Cycle the Sunshine Coast, BC

Ride 375km in Northern California and Loved It!!!

2011-10-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

It was a bit of a letdown packing up and leaving Healdsburg. We just finished 375km in 3 1/2 days including the King Ridge Granfondo 160km and we were tired. On the first ride, it was 34 plus deg and it seemed like a dry sauna to me (before you throw the water on). Within no time, my head felt on fire, I went through 2 water bottles of Gatorade and my buddy dumped some of his water on me which felt like a hot shower. We stopped at a Shell and I dumped a litre of cold bottle water on my head and back that did enough to cool me down. We stayed in the valley (dubbed Dry Creek Valley) which was shaded and few degrees cooler and rode for another 3 hours. We visited Sonoma Lake, rode along the Russian River and rode through Healdsburg. I had a blast! and whew, that ride was hot!

The next day was an "easy" ride before the big race and we rode on the Mill Creek Road. This road is along a creek and amongst huge redwood trees. The more rememberable moments is a 29% hill that I had to do the zig-zag bmx thing on the steepest section. Unbelievably steep!!! Riding down was my first test of the braking capacity of my new carbon wheels and luckily I didn't soil my shorts!

The start of the granfondo was a site to behold! 7500 riders taking up 4 blocks 2 lanes wide and more streaming in from the sides. The pace was leisurely until the big climb to King Ridge. Okay when I say steep, I mean, "can't keep the front wheel down" steep. There were people walking, or breathing very heavily and one thing I noticed was there was no talking. Everyone was in their space trying to tackle hills of seemingly impossible to ride gradients. The views during the fondo was absoluting stunning - from riding in the Redwood-filled valleys, to ascending into glassland/Tan Oak forests to riding along the western ocean shores; this fondo had it all. I have yet to find its equal.

The afterride the next day was to the Sweetwater and Armstrong Woods and the most rememberable ride of the trip. We rode through Armstrong Redwood grooves of 10 foot diameter trees and some 300 ft tall! We rode up to Bullfrog pond which averaged 15% grade but the steepest portion bounced between 25% to 15%. Bmx-zig-zag thing saved me from walking. Also, being called a female body part if I stopped did alot to motivate me to not stopping. I believed that anyone that saw me ride by would have overheard me chanting over and over again "Naked chicks and waterfalls around the next bend, naked chicks and waterfalls around the next bend...". The ride up Sweetwater was neat and really steep. One of the sites was we rode through an old abandoned (early 1890's) mercury mine "Great Eastern Quicksilver Mine" that is considered a toxic hazard to this day.

Along the way, I made a remark that it seemed like "Melissa Gilbert" would be running down the hill in a scene of Little House of the Prairie, as we rode along the grasslands.

Healdsburg, CA - lots of hills, lots of roads, hardly any cars and 100's miles of fun, steep, and gorgeous rides!

---WAB1234---

I feel like like a cyclist again!

2011-09-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

So with the King Ridge Granfondo a month away, I went to camp for 10 days and didn't ride. Prior to being away I was getting pretty strong. But with little more than indulging on buffets and too much beer, my first rides after camp was like I was riding in a sumo wrestler suit. I gained 6lb and it took more than few rides to shed the pounds and gain some form back.

Fast forward to today. My dad brought a couple of deep dish carbon wheelsets back from China and I finally put wheels together today. Man, these wheels are the steroid-like injection I needed to improve my game. They are so noticeably faster that I set personal bests on 4 out of 5 hills on my training route! These wheels are the single best upgrade to my cycling that I can think of.

----WAB1234----

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Y M C a Rd,Sunshine Coast F,Canada

King Ridge GF is looming!

2011-09-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

It's just little over 2 weeks before the 160km King Ridge Granfondo and I'm alittle under-trained not riding from a couple of weeks. But in the 10 days off from riding, I wanted to share with you a place that I visited while working. Highway 37 from Kitwanga to Bell 2. I saw many cyclists completing this part of the journey where they flew to Alaska and spent months riding back to Vancouver. Hwy 37 is one of the most underutilized highway in BC. Hwy 37 is definitely on my bucket list!

What does being over 40 really mean?

2011-08-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Okay I get it. Being over 40 means that any exercise is not easy. Let start with when it was easy. When I was in grade 8 I ran a low 5 min mile. Running was easy. When I was grade 11, I played for the Under 17 Vancouver Rugby team. Rugby was easy. I proved that in high school not many people where faster than me. In my 20's, I think like many men that follow a career path, family, house and such; fitness took a back seat and the bricks of butter piled on me like someone stuffing them in a backpack while I was wearing it.

Enter the 1/4 life crisis - I picked up mountain bike racing - I was 28 and in the Senior Sport class - It took me forever to eek out 10 points to advance from beginner because the young guys would show up and blow by me like I was standing still. These guys made it look easy - and what I figured - they had no career yet, or a job at least so they could ride all day long and perfect their fitness to top me. Thats what I believed anyway cause it wasn't fair that I would try so hard and not move up in the standings. So I quit racing and never really touch a bike for 10 years after.

Back came the butter and decided to buy a road bike - enter a couple of long rides and voila - a mid-life crisis. This time I'm competing in granfondos and in the most competitive age class 40-49 of these races. There are more guys in this class, the fastest and the most dedicated to cycling. These guys eat, drink and train cycling....at least that is what I tell myself. The last granfondo I finished 69 out of 225 and 192 out of 880. What did this mean? It meant that most of the guys faster than me in my age class made up the top 15% of the placing. What do I need to do to make it easy again? I thought I was getting faster, but there is always someone faster! To get just one km/hour faster overall means flirting with cramps/hammering up hills/maxing out my system...it just gets too hard to compete at the next level.

Why not stop? Why not go slow and enjoy the ride? This is what I figured out - cause next year I'll be 43, year after that, 44 etc until I'm 50, or 60....well you get the picture. If I don't do this now, it will be too hard to do it later... You only live once and time is still marching on to that eniviable finish line down the road. This is the finish line that I'm trying to avoid, but I know that just when I cross it, when I close my eyes and my life plays back for me, I will know that I did the best I could and I'll have a smile on my face.

So, when is the next granfondo?

----WAB1234---

Mixing it up makes all the difference!

2011-08-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Woke up at some un-godly hour to complete a ride into Vancouver. I usually complete a nice loop from Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal along Marine Drive to UBC. I added a nice little loop to Iona Beach which considering my motivation level lately, made all the difference for me to enjoy the trip. 100km in the bag.

On the way back on the ferry, I bump into a rider that I passed along the way a couple of times enroute along Marine Drive (I stopped for coffee) and she was on a older mountain bike with normal clothes on. I probably looked so foreign to her with all my biking specific clothes (called a kit in our circles). She complained that her seat made her butt sore, but she was really looking forward to seeing Gibsons (somehow the pain would be worth it when she got to her designation). She said that she's never been to the coast and decided to take her bike from the west end to the ferry and to Gibsons- good for her! She wasn't too keen about all the hills and I gave her some suggestions to avoid them. I asked if she was visiting friends and she said No, and that she had a couple of hours to spend and wanted to visit Gibsons cause it was there. For some reason, I find this surprising to me just like people who want to retire to Nicaragua (don't laugh, I know a couple doing it) or people who want go to visit Mongolia, so why Gibsons? I suppose it's a town that starts with "G" and needs to be visited....I jest and told this rider to visit Lower Gibsons for a really scenic experience, will avoid some of the more nasty hills and to visit the artisan shops along the water. My point is that her comments really offer me a chance to reflect that Gibsons (and the Sunshine Coast for that matter) is great place to visit, has places that starts with "G" (and many more from the alphabet) and she opened my eyes to reflect that I really appreciate this beautiful place that I live in. Riding the Sunshine Coast is really worth the sore butt to visit.

When cycling becomes a right of passage

2011-08-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, a couple of weeks ago I hit a nice peak and I wanted to ride all the time. I put 900km in the month of July and my avg km/hour basically bumped up a couple of k's. So, today I forced myself to wake up early, decided to drive to Sechelt and join a group ride to get me motivated. So I waited at the meeting spot and no one showed (or bothered). I started with the motivational talk with myself - do a long ride and you'll be better for it. Trust me you'll be glad you did...F-it was my body's response. So, do a short ride. At least you can justify driving for 1/2 hour to get here. F-it was the response again. Why don't you turn around, go to a lung association fundraiser breakfast and talk about cycling. Ah! that is an awesome idea! - So I turned around and got a 8min ride in.

So this is the lows of cycling - two to three weeks ago I had awesome energy and power. This week - well I need someone like Tony Robbins to keep my interested in riding and complete this right of passage. I think its boredom of the same routes and trying to ride early when I'm tired. I think I'll try a Vancouver trip this Sunday as part of re-motivation plan.

---WAB1234---

When your peaking, its time to enjoy riding....

2011-07-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

Its July 19th and for the last week I've been feeling awesome when I ride. Awesome means hills are molehills, power and recovery is always available and you feel that you have tons of energy.

It wasn't more than a month ago that I was complaining about just the opposite effects - no energy, burning legs walking up stairs and not motivated. In June I wrote in my diary "feeling crappy - need to rest" and the last June entry "I'm getting slower FML!" on a training loop that use to measure my performance. I was thinking what the helI do i need to do to get faster???? It was like i was slamming the course but when i reviewed the data , i was slower. Urggggg! The solution was that i rested fofor about two weeks by reducing my mileage and effort, putting on easy miles. Then on July 1, I slammed 190km; the next weekend, 120km and now the granfondo at 115km. I rode the the course where I was slower in June, to a new personal best and I thought that I wasn't working hard enough or at all. North road hill was literally a mole hill and I could feel the bike surge forward with every pedal stroke. I have an all effort training loop to do this week to measure my peak for the year.

Experience has shown me that this level is not sustainable for long, but I can build a second peak about 2 months later. A week or so from now, I'll be complaining once more then I'll rest again and start slamming miles in before my other goal on October - Levi's King Ranch Granfondo!

Picture of a road less traveled near Kelowna, BC (insert your most favorite country tune here)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Chatham St,West Vancouver,Canada

Kelowna Granfondo - It was worth it!

2011-07-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Its Monday and just finished the Kelowna Granfondo weekend. Thinking about the ride puts a great big grin on my face. There were 5 Cat 5 climbs and 1 Cat 2 climb - almost 1200m of elevation gain. At the end, my time was 4:01:40 - 69/260 in my 40-49 age group and 192/880 overall.

The ride started out slowly as expected, but the first hill came quickly and started to peak my heart rate. That was Cat 5 climb and 14km of uphill climbing for 500m elevation. Finally, descending on the OK lake side was beautiful and fast and then setting us up for the Cat 2 climb to Predator Ridge. Riders were falling like flies and I felt fairly strong knowing that I had a long way to go.

The descend from Predator Ridge into Vernon was an exhilarating 20km of a net 400m drop where we reached speeds of 73km! The ride along Hwy 97 was fairly non-eventful except that the organizers set aside a whole lane for us to use. That in itself was the reason that I LOVE Granfondos!

My goal was to be under 4 hours - and I came close - except for the pee break, 2 minutes waiting for a red light to change and the 2 water bottle fill ups. It added about 6 minutes to my time so, even though I was over 4 hours overall, I can rationalize that I met my goal. Way to go!!!

The last 20km was a blur as I got into a pace line with a dozen or so riders and a comment from one guy was "you're destroying us back here". Smiles and everybody was elated that I took it to the next level.

Next year it'll be definitely under 4 hours.

Getting Ready for the word GO!

---WAB1234---

Nanaimo to Mill Bay to Tsawwassen to Horseshoe Bay Tour

2011-07-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Every year I try to put together a day that tests my endurance. Last year was the Circle tour of Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island - 240 km in 2 days. This year takes me south from Nanaimo to Mill Bay, over to Brentwood and Swartz Bay, then Tsawwassen to Horseshoe Bay.

This 188km tour I completed in 7 hours and 17 minutes with 5hours waiting or riding ferries. The Nanaimo to Mill Bay was definitely the highlight of the trip where I rode through the back-roads of Cedar, Chemainus Bay, Maple Bay, Mill Bay, Brentwood Bay, and Sidney with relatively light traffic and calm flats roads. My buddy knew the best routes and we rode on roads that I wouldn't have ever figured out. Click this link to download or view the route in detail.

Getting through the George Massey tunnel proved easier than I thought, but I needed to jump on a bus at the Ladner Exchange and ask every bus if the route went to Richmond. Hint - Look for a bus that goes to the Bridgeport station. Find a bike route that Translink advertises and you'll find it far easier to traverse thru Vancouver.

---WAB1234---

End of a great day - picture of my computer of the metric of the ride

Definitely recommend this coffee shop before jumping on the Mill Bay ferry

Bamberton in the background. This is the site of old quarry and cement factory.

Brentwood Bay

Ferry ride over from Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay.

Waiting for the ferry to load at Swartz Bay

46th and Adera - Vancouver - This is a great route across to the Cypress street.

End of a long day at Horseshoe Bay! Coffee and sugary treats was on the menu after this picture was taken.

Its Granfondo training season!

2011-06-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

The Kelowna Granfondo is only a couple of weeks away and I've just started to ride some big rides. Not that I haven't been riding but only putting in smaller, faster rides. The Tuesday nights rides tend to be a wicked workout and some of the riders are having a problem keeping up (mostly me). Today, I rode to Madeira Park (Pender Harbour) and ended up bonking about 110km. When I bonk its a feeling that almost makes me cry or at least whimper. Its mind over matter and it takes every personality trait to keep me from stopping and hitchhiking home.

I gotta learn to eat more and more often....

Next week is my 200km ride and I better learn quickly!!!!!!

----WAB1234---

First Long Ride of the Season

2011-04-25T13:18:00.001-07:00

Couldn't have asked for nicer day to spend with my steed. Easter marks the first of many long days this year that I'll be riding 100km or more. One day out of this year's long weekends is my time to enjoy. This saturday it was the ride from Horseshoe Bay ferry to UBC then cross town, over second narrows, to Deep Cove and back to the Ferry. Whew! 100km plus.

It took me a little over 4 hours and I met some really cool people along the way. One such person was a triathlete that was telling me about her ironman competitions. She was also telling me how Vancouver was busting out with road riding and I believed her as I saw at least 1000 riders enjoying the sport that I loved. On the Sunshine Coast, road cycling is starting to pickup but may have only 15-20 people that ride regularly. The coast is mostly known for its stunning mountain biking riding. Still we are widening the hwy lanes and adding lanes on our rural routes; also don't forget the rides suggested on this blog. Hopefully more people from Vancouver will come over and spend some time to enjoy the coast and the great road riding we have to offer!

----WAB1234----

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Y M C a Rd,Sunshine Coast F,Canada

My 2011 Bike Upgrades

2011-04-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

So I have a new grouppo on my bike - SRAM Red and its SWEET!!!!. Compare to my Ultegra, its lighter and noticeably louder when shifting gear. "Clack, Clack" would best describe the sounds whereas the Shimano grouppo was a barely audible click. The black crankarms and shifters really make the bike look great! The bike weighs in now at 15.5 lbs with pedals and cages.

----WAB1234----

The Sun Run was actually.....FUN!

2011-04-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't really think that I would have run as good as I did. I trained the days before...hard and counted on a slow and laboured (to his standards) pace with my son that I thought "hey just go out and have fun" run with him. I found out the day before that my son bailed and then I started thinking that my legs feel all lactic acidy like when I was climbing up stairs.

I've never ran the Sun Run before and was really surprised with all the people. All 49,000+ runners out there! The gun went and a stream of people were zipping off to win. The race starts in waves and it seems that the really slow people somehow put themselves into the 45-50 minute 10km pace category to be able to get ahead of the crowds!!! As I started the run, I ran a slower than race pace just to see how the crowds was going to slow me. Then I hit the walkers (yes 45min 10km my ass!!!) and it was like a pylon slalom course. The crowds hit a rhythm and I found myself running fast. So I switched to race pace and started passing people. I crossed the finish line at 46:41 and had fun!!!

Need to Really Have Goals

2011-04-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

It's obvious that I'm in a funk right now. I think it's this long winter of constant rain and lack of sun. It's the first winter that my moods have been affected by the long winter season. After being sick for 3 weeks its like all my training prior to the flu was thrown in the garbage. I tried to train during it to maintain my current level of fitness but I definitely have seen a decline in mental fitness. Feelings of being discourage, disappointment and being overwhelmed of all the training required to get caught up.

But goals are goals and for me it's important to stick to them only if it's just to reach it. Completing them always help me analyze the journey on how to improve. Its the Sun Run tomorrow and its a fun goal so that's what I'll do!

---WAB1234----

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Deer Walk,Bowen Island,Canada

Around the Olympic Peninsula in 3 months

2011-03-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

My virtual tour started Jan 1, 2011. But I was running in the snow and rain, and even riding on a trainer. I often wondered about going along this route for real. The pictures speak a thousand words of Olympic Pennisula's beauty. La Push looks like a really nice place to visit the ocean.

View Larger Map

The Ides of March Brings The Running Race Season.

2011-03-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

So its mid march and over the last three months I started running and added a couple of goals to my 2011 bucket list. The April Fools half marathon, the Sun Run and the Bare Bones Duo. When I first started running in December after my first run, I couldn't walk for two days without wincing up the stairs. I ran in the Resolution Run 10km and completed a 55min 10km. I've hit the track once a week and run 4 days per week and cycle 2 days per week. Anyway, I came down with this wicked flu/cold that sidelined me for 3 weeks and really affected my Duathlon at UBC, however I did pretty good with a 22nd place finished with a 22min/24min 5km split times. My progress on running has come to fruition and I'm really enjoying it. To date since January, I've run 229km and cycled 391km - 620km completed and time to start my virtual tour down into the states!

---WAB1234---

And the final mileage is.....

2011-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Its January 3rd, 2011 and its time to figure out the last year riding season, pick goals and assign some metrics. First the mileage: 3401km and 142 hours! I probably spent more time on my bike than any other activity, next to family time, working and sleeping. I don't now where I'll find the time this year to ride without sacrificing the other 3 things on my list. To get the 2011 key metrics is to analyse the peaks of the weeks of 2010. I started riding around March. And peaked for the year around mid July. That's 4 months of riding and after May I started to put on big mileage with the Circle Ride (160km - Day 1 and 120 km - Day 2). There was a lesser peak during the week of Granfondo.

During the x-mas break, I've established 3 key goals to establish me a key athlete.

Duathlon - March 7th - 5km run - 20 km ride - 5 km run.
Kelowna Granfondo - July 12th - 120km
Levi Granfondo - Oct 1st - 160km

Key metrics for me to follow:

- increase leg speed through running for the duathlon.

- increase VO2 max through more hill climbing

- increase cycling average speed through intervals.

------------------------------------------------------

So, I've started running and its been hard. And cycling on the trainer has been harder (boring).

---WAB123---

You Know Your Bored When....

2010-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well the rides are few and far between. The weather has been less than cooperating and being a fair weather rider (actually I don't have time to meticulously clean my bike), I've been avoiding going out in the rain. Well, I convinced myself that if I don't go, I'll get FAT so I figured that I'll need to buy new cables, chain, pulley wheels in the spring anyway so into the rain I go! Dressing for it is another matter...and I look like I've gained back all those pounds that I cycling off this spring, but its just hi-tech layers to keep me dry, or at least semi-dry.

With my other 6-8 hours/week of not training its being replaced by more creative or mundane things like making cycling caps. I can't get the brim right or the bottom of the hat straight. I'm on my 5th hat and they still suck to show anyone. On the other hand, I just made 2 bike tire belts.... And they look pretty good if I say so myself. Even my socially conscious son wanted a set. I think that I'll call them Re-Cycled Belts.

---WAB1234---

Virtual Tour stop at Terrace Bay, ON

2010-10-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

3225km and 135 hours of riding has landed me in Terrace Bay. I'm 225km past my year goal and feeling pretty smug about myself. This stop is at Terrace Bay on the northern shores of Lake Superior. Here's the WIKI story on my stopover.

Terrace Bay is a township in Thunder Bay District in northern Ontario located on the north shore of Lake Superior east of Thunder Bay. The name originates from a series of lake terraces formed as the water level in Lake Superior lowered following the latest ice age.

My training is in recovery mode to slow down and look at the scenery and to enjoy the last sunny days during the fall months. Pretty soon Highways will be applying the dreaded liquid salt which will eat at the very being of my bike. It was a frosty morning last weekend and I'm not far from calling it a season.

Thunder Bay, Here I Come!

2010-09-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

At 2865km, I've passed Winnipeg about 500km ago. Nothing was really missed there. The Ontario border was about 400km away and today I coming up near Upsala. Upsal....what? Yep theres a name for anything. Wiki says:

Upsala is a township in Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario. It is located on the Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 17, 142 km west of Thunder Bay. It was named after the city of Uppsala in Sweden. When established in 1882, Upsala was an important fuel and water stop for trains travelling on the then newly constructed Canadian Pacific Railway system. The Upsala area is situated just north of Lac des Mille Lacs, which was an important fur trade waterway and today is home to many fishing and hunting resorts.

Thunder Bay is in my sights and well within my goals of 3000km for the year. I'm considering traveling Route 66 next year for a new virtual tour adventure. Sorry Canada, the prairies killed me due to the lack of adventure and diversity. You're just too boring!!!!!

In a month, I can work wonders

2010-09-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Has it been a month and half already? Over the last month, I've ridden 2,826km and 117hours in the saddle. I'll update my virtual tour next post. The marquee event for me was the Granfondo which was from Vancouver to Whistler. It was astounding and certainly surreal to be riding the Sea to Sky Hwy without the worries of cars going 100km/hour. It was well worth the money and I'll probably go in it next year.

Position	Bib	Name	Team name	Start time	Split 1	Split 1 Pos.	Split 2	Split 2 Pos.	Finish time	Elapsed time	Avg speed (KM/H)	Compare
1653	2274	Warren Hansen	Fancy Beer	7:12:32	02:39:10	3150	03:28:34	1246	12:11:46	04:59:14	25.22

Manitoba is almost the same as Saskatchewan

2010-08-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

My virtual tour across Canada leads me into Manitoba and I'm still in the prairies. 2135km from Horseshoe Bay and 89 hours in the saddle. I'm just a little past Brandon, MB and obtained a little picture to remember it by.
Wiki says the following about the place:
Brandon is a city in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. The surrounding area is often referred to as "Westman".

The city started as a major junction on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and theAssiniboine River and was then incorporated in 1882. Brandon, the second largest city and service centre in Manitoba after Winnipeg, is a major hub for the surrounding agricultural area. The population of its trading area is between 70,000 and 150,000 people, while the city has a population of over 46,000. Brandon's industry reflects its agricultural history; its major industries are related to agriculture and include fertilizer and hog processing plants, as well as retail and government services for the surrounding area of Westman. Brandon is also home to Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College as well as the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance (by car) to the southeast of the city. Minnedosa Lake is only half an hour to the north.

Brandon's Army Reserve unit is the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, and the Canadian warship HMCS Brandon was named after the city.

---WAB1234---

If you're going through Saskatchewan, you're bound to run into a Indian Head

2010-07-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

My virtual cycling tour across Canada landed me just west of "Indian Head" at 1801km from Horseshoe Bay, BC. Indian Head? Yep I kid you not! And what does every town need when named from a First Nation's part of their anatomy - a INDIAN HEAD? YEP!

Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, 69 km east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter belts.

So there you go. I've been riding into the darnedest towns!

---WAB1234---

Moose Jaw - Wonder where the name came from

2010-07-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

My virtual tour lands me in Moose Jaw at 1663km across Canada. How did this place get its name? Wiki (gotta love Wiki!) says "Marked on a map as Moose Jaw Bone Creek in an 1857 survey by surveyor John Palliser,^[1] there are two theories as to how the city got its name. The first one is that it comes from the Plains Cree namemoscâstani-sîpiy meaning "a warm place by the river", indicative of the protection from the weather that the Coteau Range provides to the river valley containing the city^[2]and also the Plains Cree wordMoose Gaw meaning warm breezes. The other is that on the map of the city the Moose Jaw river is shaped like a moose's jaw." I like the first version rather than the obvious. Traveling luck has a better break down of Moose Jaw here . Of course every town aptly named from a moose's anatomy should have a giant statue of it!

Regina is a mere 70km away and Winnipeg is 550km. There is a whole load of km still to ride!

---WAB1234---

280km in Two Day on the Circle Tour

2010-06-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

280km and 11:29:40 in two days defines the circle tour around the Georgia Basin aka the Circle Tour. To summarized my event on the Saturday, I got off the ferry and realized that I only had 40km to complete a Century which is the definitive event in a cyclist goal bucket list. I picked out my route and ended up completing 160km (100miles) at the end of the day. To give a better perspective of the distance, just jump in the car at Horseshoe Bay and drive east on the HWY 1 for a little less than 2 hours and you'll hit 160km just outside of Hope, BC.

Anyway, the next day was start of a 120km trip down the coast on the old island hwy and for all intents and purposes I was cycling into headwind all the way!!!! (Actually I just checked the weather data and it was a 30km headwind which equates to a 4% grade uphill for effort). Here's some pictures:

Picture 1 - Deer and two fawns in Comox

Picture 2 - In between Comox and Courtney on the river.

Picture 3 - Fanny Bay

Picture 4 - Denman Island Ferry

Picture 5 - Qualicam Beach

Picture 6 - Departure Bay Ferry Terminal - End of the ride!

280km and 11:29:40 !!!!!

---WAB1234---

Second day of the Circle Ride starts with Sun!

2010-06-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

A great start to the ride in Comox. I've done about 161 km and 6 hour 35 min of riding. 120km to go to Nanaimo.

2nd leg done at Powell River

2010-06-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

11:00 am June 26.
Whew! Completed the second leg of my journey and I'm at 118km and 4:41 hours into it. This second leg was really pleasant with almost no highway traffic and wide shoulders. I felt really safe here. The shoulder was pretty clean compare to highway 101 near Sechelt. On to Comox and to visit friends to end day ones adventure.

Made it to Earls Cove

2010-06-26T08:10:00.001-07:00

Well I'm 85 km into my first day and it's 7:50am in morning! Completed to date - 3:24:31 time, 85.61 km, 25.1 km per hour.

Well the first leg was awesome although it didn't start too well. I woke up at 2:45am and took my time to put everything together. Went through my checklist, yep all good to go. I left the house at 4am and it was very dark which required me to use some lights. The first 1/2 hour in the dark was a bit eerie because it was so quiet. About 10 min into the ride I needed a drink of water and no water bottles. Man! It wasn't on my list! So I realized that nothing was open in Gibsons at 4:30 am except for Timmy's which had these pathetic water bottles. Good enough I said and shelled out $3.45 (rip off). There was almost no traffic most of the way which I counted 10 cars. I'm now waiting for the 8:25 ferry where I'll rest, stretch, get sugared up and ride to Powell River for 30km.

Test blog entry

2010-06-26T03:54:00.001-07:00

Today is my big two day ride. Will be testing and sending pictures of my trip along the way.

---WAB1234---

Sent from my iPhone

Whats in Suffield Alberta?

2010-06-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

June 20 of my Virtual Tour and its the same thing - Flat as hell and grasslands every where! I end this week just outside Suffield Alberta. 1237km and 51 hours of riding. Traveling Luck doesn't have much to say about this area. Except for the Armed Forces Base just north of here, its not very exciting.... http://travelingluck.com/North+America/Canada/Alberta/_6158870_Suffield.html#local_map

---WAB1234---

Virtual Tour stop at Hwy 842 - Theres Petro Canada Station here

2010-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

My virtual tour stop of the week at 1082km is at the junction of Hwy 842 and the Hwy 1. I went on Google Maps and into street view. There's truck stop and Petro Canada here! Woo-Hoo! South on Hwy 842 is the town of Cluny, or something of a town which looks haunted. A little further south is Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park on the Bow River .

---WAB123---

Right through Calgary and stopped in Chestermere Lake

2010-06-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

My virtual tour this week took me from the Rockies right through Calgary and into Chestermere Lake. Wiki says

Chestermere Lake is a man-made reservoir in Chestermere, Alberta, Canada.

It was built in the 1880's by the Canadian Pacific Railway, for irrigation of the area between Calgary and Strathmore. It is presently used mainly for recreation purposes, such as swimming, windsurfing, fishing and skating (in winter). The town of Chestermere surrounds the lake on three sides. The Trans-Canada Highway follows the northeastern shore, while the railway tracks pass by the southern shore.

The lake covers a surface of 2.65 square kilometres and has a maximum depth of 7metres.^[1] It drains into two irrigation canals and is filled via a canal from the Bow River.

The phrase "Chestermere Lake" is actually inaccurate as "mere" means lake in English. With "Chester" an English word derived from the Latin for a defensive fort and meaning "Castle", this would make "Chestermere Lake" translate as "Lake Castle Lake".

Will have a try to find a place to relax after that grueling week at a B&B here in Chestermere.

Highlight ride was to Steveston from the ferry (109km, 4:40:02)

The Circle tour is in 3 weekends and I haven't been putting the mileage that should. This week will be seeing more longer rides.

---WAB1234---

Almost Sideswiped.

2010-05-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

I meant to write about this for a while. About a week ago, I was just doing my regular riding route on the highway and a purple F150 brushed me (about a foot away from the mirror) and then suddenly turn right in front of me. All I could do was jam my brakes on and yell at the top of my voice. The driver kept driving up the road probably not even aware of the almost carnage that could have occurred. I felt incensed! Pissed off! and woefully helpless....I felt that I should have track the person down and let him know that the driver was in the wrong or something like that. After a week of thinking about it, I believe that it was an honest mistake and something that any driver of automobile wouldn't get how I feel unless they could feel that their life was in jeopardy too. Something like if their brakes failed or someone was in their lane heading towards them in a head-on collision. At least, a head-on would get their attention whereas hitting a bike rider would even dent the quarter panel. Suffice to say that whatever the odds, it'll be Truck 1; Rider 0 every-time.

---WAB1234---

What the???? Eldon, Alberta?

2010-05-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

My virtual bike ride across Canada is at 832km and has me landing in Eldon, Alberta - Its seems that Eldon is just a small group of houses. Let see where next week will take me....on WAB1234's tour across Canada!

This is Boom Lake just outside Eldon. Click the link for information on Eldon http://travelingluck.com/North+America/Canada/Alberta/_5947456_Eldon.html#local_map

Getting Ready for the Circle Ride

2010-05-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

I've put about 742km into training this year since April and I've mapped it on Google maps. Right now I would be just outside Golden on the BC border and well into the Rockies! Google Map link I checked my progress last year and at this time I put in about 1110 km in. 400 less km but I'm about 1km/hour faster on average in 2010, so I'm doing better and more intense workouts.

I've established two goals this year. 1) June 26 and 27. The circle ride from Gibsons to Powell River to Comox to Nanaimo. This journey is 240km and I'll do it in 2 days. It is possible to do it in 1 day but the ferries schedule sort of screws up the day. I'll look at the summer schedule to see if it can be worked out in the summer schedule in August. 2) The Granfondo in September.

---WAB1234---

Starting to get excited about riding again.

2010-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm just starting to get into the groove of riding on the coast. There seems to be greater enthusiasm this year versus other years as several people have approached me to go riding seriously. A couple of ideas we have floated around is to do the Circle Ride (Powell River, Courtney, Nanaimo, Gibsons loop) which is 240km and 10-12 hours of riding in two days. Actually one of the riders would like to do it in one day!!!! I don't want this to be a rite of passage into a mid-life crisis as the suggestion came from a former Canadian Cycling Champion (who is bionic by the way). I would like to enjoy the ride and two days will just about do it. June 26, 27 could be the dates for some fun!

Other ideas is a small toonie criterium race around the blocks in Sechelt. The race format is 20 laps and if you are lapped then you're out. They can get a bit dangerous around corners and with bunch of people....maybe not...but lots of interest in racing though! Maybe we'll stick to Wednesday night rides instead and sprint for the street signs.

Just registered to ride in the Whisler Granfondo Event!!!!

2010-03-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

I needed a goal and it wasn't simple to decide. First there was a possible duathlon at UBC. I'm not a strong runner and actually despise it, but it would have been a necessary evil. The date was coming soon and I haven't even tried running. So, its becoming a passing thought.

My friend, Dave sent an email of a ride from Vancouver to Whistler called the Granfondo which means big ride. He also said that there were only hundred spaces left of the 3500 spaces for the ride. So I started entering information on my Iphone but hadn't finished the registration yet. A day later after mulling the idea with my wife and with her support, I jumped on the computer to register and the website said "Sold Out!". Oh man I was beyond bummed out!!! Then I remember my phone registration and voila! the session was still active. I put my information back in and credit card number and the website accepted my payment and a confirmation came in the mail!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!! Hopefully they don't notice there is 3501 people registered.

From the website http://www.whistlergranfondo.com/granfondo.htm

What is a GranFondo?

Gran Fondo's are mass participation cycling events that have enjoyed incredible popularity in Europe for decades, and are beginning to gain momentum in North America. The Whistler GranFondo will be the first of its kind in Canada (but the US saw about 9 Gran Fondo rides start up in 2009).

Loosely translated from Italian, GranFondo means "big ride." Rides are often 100 km or more for a large number of cyclists at a variety of skill levels - everyone from the competitive cyclist to the amateur wanting to challenge themselves over distance and time enjoy these events. While these are not races, top finishers are often recognized.

Gran Fondo's are judged by the challenges they offer… steep climbs, long distances and a combination of the two. The Whistler GranFondo will not disappoint with 2,400 meters of climbing over the entire 120 km route. And if that isn't enough, the Whistler GranFondo will also offer primes (or mini timed races) along the way at particularly challenging sections to give riders that extra motivational boost. This will be a challenge worth bragging about and you'll be rewarded with a Founding Riders Finisher's Medal

Its was blue but now red!!!!!

2010-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

My bike is finally finished! In October, my old bike developed a crack in the seat tube. I was wondering where the creaking was coming from for months and in October it was driving me crazy. A closer inspection revealed a small 1 1/2" crack at the back of the seat tube at the bottom of the notch (below the collar clamp). I took it to Spin Cycles and Paul immediately put the papers in and order a new bike frame. Because the bike was so popular, a new bike frame had to come from somewhere far away, and get this, the bearing had to come from the factory in Arizona!!! So, in January I had a frame, but the forks had to come from Taiwan and that came in March. I put on some nice red cables and new red wrap on the handlebars. I'm using a buddy's set of used Mavic ES wheels and man does this bike look great!!!!

Gone is the creaking and the wheels make this one fast bike! I'm so charged up to ride this year!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

I need a goal. A duathlon? Ride to Conquer Cancer? In the coming weeks, I will be deciding.