Chatter

Any chance of catching a few more moments of sun (and Vit D) by starting the rides at 7 am – at least for August?

Check out this link about an innovative moving company in Montreal…should be easier for us with all the flat ground.   I’m going to remember this the next time I’m whining about climbing a hill when the only thing I have to tow up it is my sorry butt!

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/659250

So yesterday I’m out for a ride.  Going west on the 52 at about 29kph and there’s this guy with an old MTB ahead of me and he’s got slicks on the MTB and a set of aero bars.  I didn’t recognize him and he didn’t make eye contact so I cruise on past.  About 3/4 of the way to Kleefeld I’m going 32kph and he pulls up beside me.  I do a double take to see him beside me on that old clunker but again he won’t make eye contact.  Makes me kind of nervous to have this stranger bombing along beside me like that, so I step it up to 34kph.  He’s still there.  So, I step it up again, this time to 37kph, and for about another 1/2 km he’s STILL beside me.  Just about when I’m getting totally freaked out, he drops.

I continue on up to the Bothwell corner and then head north to Bothwell.  All of a sudden I am driving between two lakes. The recent rains have so flooded the fields, and the sun is so bright, that I’m riding an asphalt sliver between two sparkling lakes.  Strange and beautiful.

On the way back there’s a black bird sitting on the highway and not moving.  I stop and it seems that it’s wings and legs are broken.  I put it out of it’s misery.  All in a day’s ride.

A week without riding got me thinking.  There’ll be about 16 weeks of reasonably good riding this season (counting April & May as a write-off due to  crappy weather & anticipating October as mostly poor weather also).  Every additional week of lost riding = 6.25% of the season.  Man, anyone want to move somewhere else?

Many of you already get “Bicycling” magazine and may already have read this article at some point.  It is pretty long, but so worth the read.  It is centered around cyclists injured/killed by inattentive and/or drunk drivers, the lack of accountability for the drivers involved, and what some are doing to try to change things.  I know this is not new, I know this is a huge, uphill battle…but it did make me think I should be doing more than just stewing and complaining about it.  Just not quite sure where to go from here….

At any rate, like I said, its worth the read.  Its not meant to scare anyone off from doing what we love; I don’t think any of us are unaware of the risk we take going out there but the risk is worth the reward so far. 

http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-3-12-16637-1,00.html

During discussion this morning at breakfast in Kleefeld (not Bothwell!), it was suggested that some riders would be interested in doing an adventure ride (mountain bike) along the Trans Canada Trail in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. You could not ride your road bike along the trail, so you would have to find a mountain bike or cross-trainer type (fat tires are better, though). The trail winds through the beautiful provincial park forest from Falcon Lake to Westhawk Lake and then on to Caddy Lake and back again on the same trail. Many sections of the trail are fairly challenging, but not technical. The distance would be approximately 50 – 60kms. There are great eats at both Westhawk Lake and Falcon Lake (my preference is Westhawk, but that would mean riding the last 15 – 20kms with a full tummy). We could still meet at the tower in Steinbach and then drive together to Falcon Lake and disembark there. Check out the map of the trail (http://www.mrta.mb.ca/gfx/tcSouthWhiteshell.pdf).

As with many things in our lives change happens.  The Lancaster Ride for the weekend of June 20 has been changed.  The change is for a number of reasons, the biggest is that many of our riders don’t have passports.

So we will be travelling to New Bothwell via Labroquerie about 80 km’s.  Yes you are reading this correctly.  In the past we have ridden on the east or west side of the #12 hwy.  This is one ride that is on both sides of #12.

One other change is the start time has been changed to 8 am, but still leaving from the water tower.

Final Round Voting Results – % of vote received for “I like it a lot” or “I like it somewhat”

“Friends, Fitness, Food”  100% 

“Ride, eat, repeat” 71.50%

“Wheel fun, real people” 64.30%

There it is, “Friends, Fitness, Food” will be our slogan – the people have spoken!  Thanks for your participation.

Hi Roadies,

Votes are in and we are down to the final three slogans.  Thanks everyone for your willing participation.  Please take the survey one more time by clicking on this link.  I’ll announce the winning slogan as soon as possible and then Werner can get started on the wallet cards!

As Sunday June 7 approaches, we should decide whether or not we’ll go ahead with the ride from Steinbach to Morden. ( That distance is only for Ron. Shorty and myself are closer to Morden). The good news is that we’ll have a TAIL WIND the entire way!!!  The winds are forcast to be from the ENE at 10-12 kph, really quite gentle.  The downside is that it’ll be somewhat cool and that’ll have an impact also on the music festival as it’s held outdoors.  At this point there doesn’t appear that any rain is in the forecast.  As for me, I’m 100% in favor of doing the ride.  The tail wind trumps everything.  Riding with the wind, as you all know, makes it seem much warmer and of course we can dress for the weather.  That’s my two cents worth.  What d’ ya’all think??????