The Big Loop - The Right Way?

[FairweatherMike]

(This post, originally entered on Strava [https://www.strava.com/activities/1757487380] appears as a matter of record - and to encourage discussion toward a counterclockwise Big Loop group ride someday. Previous proposals - see below - along the same line were greeted with the sound of one hand clapping.)

Start right. Keep turning left. No ferries. Simple.
I've always wanted to do the Big Loop this way, and since my son Matt was in town (home-grown Domestique Deluxe now ripping it up with Pender Racing in Vancouver) we decided to go for it. Spectacular weather - the only planning required was to decide when to leave. Starting on the Malahat was actually a lot of fun, and we made pretty good time, getting to Lake Cowichan by 10 am. The leg to Port Renfrew in the midday heat was pleasant, since we were mostly going down, not up! After a terrific lunch at the Coastal Kitchen cafe, the last 1/3 of the ride from Port Renfrew to Victoria was definitely the hardest part, not just because of the climb out of PR (in relative terms, it was short, sharp, and shaded) but because the slogging 8 to 12% climbs and ripping descents didn't stop until we were back on the Goose in Langford. Combining what was arguably the biggest challenge of the ride with the lowest energy reserve at the end of the day made it an exercise in willpower. Still, I think anyone with a 34-32 combo (I had 34-28) and perseverance could do this.

Of course, it helps to be paced by a very strong rider (thanks for the pulls, Matt!).

And a performance review on the new kit: on extra-long rides, it's all about the chamois. The Jakroo bib shorts performed brilliantly, with no discomfort or chafing after being worn 13 hours, over 10.5 of which was moving time. Of course, I did feel (in the immortal words of one P. Lawless) like a 10 lb. sausage in a 5 lb. casing, since I took the Jakroo rep's advice and ordered race cut. Nothing was flapping on fast descents, that's for sure - well, maybe a little jiggling...

FairweatherMike

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Re: 2017 Big Loop Ride - Sunday, July 16th
Post by FairweatherMike » Fri Jun 30, 2017 10:06 am

I'm in! Even though I think we should do it in the other direction (hardcore - no ferries!)

Mike Skinner
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Thursday. Big Loop. The hard(er) way - Malahat first.
Post by FairweatherMike » Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:08 pm

Looking for an excuse to take a day off work Thursday? I figure the odds of having someone join me for this bit of [insert your thought here] are about the same as my winning the Powerball jackpot - and I don't have a ticket...

260+ km, starting up the Malahat. No ferries. Ferocious climb out of Port Renfrew, which shouldn't be too big a barrier after the long descent from Lake Cowichan and a bit of refreshment at the Coastal Cafe. Hopefully an afternoon convective tailwind along the water to assist with the last big leg to Sooke.

I reserve the right to come to my senses, but my leave request is in at work. This will be a stupidly epic or epicly stupid ride; I just want to do some empirical research to find out which. Wheels rolling at first light.
[ed. note: nothing came of this proposal since life intervened in the form of appliance suicides requiring immediate attention.]

Mike Skinner
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A Great Day on the Big Loop
Post by FairweatherMike » Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:08 am

Thanks to Marcus, his wife Nancy and their Westfalia camper (with their 2 Daschunds aboard as food inspectors), Sunday's Big Loop through Jordan River, Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Duncan and Mill Bay felt a lot like one of those fancy European escorted bike tours. Snacks on the beach at Jordan River and homemade chili at a park in Lake Cowichan made a gruelling ride more than bearable. Thanks also to Mark and Paul who not only organized the ride but wisely made a reservation for us at the Coastal Kitchen in Port Renfrew. Superb food (somehow that emerges as a theme on super-long rides!) and a verandah table added to the Euro-Gran Fondo feel.

New sections of road to Port Renfrew were impressive; I think we got a bit spoiled with the smooth new blacktop. Gone are some of the hairy switchbacks and wild hors categorie pitch-ups of past years - that may be why we arrived at the restaurant for brunch, not lunch. The weather theme for the day was sun, interspersed with coastal mist and a surprise thunderstorm south of Lake Cowichan, that with the sun-baked asphalt produced the curious but pleasant sensation of being in a sauna while sprayed with ice water.

All in all, a great day and great fun (ok, my butt's a bit sore - I do have the Endurance Chamois shorts on order). Looking forward to Nancy's action pictures taken from the door of a speeding VW...

Once the Malahat is "finished", who's in for the loop in the other direction?

[Rolf]

Nice, Mike! Kudos on a big day.

And it turns out you’ve been so absolutely right about going CCW this whole time that a TS group is heading out to emulate your correctness this very Saturday.

[Claire]

Indeed! Thanks for the preview, Mike. We'll report back with (hopefully) similar tales of success this weekend.