you.

Barton.

[Jill]

Although the ride this Saturday will be "Bartonless", the show will go on.....
Meeting at Menzies Disco at 7 and rolling out to the peninsula for about 90km.
Jill

[Roxanne]

Are people interested in a repeat of the route from Sat Feb 17 that Barton, Penny and Todd rode in the rain, wind and... It would be a great ride in the sun!

out to Metchosin again with 2 X the Canadian Masters route,

The plan: https://www.strava.com/routes/11990864 slightly altered course.
Roxanne

[Gerry L]

I would be interested in that route. See how much training is needed in the next 3 months.

Gerry

[Jill]

There are a couple of people that are meeting us along the route to the peninsula so I will stick to that route this time.
Jill