CPP Cycling Team

TDA the Sequel

2011-08-21T09:02:00.001-07:00

As I rode into the parking lot at Cherry Lane thinking that I am late, my first reaction was damn I am late and they have left because it did say precisely 6:45 am. However, the parking lot soon filled with the usual suspects plus a couple on a Tandem Bike who will be mentioned later in dispatches. A footnote—precisely means different things to different people.

The roll through the border went smoothly with only a touch of humour as the guard said, “Real cyclists would have ridden down from Penticton!!!”

As the group assembled at the Mexican restaurant how little did we know that Mexico would play a huge part in the Epic Ride.

Once on the bikes, we headed out towards Nighthawk to do last year’s ride in reverse. A pleasant time was had by all as the cruise around to Tonasket took us by a lake, which brought out the classic quote from JS when asked the name of the lake. “I can’t remember it but I will when I see the sign!!”

Another landscape attempt but those cyclists just won't stay out of the photos.

At Tonasket, we topped up the water/sports drink bottles to prepare for the rolling hills up to Sitzmark Ski Resort.

Did I just say rolling hills!!! As I checked the road sign it said Sitzmark 19 and I thought that isn’t too bad OOPS that is miles!!!

The climb has all the characteristics of the Baldy climb where you round a corner a think it has to level out here. But oh no it doesn’t. Then with a cruel stab to the heart, you do hit a flat part only to be confronted by another climb. At least on the Baldy Climb there are trees and curves. On one section here it is like being on a farm road is Saskatchewan that stretches for miles in front of you except here the stretch is uphill.

At the top is the Sitzmark Ski Resort and Chalet.

As the group was able to reassemble with an outstanding performance by Kent and Tara of Tandem fame.

As roll call was taken it was noticed that Mary had not arrived so Tom thought maybe I should go ride with her to get her up to the Resort.

With a significant passage of time a vehicle was flagged down and questioned about any cyclists coming this way. The negative response indicated that Tom had probably found Mary and they would ride the “short cut” to Oroville.

If you want something to clear your mind about climbing 30 km uphill, then the ride down to Oroville will do the trick. The group of 18 bikes broke up into smaller packs and away we went. If you can, get on the wheel of a tandem on the way down because they go really really fast.

When the group arrived at the Mexican restaurant, Mary was there but alas no Tom. Sitting down for a fine repast of Mexican cuisine and cerveza, Mary told of her adventure to get back to Oroville with some really nice Mexican people who even volunteered to drive her across the border. She declined since she did feel that she should wait for her dad.

As the cerveza flowed the conversation became more spirited with references to piñatas and an old Cheech and Chong routine except it was “Tom’s not here!!”

When Tom finally arrived, the crowd had thinned out alittle so there was plenty of room for him to stretch out and tell of his over distance training with a descent back to Tonasket and the uphill ride back to Oroville. “I was a kilometre from Oroville and I was about to hitch hike”. However, the extra distance will certainly look good in his training log.

So the ending to the story has a mixture of good and not so good because . . .

As we left the restaurant, Mike who had gone on a mission to find Tom, finally returned and unfortunately had a mishap as his bike fell off the back of his car and broke the front fork. It would appear that his front wheel survived as it rolled 100 metres down the road.

Plans are already in the works for next year.

In the meantime the usual Wednesday/Saturday rides will go this week.

Not Camp Boyle again!!!

2011-08-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

With a huge group assembling for the Wednesday ride and the Fabulous Fantini as Directeur Sportif, it was once again decided to go to Camp Boyle.

Thrown in the mix was a combination of The A Team, The F Troop and some relative new comers so the tempo out to Crescent Beach was pleasant. As noted in a previous post, I thought a landscape photo would be in order but these cyclists magically appeared in the photo.

The usual sprint at Crescent Beach should have been followed by the climb up Peach Orchard but someone thought the less than smooth pavement of Switchback Road would be a nice treat.

Fortunately only one flat was inflicted and as I passed by the scene it appeared that Brian and Des had plenty of free advice on how to change it.

I have to say that, although the F Troop rides may lack some verbal communication, this ride led by the A Team even lacked organization. With discussions about gravel roads and Marron Valley, we still ended up on the usual route to Camp Boyle.

After what seemed like enough time to have a three course lunch break, the peleton started the return from The Camp. Taking phones of a passing peleton with a cell phone with the sun at your back is not the ideal photographic experience. Landscape photos are looking like the go.

When we eventually hit Summerland, the A Team decided another route to try which involved the descent on Canyon View. Since I am working on my time trial skills, I opted for an alternative route. Seems the other group, even got a “new” version of how to get to Canyon View.

Back at the coffee shop for some recovery chocolate milk and coffee while making plans to for the epic Tom and Doug’s Excellent Adventure – The Sequel (key phrase is The Sequel!!). That ride goes Saturday from Cherry Lane at 6:45 am with a return time to allow attendance at Sybilla and Harold's soiree.

Hope to see you there.

Weekend riding

2011-08-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Had a couple reports from the two groups on Saturday.

The 7 am group as is their penchant set a course then immediately changed it with a huge flurry of hand signs. I believe they were in Spanish because they reported some famous Spanish rider joined them. Not sure of the veracity of the claim as they do tend to exaggerate on certain details.

Meanwhile the 8 am group was led by Marty who thought, just for the heck of it, that he would put the hurt on them right from the start. No further details are available as the group didn’t keep track of where they went, who won what sprint and who got the stage win.

As for your intrepid reporter who feeling the need for a real recovery ride, took a spin on the KVR and came up with these two photos.

View from the Little Tunnel

View from the trestle near town.

I think I may have to take up landscape photography because if I am going to be “Shlecked” on group rides (Friday was a case in point) I might as well have something to do besides convince my two best friends that I am going as fast as I can. The other alternative is to trade my Orca in and buy an Ordu. At least that way when I am forced to timetrial home I will have a better aero position.

The CPP Team headed south today in the hopes that the northwind would change to the south. Had we ridden to Osoyoos we probably would have been successful. Trying to stall so the wind might change, I was able to get this photo from the top of Secrest.

The Wednesday ride goes at 8 am from Smith.

Saturday will once again have a couple options. One is Doug and Tom`s ride leaving Cherry Lane at 6:45 am precisely or the usual 8 am start from Smith and Co.

Hopefully, you can make a couple of these rides.

Tour de Keremeos.

2011-08-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

Seems a few people were prepared to arise early and join the F Troop for the Tour de Keremeos. Here is a Google map of the loop.

A kinder gentler ride to Apex Ranch except for three guys who were misinformed that there was an iced mocachino for the first to the top was followed by some of the best descending to Yellow Lake.

A few photos of the F Troop at the junction to Yellow Lake.

Photo One

Photo Two

Photo Three

Photo Four

Photo Five

Photo Six

Those in the attack decided to head home while the F Troop continued on to Keremeos and beyond.

It was a little disappointing that the crowd was absent today. Must have been a conflict with the Peach Festival Parade, which we missed because we added an extra loop today down to Becks Road. The extra loop gave us a chance to see our tax dollars at work and enjoy turning into a headwind to get to The Bear.

The rest stop at The Bear allowed an opportunity to discuss the return voyage. By a decisive majority it was decided to go back up Green Mountain Rd.

We noticed a few of the 8 am crew heading towards Keremeos on our way to Grn Mtn Rd. Not sure if they added in the extra loop but they may have opted for a reverse Richter with the huge tailwind thru Cawston.

A regrouping at Apex Ranch for the descent to town was followed by some spirited pace line riding with some excellent bike handling skills by Mary when she did her cross bike routine when the pedestrians crossed in front.

After bobbing and weaving through the post parade traffic, we arrived at the coffee shop where we met a second 8 am group who claimed to have rode over and back to Yellow Lake.

There is a planned “recovery ride” tomorrow leaving Smith and Co at 9 am. Hope to see you there.

Recovery Ride to the Ranch.

2011-08-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

There is an oxymoron if I ever saw one!!!

Will decided that we should cruise up to the chicken coop for our ride today to enjoy the clear blue sky and sunshine.

Things were going smoothly until we saw two guys up ahead which Will for some reason called the ‘breakaway”. Naturally we had to chase down the breakaway and we passed the two guys by Farleigh Lake Road.

Now I am hanging on because I think we are going to sprint at the chicken coop and call it a day.

But wait, didn’t I mention the Ranch. Will decides that he needs some more hills because yesterday’s pain fest where I hit "hors catégorie" for a heart rate zone on the hill intervals and stage sprint wasn’t sufficient.

So at the coop he says “might as well go to the Ranch”. Since he is not in my age category and being a much wiser man, I let him go thinking that I will apply the out and back rule which is only good on “out and back’ courses!!!

So as I settle in to my pedestrian tempo past the chicken coop, Will begins to disappear up ahead. Quite content with my pace, I am rolling along when I hear this horrible snorting and spitting.

It is the two guys who we passed and they have challenged me for what is left of the polka dot jersey points. I don’t think so boys!!! So the recovery ride goes out the window and I drop them.

At the ranch, Will has had time for lunch and a glass of Chablis so we head down. Since recovery has been elimintated from the ride today, it is once again time trial or get dropped.

Going for the stage win is a fool’s task as I try to get a jump only to find that we have a head wind. I like to think that jumping early makes him work harder but when he goes by and says “Is that all you’ve got?” it hardly seems fair.

Next ‘group” ride is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am. Hope to see you there.

When to attack

2011-07-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

With the nice weather and the “long” weekend, the numbers were up for the group ride this morning. Not only the tourists but also a few of the closet bike riders even fronted.

It would seem that there are certain traditions at have developed over the years.

July long weekend is the Apex climb to plant the flag at the Old Gun Barrel while the August long weekend still involves Apex but it is alittle more confusing.

The cruise to Green Mountain Road allowed several pockets of riders to form since we are at the mercy of the traffic lights.

So when Dan and Kerry grew weary of the pedestrian pace of the group they got stuck with it became apparent that the rest of the A Team would be forced to put in some serious attacks to catch up.

Dave K. did mention that they caught the breakaway but it pretty much took the sting out of the chase group so they decided to rally the troops at Apex Ranch for the descent to Yellow Lake.

Did I mention that July is the ski hill climb because it appears that some of the group thought a time trial to the Gun Barrel would be fun!!!

Given that the ride down to the highway from the Ranch has to be one of the best pieces of downhill riding around, it was good to see such a large strong group form for the descent.

Now it must be noted that little attacks on the bumps are somewhat easy to cover. However, when an attack is made because the wild mustangs have blocked the road that casts a whole new light on the race.

Needless to say, the attack got away and the remaining riders had to pretend that they were animals lovers and really like horses.

The A Team had made their break which left some of their card carrying members to quietly join the F Troop. They got a chance to see how friendly the Troop is and may give up their membership in that cruel and heartless bunch.

But just like in the olden days when all roads led to Rome, all roads lead to the coffee shop. Mind you there were a few riders who decided to go long and haven’t been heard from.

Since it is a long weekend, there are people heading out both Sunday and Monday leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Furious or Not

2011-07-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

The only thing I can verify is this photo because I took it at the Furious3 in Fernie today. The write up that follows may be the ramblings of some deranged mind
that may or may not have gone on the Traditional Canada Ride.

In celebration of this great Nation, a large group rolled out of Smith and Company bound for Apex. The bunch flowed onto the Green Mountain Bridge in fine humour and under the firm control of the F-Troop. In keeping with the celebratory tone of the day, Leahy et al kept the pace at a very civil and conversational pace?for approximately 1.5 km before the shenanigans started. The Dutch can be blamed (for a lot of things) for picking up the pace. Van Kooy lured Waterman into what turned out to be a ?requests for expressions of interest? from the bunch. The upstart pair put themselves 100m up the road with an ?I dare you? disregard for the occasion.

Sharing the same genetic compulsion to chase as a greyhound, Dan ?Now that I?ve smashed you..I?m going home? MacDonald was the first to respond. Unfortunately I was sitting with Dan and was swept up in his vortex and was followed by G. Mitchell. This accidental tactic ultimately worked to my advantage. As a man of mass, my aim is to stay near the pointy end until the incline exceeds my climbing tolerance (between 2% and 3%) at which point I begin my backward migration through the ranks.

The tactical genius Van Kooy proceeded to predict with almost perfect accuracy that Walker, Cutlar and Hefferin and his current wife (more to follow) would bridge up. His only failed prediction was the notable lack of effort from B. Bourke, who was conspicuously absent at the coal face. The selection left Canada with 4, Australia with 3 (and sadly missing John F) and the Dutch 2 (Giving Kerry honourary status).

Important contextual snippet of conversation overheard at this point between Kerry and Art. Kerry: ?Let?s ride together today Aart?? Aart: ?Sure?. (relates to current wife status and later developments on the road.)

The lead bunch generally rode at a civilized pace, interspersed with moments of Dan.. After the hayfields Dan and Lee lifted the pace, eliciting no response from the group. Lee, ultimately separated from Dan, but was only sighted briefly once more before the top.

With the leaders out of sight and out of mind, I was forced to listen to a comparison of heart rates, some barely above resting as mine nudged ever closer to threshold. This psychological gamesmanship worked, and firmed my resolve to get dropped at the big climb.

Following the first turn above the guest ranch, those less corpulent and more aerobically endowed made their way swiftly to the front of the bus. With Walker nowhere to be found, I took the responsibility to bring up the rear in case any of the group needed assistance. It appeared that those expected to excel did so. Having been gapped by a minute, I fell into my own thoughts, not many of them positive.

I was surprised to come across a surprisingly fresh looking Pat Buchanan, just by the gravel pit. This rare sighting of the esteemed Scott, in the rarified air of the high alpine, flicked a switch in my conspiracy theorist mind?Given Dan?s apparent disappearance and Pat?s sudden incarnation as a climbing god?.it sparked the question?Did Pat drive his car up the road, leave it for Dan then ride the last couple of Kms himself?

As the climb ground to it?s inevitable peak, I was able to ride back to Guy, who having suffered a near death mountain biking accident a month ago, was short in miles in his legs and air in his lungs.

While most stopped at the top of the hill just past the cattle guard, Cutjar, Hefferin and Waterman, in an emphatic display, pushed on to the Old Gunbarrel to complete their climb.

As the descent began it was obvious that a number of riders from the following group had decided that this was indeed a bike ride and not a bridge tournament. There were some exceptional efforts from Milt, B.Bourke (finally) and G. Denton. For the record Gary rode on his wife?s triple, leaving me quaking at the possibilities if he decides to ride his big boy bike next time. My apologies for not recording other climbers in more detail, my attention was overtaken by speed and cold.

After a regroup at the guest ranch civility was once again the victim as ?Surgio? Bourke began to play with the rhythm of the group. Wild attacks and surging left those of us who had been looking for a pleasant coast in to town disappointed.

It was during this rapid descent that Kerry?s commitment to her husband suffered under her aspirations as a sprinter (see earlier conversation). When it was noticed that Aart had suddenly been dropped from the group for unknown reasons, Kerry?s only response was to put the hammer down and bully Guy in the battle for second wheel. Stunned at the cold hearted display, the group took some time to reorganize.

In the lower reaches there was some confusion about which sprint would be the finish, so no point were awarded.

A large group re-convened at Smith and Co to recount the gory and the glory with the truth never a threat to ruin a good story.

It is go time.

2011-06-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

When the group assemble this morning, there appeared to be a desperate need for someone to take charge and get the peleton moving.

Undaunted, Tom K., clicked his shoes into his pedals and headed south. For fear that he may be riding alone your intrepid reporter followed him.

It seems that sometimes all it takes is for someone to start riding and the peleton will follow. No need for a cannon, starting pistol or fireworks to get the group moving.

May I add at this time an incontrovertible truth of cycling “When two or more people go for a bike ride, it is in fact called a bike race!!”

This fact was painfully obvious when the peleton hit Eastside Road where JS, Brian B. and Gary J. grew weary of the tempo being stamped out by Pat B. Their move was enough to get a couple more breakaways going.

Fortunately, the F Troop remained calm and let everyone battle it out. Quite content to ride a sensible tempo, the Troop meandered down to Vaseaux where they thought they might rejoin the main peleton.

It would appear that the main group had decided that the F Troop could pound sand because as we approached the rest area they very quickly formed up and took off.

Realizing that this was not really a nice thing to do your reporter thought he should chase the group and mention that it was in very poor taste to show so little regard for the Troop.

I was able to grab the back wheels of three triathletes who though they were not drafting left me an excellent opportunity to leap frog up to the main group.

The remainder of the Troop did not seize the chance and were left to their own resources. Speaking with Peter from the Mexican Cycling Association later on it was reported that they consoled themselves and found solace in their motto not to leave anyone behind.

As the rain began to fall, the main group began to splinter apart with both individuals and groups turning and heading for home.

Undaunted what now has become the A Team for the remainder of todays ride continued south. Made up of The CPP Cycling Team, Java Junkies and Ranch Dawgs plus several independent riders we headed to the Oasis gas station.

Since no rain was falling at the Tuc El Nuit junction, it was decided that Black Sage was in order.

A flat tire forced a stoppage, which allowed some of the locals to pass along their good wishes for the remainder of the ride. It is always nice to get a friendly wave or comment from a passing motorist.
After a brief stop at the 19th hole at Fairview Golf Course where Des had convinced the nice young girl at the concession stand that he really wanted a smoky with onions, we headed up to Fairview and on to White Lake.

Varying tempos and some significant surges broke the Team up a couple times but we did manage to regroup at White Lake.

Since we had already had our fill of golf, we decided to forego the climb to Twins Lakes and bypass St. Andrews and just head for the coffee shop at Smith and Co.

At the highway 97 junction a mini breakaway formed and was given a substantial lead. However, just like in the Tour de France they were left to dangle until about Okanagan Amusements where the main peleton reeled them in and in effect said ‘we are not amused” so take that!!!

The final sprint came down to Dave K., Scott F9TC and one of the CPP boys. It would seem that Dave K. had expended too much energy chasing the break away and Scott needs to work on his sprinting technique in the aero bars so the CPP lad picked up the win.

The following photos of the remnants of the ride show the faces of some serious bike riders and one who asked, “Does this outfit make me look fat?”

Serious riders Number One

Serious riders Number Two

You be the judge.

There is a masters road race tomorrow so there may or may not be riders going for a recovery ride in the morning.

Breaking Traditions.

2011-06-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

For the last 124 years, Ian’s Birthday Ride has been a spin around the famed Richter Ride synonimous with Ironman Canada.

When our weatherman, Osoyoos Joe, mentioned alittle rain to the south, it was decided to do the GranFondo loop and see what happens when we want to go south.

The numbers were large at the start as the prospect of free “pop” at the end brought lots of mountain bikers and assorted others to the start line.

The one lone representative from K Town promised not to lay too much hurt on us. He used the old “I’ve been on holidays so I only just got back on the bike” line. Yah and the cheque is in the mail!!!

After a zigzag through the Uplands area, we headed north to Summerland. With great disregard for the Crescent Beach sprint, we climbed Peach Orchard to stay on the correct GranFondo route.

At the top of the climb, a regrouping took place which included a glance or two towards the south which confirmed from the higher elevation that it was definitely raining down there.

Since Doug from K Town had never experienced the joys of riding to Camp Boyle we decided that it was time. Pumping up the benefits of the ride all uphill out and downhill with a tailwind home, he was easily convinced.

Ian by this time was searching for his friend, Norm, who decided that if it was road bikes he wasn’t coming.

The CPP Cycling Team was just happy to have made the first climb and not been shattered.

The F Troop was plotting how they could somehow set up a different ride but with an out and back loop it did seem impossible.

JS and Jeremy the Sprinter made a break going up to the dump only to realize that it is Ian’s ride and he already had a strangle hold on the polka dot jersey.

When the Camp Boyle sprint began, several pretenders took a shot while Ian once again happily watched their futile attempts to capture the Green Jersey.

As the peleton waited at Camp Boyle, the burning question was “What happened to the F Troop?” Since they march to a different drummer at the best of times, it seems they decided to be gentlemen for a change and accompany Sybilla.

What started as a decent spring day in Penticton, turned to a not so good day in Vancouver. The monsoon hit just after the peleton left the Camp. And with any good monsoon it stayed with us back to Smith and Co.

Des, at one point, felt that since he had heard so much about cross bike riding that he would try it on the highway just before Sage Mesa. A word to the wise, there are sharp objects in the dirt that can result in a flat tire. Fortunately, Des had helped so many people fix flats that he had a couple riders stop to give him a hand.

The peleton split but were determined to form up again at Smith and Co. to find out the venue for the lunch and “pop”.

It was determined that a 2 o’clock kick off at the Barking Parrot was in order since everyone needed to have a shower and warm up.

Word on the street was that the deck at the Parrot was nice and sunny which would have meant a good time to go for a ride.

The only real story that was passed on to your reporter was “Ian was just being Ian!!!”

One further note, Brian B. drove in the course in his suburban and provided support in the form of water, etc., rain jackets and he took a few photos. He did manage to stay dry for the whole time as he handed stuff out the window or shot photos from the comfort of the front seat. The photos are posted at Ian's Birthday Ride

The next ride is Saturday leaving Smith and Co. at 8 am with the good intention of really doing the GranFondo loop. Weather permitting!!!

A split in the ranks

2011-05-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the upcoming GranFondo, there were several training plans in place for today’s riding adventure.

The A Team aka The Big Dogs were in the very popular “race our way to fitness mode” so they headed South to take advantage of the north wind and face the challenges of a headwind on the return voyage.

At Oliver, a couple riders, one tapering for tomorrow’s Salmon Arm 100 and one suffering from too much beer and cigarette smoke, turned for home to tackle the headwinds as a two man time trial. Needless to say, JS spent most of his taper program at the front!!!

Meanwhile, the A Team headed to the end of Black Sage then returned home to the coffee shop where they were treated to the following story.

The F Troop met at precisely 0800 at the normal rendevouz. Once niceties and the obligitory insults were passed out the Troop decided to head north to Summerland to ride the first part of the Fondo loop. The A team decided to ride "South for a Change". This was the last we saw of them until the coffee shop. Along the way we managed to pick up the owner and Coach of Team Impact Kevin Cutjar. Needless to say the Troop was a little worried about the potential of having an elite rider amongst us but we quickly wore him down to discover that riding could be fun if you slow down and smell and see the sights of our surroundings. Coming back into Penticton everyone was having such a good time that we forgot about the sprint. Just as well as there is no sprinting in the F Troop.

We headed south down the Channel Parkway and across to Eastside Road. It was noted that we looked very good riding with the wind. It could be heard within the pace line Coach Kevin asked Dr. H if he could handle riding while putting out 100 watts. The Troop seized upon that moment to slow down the pace as we did not want to be responsible for breaking his watt meter. After McLean Creek Coach K grew tired of our tourist pace and headed back to Penticton. Five hardy souls continued south when we ran accross two A teamers heading the other way. Unfortunately we could not convince them to help us ride with the wind so we were left to our own vices. Onwards to Secrest and then Willowbrook. After a brief stop in Willowbrook to discuss the recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada we continued towards St. Andrews. John Keene noted as we left Willowbrook that he was the last to pull and therefore should take his rightful spot at the back.

After an uneventful descent down from St. Andrews to the highway the Rifleman hit a rock and punctured his front tire. The F Troop pit crew quickly flew over the wall and fixed the flat in record time and were quickly back in there saddles to the coffee shop. Back at the coffee shop the A Team and Terry Maguire were finishing up when we rolled in. Doctor H mentioned that he had to do a 10 minute run as a cool down after such a strenuous ride. Steve quickly showered and shaved and baked some delicious cookies for us all to enjoy. A discussion ensued about getting team jerseys for the Grand Fondo but it was decided that surveyor ribbons in the helmets was a better way to go in order to defray costs.

Sunday Recovery Ride

2011-05-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

For all you disbelievers, there actually was a Sunday Recovery Ride today.

Perry, the jolly Swagman, joined us. Bruce made a quick appraisal of the situation when he heard the ride was to Crescent Beach and realized he had chosen wisely for his first group ride. Also, on the ride were the father and son combination of Team Denton. The Brothers Surkan not to be confused with The Brothers Karamazov were in a jovial mood. Pat B. had his phone on vibrate in case he got a key call. Gary, no I am not with that James Gang, was checking that everyone was in the small ring. Tom, aka Directeur Sportif of Team F Troop, had dried off enough from his Saturday adventure. The CPP Cycling Team was well represented. We did meet Brian, I know I forgot something, out on the highway.

You will be sorry you didn’t attend as the group rode out to Crescent Beach in the small chain rings and cruised through The Tour De Trout Creek with only a token sprint at the Beach sprint.

On the return leg, the group split as some riders wanted to make sure they got a scone at the coffee shop.

The remaining riders were entertained while Des fixed Tom’s flat. Not only did Tom pick up a huge piece of metal but also he earned his N plate.

Once again, the small ring was the order of the day with the second token sprint at Red Wing being taken by Pat who locked up the Green Jersey points for the ride.

Next group ride is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Hope to see you there.

Broken Traditions.

2011-04-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

To set the tone, there were supposedly two groups riding today. Those who are going easy and those who are going very easy. Cue the old adage “The cheque is in the mail”

The large group (30 plus riders) headed south after the self appointed Directeur Sportif broke with tradition and actually described where the ride was going.

The departure at 9 am precisely did cause some concern as that too broke with the traditional later departure. No names will be mentioned.

An early attempt to split the group at the lights at Home Hardware was successful.

Another break with tradition actually saw the main group ride a sensible tempo all the way to Vaseaux Lake. The peleton reformed as the earlier dropped group arrived and all was forgiven.

Onward to Tuc El Nuit and Black Sage, where the first real pace picked up.

The A Team in an effort to try to catch Kevin boosted the pace from the leisurely 30 kph to 40 kph. However, unknown to them, Kevin had carefully concealed himself at Gallagher Lake to watch his brother-in-law apply the final coat of paint to his hotrod.

The remainder of the group decided that 40 kph may be alittle quick for the easy/very easy pace so the trip down Black Sage reverted to a sensible tempo.

At Black Sage and the highway, the group including the A Team reformed, as it was very obvious that the Weathernetwork did get the wind direction correct. Ergo, riding in a steady pace line in to the wind with a large group is way better than the alternatives.

At the 7-11 in Oliver, the major split in the group took place. This was a calculated split as some people wanted hills and others wanted no hills.

A rough count basically saw a 50/50 division so with no clear majority it was decided by the no hills members to form a coalition. The F Troop welcomed some of the usual A Team members and the ride back on Tuc El Nuit was the flavour of choice.

It was a real treat for the F Troop to count in its numbers some very big dogs.

There was a splinter group off the back on Tuc El Nuit that settled into their tempo and knew full well that the nice folks at the coffee shop had made plenty of scones so there was no need to worry.

What would a ride be without a mechanical issue or a flat tire or two?

Fortunately, Gary J. showed some excellent cross-biking skills when Honda Dave broke his chain and Gary was forced to ride into the tumbleweeds. Gary even had the necessary tools to fix the chain and after a brief stop we were back underway.

Des found himself in the unusual position of being at the front and being harassed by Ian to pick up the pace as they had dropped the group!!! But the wily veteran knew better and convinced Ian that they should loop back to see if everything was OK.

As the group surged up Skaha Estates hill, the Mike Cooper rule came into play and anyone who was dropped was left to find his or her own way back.

Team Ranchdawgs with out the aid of team radios had to use hand signals to indicate their plan to attack on the last hill before the sprint. A not to subtle gesture was spotted as the break was made and two non-team members joined the attack.

Rule number one was applied as the new guy was not told where the sprint finished and the Ranchdawgs messed up their lead out so the CPP guy won the sprint.

Back at the coffee shop, Terry Maguire who in characteristic fashion did mention that it was about time we got back joined us.

As riders made their way back to the coffee shop, Ian managed to pick up pizza from his team car.

Our ride did have some international flavour as we had two riders from Norway join us.

Next ride is tomorrow leaving Smith and Co. for a “Recovery Ride to Crescent Beach”.
Hope to see you there.

In the Rain

2011-04-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently today was the 2nd “official ride of the season. See previous post for the 1st ride.

There was some irony early on as the Edmonton boys were in attendance while Des is planning a trip to ride in Edmonton. Not sure who is going to be better off.

In addition, there were a significant number of "new" old faces who joined the ride for the first time this season.

As the group grew in size at Smith and Co., it was obvious that some leadership was required. Since none was forth coming, it became a contest of who could shout out their choice of ride the loudest.

One very popular choice was Indian Rock. However, given the large number of riders it was decided to go “South for a Change”!!!

As the peleton headed out, the F Troop was still taking roll call and noticed that their fearless leader was absent. Fortunately, the go south routine is so common that their leader knew to intercept the Troop on Winnipeg. As an aside, he claims he never threw an interception when he was the starting QB for Regina High.

Now a problem has arisen. The group is so far ahead that the Troop realizes that they can not catch the peleton without inflicting severe pain on themselves so someone says Indian Rock.

This proves to be a wise decision because although the roads were a little damp they did not encounter any rain.

Meanwhile, the peleton charged headlong into the monsoon. Well they described it as a monsoon but we know they tend to exaggerate. I guess some people like to ride in the rain and get cold while others do not!!!

The map of the Troop’s ride is attached. Since they follow their leader to the letter or in this case distance and that distance had to be 70 km. Not sure what would happen maybe turn into pumpkins or something if the magic number is not reached.

Upon return to Smith and Co., it was noted that the F Troop appeared to be in better humour than the frozen A Team. However, to make them pay, the Troop had to sit in wet chairs.

The next ride for anyone interested is tomorrow Sunday April 17, 2011 leaving Smith and Co. at 9 am.

And so it begins

2011-03-28T18:24:00.001-07:00

The first semi official ride of the 2011 season took place today. A mere 60 km spin down to Vaseaux Lake and back with a lovely tailwind and chance to test out the new Orbea.

From the discussion in the peleton, the bike looks awesome. However, they did suggest that I should have spent more on the engine!!!

The CPP Team has been active in recruiting new members. Rick joined the Team today. He will be a valuable addition.

Keith of skate ski fame joined us. Des made him pay for his many episodes of elder abuse on the Nickel Plate Nordic trails.

In addition, Jeff who appears to be a close relative of that other Australian cyclist, Robbie McEwen took the both the Green jersey points and the white jersey.

We believe there may have been some secret strategy between the two younger riders as they made a serious attack on Eastside Road on the return trip. However, the sly old dogs let them dangle for a brief time before reeling them in.

In the final sprint, Des made a clever attack on the inside and tested the Australian’s legs. He responded and took the stage win but by the slimmest of margins.

We are planning the first Wednesday ride this week. Leaving Smith and Co. at 9 am. Hope to see you there.

The Dark Side

2010-10-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

It would appear that there is some heart in the group of cyclists who ride with us.

There was a desperate plea by Ian for some company for his mountain bike ride to Summerland.

Since the Hawk had vowed that he would not go all the way with Ian, JS decided he would go all the way. Personally, I confused the date and thought it was Ian’s birthday ride and there was beer to be had.

Well it seems that a bunch of other sometime mountain bikers didn’t want Ian on his lonesome so ten people showed up at the Fairview Bridge for the Shingle Creek excursion.

Seems Carl P. would have joined us but he was upset last time when people kept asking about his construction project!!!

For those of you who would like a spin on the mountain bike that is not technical then the Shingle Creek to Summerland is an awesome adventure.

We enjoyed the south wind carrying us through the sunshine and alpine meadows. Once we got to Summerland, the GRC took us onto the KVR Trans Canada Trail all the way down to just above the road to the Summerland golf course. We then headed passed Summerland Sweets on to the KVR back to Penticton.

The ride is about 50 kms and it took roughly 3 hours.

Oh yes Ian did talk about his injury and how he is going to go to Can Skate next season so he can stay out of the way of on coming forwards.

Back at the coffee shop, the F Troop who had an excellent road ride to Secrest and home joined us.

Next group ride is Wednesday. It is scheduled to be a road ride leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

The Garmin record of the ride

No Ride Today.

2010-10-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well for some of us there was no ride. But I did see what appeared to be two wild and crazy mountain bikers aka Greg and Harold on the KVR.

So a quick recap of the week that was.

Since I have a good but short memory, let us begin with Wednesday. When the Magnificent Seven rode out from Smith and Co and you guessed it we went south for a change and yes it was a good thing because we picked up Gary D. on the way.

As we headed up to St. Andrew’s, we became Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. It seems that one of our group is a noted archer who after his near miss with a deer on the last ride is going hunting with bow and arrow.

He does get extra credit on the ride as well because he won the Willoughbrook sprint despite having a flat tire.

Mind you the win may be tainted as Des, JS and Gary D. were dealing with a mechanical issue on JS’s bike. It seems that JS decided he would like to try the new wireless shifting.

I suspect had he paid for the “real” electronic shifting he may have had a more positive experience. He did learn to pedal at a constant effort for the remainder of the ride and even took up a couple sprint challenges prior to the final sprint.

The final sprint was a foregone conclusion when Gary D. acting as Mark Renshaw led one of the other CPP Team on the last little bump into town off Eastside road. JS complained about his shifting but it fell on deaf ears.

As is the case, a win is a win and you only have to be ahead at the end.

Thursday with a couple CCP Team members in attendance for the big announcement that Granfondo Axel Merckx is going to hold the event in Penticton next year. More details will follow.

Friday the CPP Team were joined by Captain Todd who says he is a KVR specialist like we are. We cruised to the first tunnel once again and despite the cloudy conditions marvelled at the scenic beauty of this place we call home.

There is to be a Test of the Test tomorrow in Summerland. Details at www.bikebarn.ca

Hope to see you there or next Wenesday for the usual ride

CPP Construction Crew

2010-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

The CPP Construction Crew was finishing off the deck at Nickel Plate Nordic Centre. We did have a four job list and we managed to get all four done. Thanks to the hard work of Des, Frank and Peter. Yours truly once again was outstanding as the supervisor.

The placement of the new cupboards in the machine shop was challenging to say the least. With great skill and dexterity the four team members got the job done.

Watching Frank clean the chimney was unbelievable. He was standing on the top of the chimney with Des acting as his support person.

The chair project inside was a minor part of the day but we managed to turn 5 broken chairs into 4 usable ones.

Here is a photo of The Crew putting the screws to the deck.

On the KVR

2010-10-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

To test out my new mountain bike, The Team rode the KVR to the Little Tunnel. From what looked like a wet ride it turned out to be very pleasant. No excitement just a chance to enjoy the beautiful ride on the KVR

A Team photo at Arawana Station.

Fairly uneventful ride

2010-10-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

Another Magnificent Seven rolled up for the ride today. Well actually six but Gary D. knew we would be going south for a change so he was waiting on Winnipeg Street.

Des was sporting his new green (that is the colour) tire that according to Gary J. is awesome for traction for racing in the rain. Now all Des has to do is find a race in the rain!!!

As the route was selected by the south wind and the need to have the hills front loaded, we chose the highway to Twin Lakes and then on to Secrest.

As the ride progressed, it seemed that it would be difficult to find anything out of the ordinary that would be worth mentioning in this blog which I believe is read by a total of three maybe four people.

The only early thing of note was that the team in lime green jackets was not a real cohesive group as two of the team would attack and the third member was left to his own devices. Mind you they shared the attacking role around so it was pretty fair that way.

Gary D. suggested that his Garmin automatically changed from metric to imperial because he had ridden in the US. The jury is still out on this one!!!

Then just when you think that nothing exciting is going to happen and you hunters take note Gary J. was attacked by a four-point buck on the ride passed White Lake. Narrowly escaping being impaled on its antlers, Gary decided to attack to try to win the Willoughbrook Sprint. Not sure who took the green jersey points but the regrouping for the cruise to Secrest allowed some discussion about how we had decided wisely to go south as the wind was picking up.

Seems like Gary J. was into duelling because he decided to take on an SUV that cut the corner on the descent down Secrest. Fortunately, once again his superior bike handling skills kept him out of trouble.

With the turn for home at the bottom of Secrest, we all breathed a sigh of relief because we had chosen wisely and the south wind was going to carry us home!!!

Some long pulls by the younger members, allowed the CPP Team to work on their drafting skills.

It should be noted that JS did appear to be upset that we came back on the highway and not over Oliver Ranch.

After a mini attack by one of the CPP Team on Skaha Estates hill, Gary D. saw the chance to take the stage win when the main group slowed for some reason. When one rider called out let’s wait for the group, Gary’s salute indicated that he was NOT WAITING for anyone.

A determined effort by the group which was inspired by some strong turns at the front by Milton the Triathlete, JS, and Gary J. was unsuccessful in chasing down Gary D. Mind you Gary was so stoked by his victory that he went home and didn’t come for coffee that we were willing to buy after his great win.

JS also did not attend coffee and we hope that he is all right because he did seem somewhat distressed that he finished fourth in the stage results and he was beaten by 3 really really old guys!!!

At the coffee shop we were joined once again by Terry Maguire who updated us on the Commonwealth games cycling results. He said he is also looking forward to the XC ski season and doing some skiing around Evening Star, Nighthawk and the Lower Meadow. Hopefully someone with mechanical talents will devise a ski attachment for his trail riding machine.

Next group ride is Saturday at 9 am from Smith and Co. Hope to see you there.

Peer Pressure

2010-09-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Cruising down Government Street with the raindrops falling on my head(could be a song in there somewhere), I am thinking that coffee and a scone would be nice.

Not so however as someone says looks good to the north so lets go to Indian Rock or Chute Lake Road.

It is a sad state of affairs when grown men are delusional thinking that it isn’t raining that hard, if we ride slower we won’t get as wet or that it seems to be clearing up when, in fact, we are riding into a monsoon.

At the point where you can go down to Indian Rock, up Chute Lake Road or maybe even go back to Penticton, the peer pressure starts. Come on it isn’t that bad, we’re wet already, or any number of other innuendos that suggest that if you go back you will be voted out of the F Troop.

Where is free will? Who is the boss of me? Yes, I know I have no one to blame but myself so down we go.

Unfortunately, I missed the action on the bridge when Doug L. showed, at least according to him, outstanding bike handling skills when his bike skidded 10 feet and went horizontal but he managed to save it!!!

Hard to believe on the way back up we actually passed another rider heading down. Who just happened to be the Ultraman Canada winner Kevin Cutjar.

At the top of the climb Pedro of the Mexican Cycling Federation got a chance to display his command of Spanish.

The ride home saw a split in the group as a couple A Team members, The BMX King and a CPP Team member formed a `breakaway`.

Drafting in the pouring rain is not as much fun as it is made out to be. Now if we were in Vancouver I know this would have been a good day and we would have fenders and we would all have rain jackets and we would all have waterproof booties but I digress.

The breakaway succeeded with the GRC winning the sprint from the BMX guy. The Ultraman Champion very graciously dragged the CPP member along and pointed him in the general direction of his house.

The rest of the entourage made it back to the coffee shop and enjoyed the warmth and coziness of Smith and Co. Blankets were optional. One of the CPP members had a little tumble and it was suggested that he use his walker when moving about the coffee shop.

The next ride is Wednesday September 22 leaving at 8 am and next weekend is the Bike Festival.
For information on the Bike Festival call 250-486-2443 or visit www.bikepenticton.com

Minus the F Troop?

2010-09-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

After Wednesday’s ride in the monsoon, it was nice to get to Smith and Co. and note that we would probably stay dry for the whole ride.

Since many of the F Troop are away depositing sons and daughters at university, Marty aka the M Train elected himself Directeur Sportif and said we are going to Oliver. With the cruise down Eastside at a gentle tempo, the group had a significantly large number of A Team members, a desperately lonely F Trooper and a mixture of others who would eventually succumb to the need for social contact and become full members of the F Troop.

Though some of the riders flirted with joining the A Team, they realized that when the A Team spits you out the back they are heartless whereas the F Troop welcomes you with open arms.

Not wanting the group to miss the indecision of the regular Directeur Sportif, the M Train forgot to mention to the foreigner at the front that the A Team likes McLean Creek Road so we all went straight thereby ruining the plans of the group at the back. Then just when things looked like getting back on track, he was “bullied” into changing the route and going up THE WALL. Where upon we were hit with one of the truism of cycling—“We won’t go hard!!”

Needless to say, not going hard means different things to different people and it would seem that Dan and Ian thought that the polka dot jersey was at stake. Mind you there was a major regrouping at the top followed by a scenic tour of Willoughbrook and then the usual race to Fairview.

After shedding themselves of the burden of what would eventually become the “F Troop for a Day”, the A Team headed in the general direction of Black Sage while the Troop headed down to the 24 Flavours of Ice Cream Store.

As we began our cruise back to Penticton along Tuc El Nuit Rd., we were overwhelmed by a pack of the A Team who it seems were in an angry mood as there appeared to be some dissention in the ranks while trying to find their way to Black Sage.

It was shortly after this that the pseudo A Team members began to realize that the F Troop really are friendly and truly feeling people. Hence the F in Troop!!!!

The ride back to Penticton was very pleasant with only one minor incident, which Harold very quickly resolved!!!

Once again, Terry Maguire joined us at the coffee shop, which is always good as he adds his witty comments to the conversations. As well, The Hawk and Cathy brought their daughter along for coffee.

There are a few riding from Smith and Co at 9 am tomorrow plus we are trying to drum up some support for a ride on Monday. If that happens there will be a group email with details.

Hope to see you on the rides.

Tom & Doug's Inaugural Excellent Adventure

2010-08-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

A group of 15 riders met at Cherry Lane Starbucks to head out on this epic adventure. John the dentist from Kamloops joined us as well. Unfortunately Des's passport was still in the mail so he did not want to take the chance of riding back into a 20mph headwind home by himself. We regrouped at the Tourism office in Osoyoos. Definitely the classiest bathrooms that we have encountered during the 2010 riding season. Upon arrival word leaked out that the F Troop had brought along a professional photographer. Tony Morelli volunteered to do this as he forgot his passport in his riding jersey that remained in the bathroom at home. We bid Tony adieu and the remaining 14 riders rode on. At the border crossing the crossing guards were busily debating whether to let a lawyer or policemen into the US (Brian want to see my gun Burke & Tom Kat). While the guards remained debating this the rest of the group managed to slip through.

In Oroville the first spot prize of the day was awarded to Todd H who correctly answered the correct price of gas crossing the border. Upon winning the prize Eric got so excited for Todd that he got a flat and realized that he was carrying the wrong tubes for his new wheels. Onward and upward to the Sitzmark Ski Area. After 30k of climbing we summited at the ski area. A fast descent was promised however Google did not mention that the road would be under repair for the first 5 miles. Brian showed his superior bike handling skills and led the group down. Once we cleared the gravel a wild ride down commenced. Strong crosswinds made the remaining 14 mile descent interesting to say the least.

Everyone regrouped in Tonasket and fuelled up for the remaining 50 mile ride into the headwind. This is the last we saw of the A Team, as they grew tired of riding at a leisurely pace that was being set. More spot prizes were handed out and a discussion ensued between John S and Carolyn of the colour of the bikini a girl was wearing at Palmer Lake. The group sided with Carolyn and John continued to mutter something about the size of top of the bikini. After a brief rest period at Nighthawk we headed into Oroville. We finally had a tailwind for the remaining 5 miles and stopped at Torinos for some great Mexican food and beer. Getting on our bikes after dinner and beer proved to be quite challenging. On top of that we had to fight the relentless headwind back into Osoyoos.

The ride was a total of 152k and is highly recommended.

Next ride is Wednesday 8 am from Smith and Co.

Wednesday Ride

2010-08-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Since your resident journalist who works as a mild mannered report for a quaint metropolitan newspaper is gainfully employed earning tubes at The Bike Barn, it has been left to Jimmy Olsen to fill in. Considering the fact that Jimmy is busy trying to put the moves on Lois Lane we are extremely lucky to even get this much.

The first couple paragraphs are background infortation learned by your humble reporter to provide extra enlightenment to the ride story.

Needless to say the whole episode with the radar gun has been omitted from the story.

Apparently cooler heads prevailed and the discussion was terminated quickly with out the need for legal consultation/representation. Mind you we are somewhat restricted in our choices for legal advice since our legal team generally is involved in many of the sprints and others incidents that may be deemed indictable offenses.

And so in the immortal words of Paul Harvy here is "the rest of the story".

A beautiful day for a ride. After reviewing the riders credentials a route was chosen. It was noted by the President of the F Troop that someone was going to get hurt today after looking over the strong group of A riders that showed up for the ride. It needs to be mentioned that the F Troop was sadly lacking in membership as only two stalwart members showed up. Needless to say this did not hurt the spirit of the Troop. From within the Troop it was mentioned that Pedro had found the bag of money from the missing plane and had taken it with him on his trip to Mexico.

Richie Rich pointed out to the President that he would really like to ride up to the top of Apex. Since Rich is a newcomer to Canada the Troop felt obliged to succumb to his wishes. The ride plan was filed as usual at Smith & Co and off went a group of approximately 20 riders. It was noted that one of the riders was competing in IMC and best wishes of good luck were passed on from all riders. Gary from Calgary was in the group and the Troop duly noted that someone was going to get hurt today. It was just a matter of when he was going to decide to put the hurt on. The ride to the Ranch was very controlled as the peleton was respecting the work that lied ahead. During this climb Richie indicated to the President that he has done this climb twice before. This was a startling revelation. Discussion ensued within the Troop executive as to whether the F Troop privilege needed to be invoked. The last time this was done was after a serious bout of alcohol poisoning by various Troop members.

At the ranch the attack was launched by the two Gary's and Richie Rich. They led the group up the hill with the F Troop being accompanied by John Surkan doing a final sweep for riders about 10 minutes behind. Too bad the climb was so steep as we never got a chance to really look at the scenery. Just when the Troop pulled into the Village the A Team had enough rest and waved at us as they started the descent. The troop took a quick swig of gatorade, energy bars and some EPO and started the descent. The top 5k has freshly laid pavement which added to the speed of the descent. Fortunately there were no flats or mechanicals as everyone regrouped at the Ranch.

The downhill started easily enough until a couple riders decided it was time to pick up the pace. This stirred up the competitive juices within Calgary Gary and the Hurt was commencing. Gary set a torrid pace back to the chicken coup and then decided to ramp it up another 5k/hour at the hay fields. By this time the entire peleton was shredded. The only rider that managed to hang on for awhile was Brian Burke. The F Troop decided to reform with another two riders and finish the ride with some great pace line riding. Back at the coffee shop there was numerous riders walking around in various stages of delirium. It was heard from Todd Hellier that his partner felt that they could hook back onto the G Train. All that Todd mumbled as he slumped in his chair was that it was a huge mistake and it was going to take a couple days to recover from this ride.

There will be two rides planned for this Saturday. One group is planning a 140k ride across the border into the US. We will be meeting at 7 am from Starbucks at Cherry Lane Mall and car pooling down to Osoyoos. Everyone is welcome but you must bring a passport to cross the border. The ride promises to be at a slower pace as we plan on seeing some of the sites.

The second ride is the normal 8 am ride from Smith & Co.

The Big Hurt

2010-08-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

A very large group departed from Smith and Co this am. Needless to say we went south despite the gale force warnings on the weathernetwork about the north winds. Joining us after his long ride for Parkinson’s was Marc B. who says he is going to become a regular if he can just figure out the application form for the F Troop.

The group stayed together for the climb up to the Kaleden Lookout when Paidi B made his customary breakaway. However, the peleton having seen this before let him dangle.

The real action started on the climb to St. Andrews as the A Team was made up of the usual suspects but added two A+ riders with Danny Mac aka the winner of the summer crit series and Kevin Cutjar who it should be noted has now won both Ultraman Canada and Ultraman Hawaii. No word if he is planning to tackle the Welsh version.

Several fractures in the group were healed at the White Lake intersection where the full loop was described for all with cut outs for those going shorter. It would have been a super photo op to show such a large group of riders at the junction.

Once again the very strong A Team set a torrid tempo to the Willoughbrook Sprint and then on to the junction so that the Edmonton Velocity Team and a couple Java Junkies could head to the Wall.

The F Troop was in a dilemma as the pseudo A Team members kept dropping back to plead their case for membership as the two A+ guys were inflicting a major hurt on them.

Realizing that at some point we were going to need a few big healthy bodies to drag us back into the huge north wind there were concessions made to welcome as many as we could find.

At Fairview another group took a cut out with Big Mike leading the pack and setting a ferocious pace only to find that the Canadian Master’s Triathlon Team was planning a time trial back from Oliver.

As for the rest of the peleton, they headed down passed the golf course and made their way to Highway 97 where it was apparent that the Directeur Sportif said a la droit and that got translated into I think we go left here.

Mind you the ride down River Road is a lot flatter than the ride over Black Sage so it was a good thing that there was a loss in translation. It should be noted that unlike the A Team who leave their comrades to fix a flat by themselves, the F troop hangs around and although they don’t help much they do offer plenty of advice and encouragement!!!

Did I mention that there was a strong north wind?

After the refuelling at the convenience store which by the way has an excellent selection of ice cream, the A+ Team decided that they needed a coffee and NOW so they put the boots to all and sundry.

As the F Troop picked up stranglers on the climb up Oliver Ranch there was a sense of relief as it became obvious that the F Troop are really a great bunch to ride with and they would make sure that everyone got back to the coffee shop.

The sprint team of Lead out Chris call me Renshaw and JS call me Cavendish picked up the intermediate sprint points on McLean Creek and the overall green jersey points at Skaha.

Back at Smith and Company the A+ riders and those going shorter were once again building up their coffee shop time. It was great to see Terry Maguire at the coffee shop dispensing his usual wit and wisdom.

There will be a recovery ride tomorrow leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Left to Dangle

2010-08-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

As the usual suspects plus several others headed out for the Wednesday Ride, instead of going south for a change it was decided to go over Green Mtn. Rd. to allow people to have several options for rides of varying lengths with a fair bit of climbing for our guests from the prairies.

Without a significant number of A Team members, one rider for some unknown reason decided to make an attack. Thinking that he would have some company, he stamped out a decent tempo on the climb to the Ranch. Every now and then a messenger from the peleton would ride up and tell the lone rider that he was not making any new friends with his attacking.

Undeterred he would attack again since he has been red carded several times in the past.

At the chicken coop, the serious climbers came up and sent a stern message to the Lone Ranger that he really should have Tonto with him if he hopes to succeed on these climbs.

At the ranch, after much humming and hawing the Lone Ranger road off again. This time he was determined to make a significant attack and pick up some green jersey points at the intermediate sprint line.

On the Yellow Lake ascent, the climbers once again made the Lone Ranger pay for his feeble attempt at another climbing breakaway.

At Twin Lakes, several riders opted for the direct route to the coffee shop to make sure they got a good seat and to build up their coffee shop time.

At the White Lake junction another break away for green jersey points was made as the remaining peleton was committed to the ride down the Wall. The Lone Ranger on his trusty steed Orca took the sprint at Willoughbrook but then after several loops around at the junction started to think that maybe he had been tricked and the peleton had gone St. Andrews.

But it was not to be the case. Just like in the TDF he was only being left to dangle and the peleton was gauging its time for the catch. So instead of a Chavanelle it was a Barredo and the Lone Ranger was caught at the bottom of the Wall.

Now the serious bike riders were taking over the pace making and things began to heat up.

With the peleton in full race mode and the sprinters teams setting the tempo at the front it was on.

Team Velocity from Edmonton set a ferocious tempo with their leadout rider putting some major hurt on the A Team, the CPP Team and the F Troop.

The final attack on the marina hill saw the A Team make a break, with the CPP Team desperately trying to hang on. When the A Team lead out man aka Chris H. imploded their sprinter JS thought he would latch on to the CPP sprinter who thought he was going to latch on to him.

Unfortunately, neither realized that Paul from Velocity knew where the sprint line was and took the right hand barrier line and beat them both.

At the coffee shop the early returnees quickly gathered up their belongings and headed home so as not to take too much flack about coffee shop time.

Please note that the Saturday Ride for the CPP Team and F Troop will be leaving at 8 am to avoid the near freezing temperatures that the weathernetwork is forecasting. Hope to see you on the ride.

Pedestrian Pace

2010-08-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

A fine group this morning gathered at the coffee shop for the Saturday ride.

With a delightful mixture of A Team, F Troop, CPP Cycling Team, CPP Triathletes and a few foreigners from across the border in Alberta, the ride headed south (is it really necessary to add “for a change”).

One of the CPP Team took the front and set a very pedestrian tempo. All seemed to be going according to plan as a few of the A Team became weary of the pace and made an attack. Jeremy, I am a sprinter, was trapped in the peleton and didn’t realize that the CPP guy was not responding to the attack. He decided that being associated with the F Troop was not something he wanted on his resume and he bolted as well.

A sigh of relief went through the peleton and we headed over Skaha Estates Hill while the A Team chose the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard of Oz.

At Vaseaux Lake, a revised ride plan was filed and Secrest was the hill of choice to give the flatlanders from Alberta a chance to experience the natural beauty of the climbs in the Okanagan. Teresa, Paul and Doug responded well as they attacked the climb with gusto. Bet you haven’t heard Phil and that other Paul use that term on OLN.

It was noted that the cruise to White Lake was sensible for once without the need for stamping out a ferocious tempo.

White Lake saw the first major split as some of the triathletes have specific training programs that must be adhered to.

We did have a wee discussion about how to get in to the Twin Lakes Golf course since on a previous ride it was not pretty. Setting the ground rules early was a good choice.

Once that was established, the remainder of the group headed to Twin Lakes with Walker Texas Ranger, Paidi the Piper and Doug on his colourful Colanago leading the charge.

At the golf course, two alternatives were discussed. The foreigners and a couple locals not wanting them to get lost headed right while the rest of the group now down to nine riders turned left for the ride to Apex Ranch. There has to be a movie with nine in the title but it escapes me.

After suffering the heat of the climb to Twin Lakes it was a joy to go through the cool shade of the road to the ranch.

At the base of the climb Doug L. and Tom Kat who both were suffering from alcohol poisoning from Friday night began to start to feel much better only to realize that the wine had worn off and they were now forced to ride on Gatorade. Way too late to turn back now, they, in true F Troop fashion, soldiered on.

At the ranch, the Texas Ranger and a CPP rider made a mini break. Left to dangle for a while the two were soon joined by Steve B., Paidi and Snider Racing. The remaining four got caught out when Paidi made his usual attack so they decided to leave the racing to the front five. Doug, Tom Kat, Highland Doug and the Fabulous Fantini worked their own magic in a pace line.

Both groups had an excellent ride down with the Texas Ranger setting a serious tempo which was matched by three of the group while one rider seemed to lurk at the back almost invisible to the group.

Having been taught by Master Snider, the invisible rider attacked at the end to take the green jersey points. I won’t mention the analogy that Steve B. used to describe this tactic but it was not a compliment.

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop, the foreigners and Dave the Triathlete had booked us a table. Given the length of the early part of the ride it was difficult to get more coffee shop time than ride time but it was close.

Dave K. from the A Team was seen riding by but he did not drop in for coffee as he probably had to time trial back to Summerland.

Next “official” group ride is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 7 am.

There will be a “recovery” ride tomorrow at 9 am leaving Smith and Co.

As a follow up to a previous post here is the official team photo of Team Tux

Stage win

2010-08-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

It should be noted at the outset that I did win the stage over two very close friends. The finish at Red Wing was a blanket finish but I must say that me and myself argued long and hard that I did not take a fair share of pulls. The photo finish showed that I was in front by the smallest of margins. I explained to them that the score is kept at the end, I was in front at the end and I won so there!!!

Before we go on it should be mentioned that we had a near Radioshack debacle with the jerseys with Team Tux requesting official recognition of their jersey. After a heated discussion by the commissaries it was decided that we are way more flexible than the UCI and the TDF so their jerseys have been accepted as valid team apparel. Needless to say this does put their team leader at a disadvantage, as his lead out man has been known to fold. I won’t mention the cheap suit simile.

Now apparently just like the old Paul Harvey commentaries here is the rest of the story. Needless to say you can take whatever is written here with a ground of coffee.

The day started off with the usual where are we going today question? After considerable debate it was decided to go north for a change. The wind gods were with us as we headed into the wind and hopefully assumed the wind would stay in this direction for at least three hours. It was noted that Team Tux was coming along for the ride. Formal attire is not required to ride with the F Troop but was an attempt to add some class to the group. A tour of Trout Creek was ordered and welcomed from the gasping riders in the back of the peleton. The ride to Crescent Beach was beautiful and even more so when four riders of the F troop and CPP team decided to make a break away at Peach Orchard Hill. The breakaway almost succeeded until they were caught approximately 2km's from Camp Boyle.

Pedro representing the Mexican riding federation and Tom Cat back controlled the ride. An attack by the A Team occurred and the F troop let them fall off the front and deciding it was inappropriate to ride hard on such a beautiful day. One half of Team Tux decided to do a lead out coming back from Falder as the pace picked up considerably until there grouping at the traditional turnoff from the landfill. It was decided not to go on the Dale Meadows ride as the road was under construction. It was noted that didn't stop the A team a couple of months ago when they tried to bribe a construction worker to allow them to proceed through the road closed signs.

Onward to Summerland and Giants Head or so the Troop thought. As we turned to go up Giants Head the main peleton did not seem like they wanted to do more climbing. Five hardy souls carried on. Team Tux, 1 A Team member, 1 CPP member and 1 member of the F Troop. What a beautiful day to go up to the top of Giants Head. The view was spectacular. The group stopped at the top to provide water to a dog that appeared lost on the trail. Tom Cat reconnected with some acquaintances from east of Winnipeg. Ritchie Rich remembered his camera and stopped to take some breathtaking pictures of the surrounding area. These will be emailed around and posted on the blog a bit later. A faint cry of help was heard from the CPP member who thought Team Tux and the Troop had a mechanical.

The ride back to Penticton was uneventful until Big Mac decided it was time to put the hurt on. Nothing like a tailwind to add to the fun. The sprint was one by Big Mac as everyone else dropped off to take one last look at the breathtaking scenery. A quick cruise once again down the beach to the coffee shop to remind us all how lucky we are to live here?

Next ride scheduled Saturday at 7am to points to be determined by the Directeur Sportif.

Eric’s Ride

2010-08-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention by those members of the F Troop who did Eric (of no fixed address)’s Ride today that it was, in fact, the best ride of the year so far.

At the start of the ride the numbers were most impressive and it looked like a real peleton heading down Winnipeg Street.

The cohesive nature was soon shattered as the A Team once again grew weary of the pedestrian pace and made the inevitable attack.

Undeterred the F Troop soldier on and rode a steady tempo to the ranch only to see the A Team take off again. Rumour has it they wimped out and went back up Yellow Lake.

Down to the hard core F Troop, we headed to Keremeos and beyond. The Troop was John S. aka JS, Doug L., Tom K., Debbie F., Snider Racing, Eric (for obvious reasons), Mike B. (from Kelowna), The Fabulous Fantini and yours truly. We did have Carl P., Barb H. and Kathleen who made it to Nighthawk but did not have the required travel documents so they returned home.

It was rush hour at the Nighthawk crossing as 9 riders handed over their passports. We were required to remove Helmets and glasses to confirm our identities. On return of the passports, Tom K. had a close call but survived the evil eye of the facial recognition software.

The ride from Nighthawk to Oroville is best enjoyed going that direction since it would be a very nasty 20 km climb the other way. On the ride we were able to enjoy the scenery and see some of the local industry. The gold panning boys were out. Well it isn’t really panning anymore. They have a big vacuum cleaner type apparatus that they suck up the sand and gravel with and shake it in a big flour type sifter. I wonder if they send it to the guy from the TDF ads with the dollarsfourgold!!!

Having received sound financial advice, we did not make any purchases in the US and shopped at Canadian convenience stores only. Thereby saving huge on the exchange rate.

At the Osoyoos border crossing we were waiting patiently in the line when this extra rider suggested that we just ride to the front of the queue and take our chances. Fortunately, we let him to the talking and he must have known the secret password/handshake because the agent said OK I will pass you all through.

Our magic rider and Mike B. were both staying in Osoyoos so after getting hydration and nutrition needs we headed north to Penticton. Don’t you just hate it when the weathernetwork says it is going to be a north wind and it is going to rain and it does!!!

The paceline home set a steady tempo with JS and Debbie taking huge turns at the front. The Fabulous Fantini took the jersey for most aggressive rider, as he was a constant threat to attack in the line.

The stage win went to JS with a spectacular leadout by Snider Racing.

One worthy point to mention was that the ride from Osoyoos to Penticton was constant with no stopping for any reason such as flats, mechanicals or nature breaks. Don’t think we have done that too often.

There was some concern at the coffee shop that Doug L. may need an IV but a power nap under the table while waiting in line seemed to revive him.

Next official ride is Wednesday.

Tour de Keremeos 2010

2010-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting but the Col d'Apex on Sunday pretty much fried me.

I handed the task off to one of my assistants who felt he should make a contribution to the team's sponsor before he wrote his report.

So here goes . . .

A beautiful day for a ride. At the start it was noted that Des and Jeremy should ride together off the front thereby eliminating the possibly of crashes in the peleton. The ranks of the F troop were notably lower than expected with the president not in attendance. He did however file the ride plan at Smith & Co. He did not include his favourite aid station in the plan but . . .

The peleton was off to Green Mountain Road and the Ranch. We also welcomed back some lost members from Edmonton who are part of the Hounds. Great to see Lloyd and Bruce. As well, Pedro returned with an empty suitcase after bribing municipal officials in Mexico to complete the next phase of his hacienda. The fabulous flying Fantini also made a special guest appearance. The triathlon athletes were also out in full force to show us all how to ride with aerobars on the downhill. Rich came dressed for the occasion as he indicated that he did not have time to change from his late night tasting various Canadian beer.

Gloria set the pace with niece Jessica from Scarborough Ont. It was noted that Gloria did not wish to introduce us to Jessica. Something about poisoning her mind. The ride up to the ranch was uneventful as the normal attack came at the chicken coup. The group reorganized for the nicest descent in the South Okanagan. At this point in time Pedro indicated that his bike could only be ridden for two hours and therefore turned around when his clock reached exactly 1 hour. Something to do with the extended warranty. The two Doug’s decided to ride together to discuss the intricacies of sipping fine Scotch when they were distracted by a dog. Fortunately a collision was avoided and we met up with the main group at the bottom of Yellow Lake. From there the peleton headed to Keremeos with a smaller group heading back to Penticton. The Peleton turned left on Barcelo Rd and headed towards Cawston. At this point in time a coup d'état was forming within the peleton. A minority of riders wished to ride the Richter in reverse. It was quickly vetoed. At that point in time grumbling could be heard within the peleton that they needed further direction, as they did not know where they were going. It was relayed to keep following the path of the sun or Daly Road whichever came first. The peleton then headed back to the Bear however along the way it was noticed some great yard art that Des was admiring. At the Bear Harold and Dave Kitson decided that they needed to spend some time together and they rode off by themselves. The rest of the peleton fuelled up at the Bear and headed toward Green Mountain Road. Ian had a well-planned flat at the base of the climb in a beautiful shady area. Half of the riders felt that Ian knew how to fix a flat and left him there to his own vices and forged on. At the Ranch the peleton regrouped with Brian Burke starting the torrid pace of the descent. The F troop remained at the back and did not interrupt the furious pace making. The sprint was won by Brian by a valve stem over John Surkan. The sprint was vehemently protested by Van Pratt but once again this protest was denied. Back at the coffee shop it was noted that Jeremy and Dave Ellis were still there. It was noted that they spent more time drinking coffee than he did riding.

Next ride…8am Wednesday

The Twin Lakes Triangle

2010-07-21T15:27:00.001-07:00

Just like the Bermuda Triangle swallows up ships, the Twin Lakes Triangle causes bike crashes.

A rather large group headed out for the Wednesday ride. Cruising along the highway up to White Lake with dreams of the climb to Twin Lakes and the Apex Ranch.

After one rider was “Schlecked” at White Lake, the climb to the golf course began in earnest with the Big Dogs putting in a ferocious attack. The peleton was stretched out with the sprinters gathering at the back forming L’Autobus to just make it over the climb.

The designated feed zone at Twins Lakes Golf Course is where things became unravelled with two riders going down. Fortunately, our resident medical team was quickly on the scene and assessed the injuries. Although it was a rather nasty crash both riders suffered “minor” cuts and bruises.

Their bikes and helmets took the brunt of the crash. It looks like Des will need a new helmet and seat while Eric will need a new front wheel. As well, Des has added to his collection of ripped jerseys!!!

After a significant intervention, our member from the GRC was able to secure a ride for the two victims.
It was very nice of France to come out to Twin Lakes and transport the casualties back to town.

The remainder of the riders ventured on for the climb to Apex Ranch with several discussions centred on the morality of “The Attack” in the Tour. One, which I am sure, will be debated for decades!!!

As the group split into the serious bike riders and L’Autobus again, the climb up to Apex saw a steady tempo tapped out by the back of the peleton.

It was such a pleasant ride that L’Autobus riders were startled to see the top so soon.

While the group was forming for the descent to Penticton, there was some talk to the climb up the Col D’Apex but it was vetoed.

A second “Schlecking” of the same rider as before occurred when this time instead of dropping his chain he was assaulted by the biggest bee/wasp/hornet recorded in the Guiness Book of Records. A comment was made that it would only make his fat head larger so the group sat up and waited.

The paceline down to the final sprint was a delight to behold as the riders took turns at the front with no serious attacks until Gary D. tried to pull a Barredo but the peleton was not going to let him go.

The attack did set it up for the sprinters and the lead out by Gary was outstanding. No need for a Renshaw as the three sprinters broke early only to see Steve B. look to take advantage of a motor pacing opportunity off the race referee’s vehicle. He was foiled as the referee seeing the attempt had the car speed up and JS sensing the weakness attacked a second time to take the stage win.

As we cruised into the coffee shop the GRC member arrived with the first update on the crash victims. He did mention that once inside the golf club both agreed that the ride to town was the best plan.

A phone call to both confirmed the medical advice to take a couple aspirin and get some ice was aiding in the recovery process.

Next group ride is Saturday leaving Smith and Co at 7 am. Hope to see you there.

Another hot day

2010-07-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

A very good choice to leave at 7 am as it was very hot on the last half of the ride.

We had a good crowd to start the ride this morning with the route once again picked by the F troop tour director. He did a good job picking the climbs in the first half of the ride and not like the Tour de France where they like to put the climbs at the end.

An early flat had the group in some disarray but that was short lived and the climb to the ranch was on.

Chris and Jeremy fresh off the Transalps joined us to give us a lesson on how to attack the hills when they both put down the hammer after the chicken coop. This brought a quick response from the A Team while the F Troop continued to stamp out an even tempo.

At the ranch the groups split and the A Team lead by the M Train and Brian B, set a ferocious pace down to Highway 3. Brian taking the green jersey points for the sprint.

The climb to Yellow Lake once again saw the Transalps boys still holding court.

The cruise along Yellow Lake strung the group out so that the summer traffic could zoom past.

When we hit Twins Lake the first group split off and headed back to town. Led by Harold who must have pedalled his motorcycle to Yellowstone because he was in very good form as towed the Transalps boys back to the coffee shop.

The rest of the peleton road to the golf club to get fresh drinks which makes the little climb much better with a break in the middle.

The race down to White Lake saw a couple breakaways then the CPP triathletes opted to take the St. Andrews cut off.

The main group set sail for Oliver with the M Train out the front and the rest of the peleton desperately hanging on. Marty turned that tables on Brian and picked up the green jersey points at the Willoughbrook sprint.

The F Troop being the gentlemen that they are stopped to assist Scott who had a mechanical and missed the sprint to get his bike back on the road.

With the groups all together, the ride to Fairview saw some serious pace making by the A Team to keep the tempo high so that tactics became a factor and JS went all in to take the points.

The ride back from Oliver into the north wind that the weathernetwork predicted saw the A Team make a big break while L’autobus were left to try their best make sure they finished inside the cut off time.

At Vaseaux Lake, some of the early breakaway group decided to do some pace poaching and join the L’autobus (which was made up of the F Troop).

The Big Dogs realizing that they were down to four looped back at OK Falls to find out how to get back to Penticton. Then they put the boots to us again.

With the added numbers L’autobus knew that we could make the cut off. iI sure is much nicer battling the headwinds with more riders.

The sprint for participation ribbons was led out my Brad who did a fine job for JS.

Back at the coffee shop it was great to see Terry Maguire.

Lots of stories from the ride were thrown around the tables but the key point that came out of it all was that the early group who came back from Twin Lakes actually spent more time in the coffee shop than they rode!!!

Next group ride is Wednesday. Once again leaving at 8 am. Tom K. will be tour director so be prepared to do some serious riding.

Hope to see you on the ride.

2 Days in White Jersey

2010-07-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

A couple quick notes from the CPP Race Team that may or may not be doing the Kelowna Masters Race this weekend.

We rode both Thursday and Friday this week to boost up the training program. There were only Team members on the rides since many of the F Troop and Big Dogs were busy making contributions to our corporate spnosor. On behalf of the team thank you once again.

First point of note involves a new measuring distance that bridges the gap between metric and imperial. When we were looking for the South Campground at Okanagan Park we were told it was “just” north of Summerland. When we got to what we thought should be the correct kilometres/miles we noted that the campground must be “just’ around the next corner. There appeared to be several “just” around the next corners. The bonus of course was we did get to use the new double wide bike lane that is “just” north of Summerland.

On today’s ride over Apex and Yellow Lake we did see an interesting “professional” tactic like the ones used in the tour where the domestic will do the reverse hand hold to take on water bottles or slip behind the team car or a motorcycle to get back to the peleton.

This one was particularly effective in securing polka dot jersey points for the rider as he slipped across highway 3 while the rest of the riders had to wait for a very long string of traffic. The gap was significant and despite the best efforts of the chase group the rider planned his attact to prefection to claim the points.

Speaking of jerseys, it should be noted that your report has spent two days in the white jersey symbolmatic of the Best Youny Rider!!!

Don’t forget that the ride tomorrow for the F Troop, CPP Team and various others is leaving Smith and Co at 7 am in an attempt to beat the heat. As for the Tour, don’t forget to set your VCR!!!

Hope to see you on the ride.

An Official Ride

2010-07-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Following on from Thursday’s wise decision to avoid the climb to Apex Ski Hill, the Richter ride today was a typical long ride with a couple stories thrown in to add some "humour".

As the group assembled at 7 am this morning, the numbers grew exponentially with a fine mix of A Team/Big Dogs and the usual suspects in the F Troop.

After a gentle warm up down Eastside Road, the A Team headed up McLean Creek while the F Troop noted that Skaha Estates Hill was in order.

The entire group came together by Vaseux Lake only to be shattered by the M Train on Tuc El Nuit.

Bobbing and weaving through Oliver so we could avoid traffic led us back to the highway where we could grasp the enormity of the slide. One comment from the group was food for thought since there are several streams in the area that have similar dams that could potentially let go but I digress.

At the Husky, drinks were replenished and the climb up Richter was a long string of riders both from our group and several other riders out taking advantage of the great conditions.

The descent to Nighthawk was the prelude to all sorts of attacks and splits in the group. Letting the Big Dogs go was a wise move as they were in full race mode.

The last we saw of any of them was a faint speck on the horizon as they pounded over the rollers.

As the F Troop made the descent, it was noted that Tom was nowhere to be found. Knowing that Tom is not a fan of going down fast, we thought he would catch up on the rise by the Nighthawk junction.

Doug and Steve realizing that Tom was not catching up decided to go back to see what was up while the rest of the group agreed to ride on to Barcelo Road and wait there.

At Barcelo Rd. the CPP Team, not wanting to endure the wrath of the F Troop waited patiently while the remainder headed to the Bear never to be seen again.

Upon questioning several riders who rode by, we came to the conclusion that there was something up that we could not fix so we headed to the Bear and realizing that we were now a group of two decided to take advantage to the tailwind to Yellow Lake and home.

Upon reaching the coffee shop, we saw no signs of the F Troop so we became alittle concerned but that was short lived as the Troop arrived minus Tom!!!

And so begins “The Rest of the Story”.

Doug and Steve filled us in on a few details about their attempts to assist Tom with the main plan being a piece of rope that they found and planned to use to tow Tom to Keremeos.

Tom, on the other hand, had formulated a much better plan. He got a ride into Keremeos in a pick up truck and actually gave the group who were looking for him the royal wave made famous by Queen E who is in Canada by the way.

Tom`s chauffeur dropped him off in front of the tavern in Keremeos which conveniently had just opened at 11 am. Tom realizing that this was an opportunity for some quality time with Peggy invited her for lunch and he settled in with a beer and a burger to wait for her.

Upon arriving at the coffee shop, Tom explained his mechanical issue and his eventual return to Penticton. It was deemed by the rules committee that Tom had, in fact, done an official ride because he did make it all the way around with his bike!!!

Next ride is on Wednesday. Leaving Smith and Co at 8 am. Hope to see you there.

A Wise Decision

2010-07-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

In an effort to start a new Canada Day “tradition”, the CPP Team decided to forego the Ski Hill portion of the ride and do the Ranch/Yellow Lake alternative.

Some separation in the early stages, left several homogenious groups to casually ride to the Ranch.

As the riders assembled at the Ranch, it was apparent that the “traditionalists” for the ski hill far out numbered the older and wiser group of CPP/F Troop riders.

Undaunted we headed to Yellow Lake to enjoy the fantastic downhill section. With Steve H. of triathlon fame leading the paceline, we zoomed to the bottom. We had a couple new riders with us. Most interesting that they are both Australian. Chris claimed the white jersey for best young rider(by a long shot) while John aka The Great Fantini is showing signs of becoming a full time member of the CPP Team.

While the other group, headed up to the snowline!!!

Working on our drafting/paceline techniques, our ride was most enjoyable with much frivolity and good humour.

Another decision had to be made at the top of Yellow Lake as Tom K. realized that he a) left his phone at home, b) dropped it at the ranch or c) none of the above. It was determined that a ride to town to get his car was far superior to a climb back up to the ranch. Another wise choice!!

Upon our return to Smith and Co. we noted that the Big Dogs etal had not arrived yet. That worked in our favour as we were able to partake of some of the largest and tastiest scones on record.

As we finished up our repast, two very cold riders gave us a chilling report on the climb to the ski hill. It would seem that Tim Dex put a serious hurt on Greg to take the polka dot jersey points. While Mark said he was too busy checking for ice in the puddles.

It seems that the remainder of the group opted to go home and sit in front of the fire because there were no more “traditionalists” to arrive before we left Smith.

Please note that the Richter Ride is starting at 7 am on Saturday from Smith and Co.

Hope to see you there.

Tour de Keremeos

2010-06-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

As I looked back on the previous posts I noted a sense of deja vu all over again.

Seems we did the Tour last year as well but more on traditions later.

With the Transalps boys getting ready to race and the triathletes down in CDA, it was left to a few hardy souls to do the Tour de Keremeos.

The climb to Apex Ranch was the usual series of attacks made by the climbers. Not sure of the polka dot jersey points because there was a concert going on at the bridge as Tommy James of the Shondells fame was playing the theme from Deliverance on JS’s rear wheel spokes.

The descent down to the highway saw a split in the groups as some serious downhill racing was in order.

It should be noted that a CPP rider took the sprint at the bottom as the other riders seemed unclear on the finish line!!! Which raises the issue, “if you are going to sprint you should know where the line is?”

At the highway, the president of the F Troop and several others chose to return to Penticton while the rest of the group headed to Keremeos to look for Lloyd at Subway.

Carl P. and Dan Mc. made a break which was eventually caught because they decided to slow up so Mark could catch up because he was carrying the passports for the border crossing.

The tour of downtown Keremeos was not as eventful as last year when we got several unquotable comments about spandex etc. from the spectators.

We were unable to find Lloyd at Subway so we decided to head to The Bear for refreshments and some good natured chatter.

With the water bottles refilled and the nutrition levels topped up, we headed in the general directiion of Yellow Lake/Green Mt. Road. One rider decided on Green Mt Road to match his jersey.

While the rest of the group, remembering the bears from last year, pounded up to Yellow Lake.

The cruise into town saw a major split in the group as the big dogs realizing that the CPP sprinter was back checking on the last 3 riders took off and dropped the last four riders.

No idea who won the green jersey points as the big dogs didn’t mention anything at the coffee shop.

One key arrival was Pedro from the Mexican cycling federation. Since he slept in, It seems he decided the Tour de Skaha was in order.

Next week is a big week on the schedule with the usual Wednesday ride, Thursday is the “traditonal” Apex ski hill climb and Saturday is the Richter ride. All leaving from Smith and Co at 8 am.

Hope to see you on the rides.

More yellow cards!!!

2010-06-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

A fine group of lads and one lass headed out for the annual Fathers Day pre ride. The troop welcomed a new rider from England via Toronto. Welcome Richard. For his first ride he dressed in his formal riding attire.

The ride plan was filed as usual at Smith & Co and we headed out. Immediately discussion ensued as to what the penalty should be if one accumulates two yellow cards for riding without undue care and attention (aka too fast). It was noted that we managed to scare off most of the A team who decided to go north. The ride leaving Penticton allowed for some great conversations in the peleton. It was noted that Gary James was in our midst. The question then arose where were the Shaundells and followed by the burning question what is a Shaundell? Tom K aka the quarterback quickly noted that it was Tommy James and the Shaundells. We all agreed that Gary was his cousin. Needless to say what is said in the peleton stays in the peleton unless money is involved as we can be bought with coffee.

The troop led all the way to Heritage Hills when JS could not take the pace any longer and showed his superior leadership skills. A keen group of 5 cyclists led the breakaway through Mclean Creek and into Ok Falls. The Troop allowed this group to stay off the front and decided that a slight deviation of the ride plan needed to be filed. An amended plan was filed and off the Troop headed to the Wall. Along the way Des tried to show us where the CPP hiking team broke their virginity in mountain climbing. It took him about 10 minutes to find the location. Needless to say it was noted not to join the CPP team for a hiking excursion as it will turn out be a two hour tour.

The wall was conquered and then a great downhill into Willowbrook. The tour de Willowbrook was organized to check on the road conditions for the race on Sunday. The ride to the Observatory was uneventful. A left turn was taken to go to Twin Lakes. More climbing.............a beautiful morning with lush fields of green. Spectacular. Who knew that a major split in the Troop was in our future. At the intersection of Hwy 3A and Twin Lakes a raucous game of Red Rover ensued. The group on the left was heading to climb Green Mountain Rd. The group on the right was heading back to Penticton. At first Steve B was called over. The group on the right passed on their next selection so Tom Kampman was called over along with Geoff Severide and Rene. Eric was called over but refused to come over. First yellow card of the day. Then the ride organizer VP was called over but he didn't even bother stopping just blew throught the middle of the game and headed towards town. The next yellow card was handed out and it could have been red.

Undeterred the five hardy soles pressed on. What a great descent down from Yellow Lake and the climb up to the Ranch was beautiful. Not a single car passed us. Very quiet and serene. It truly was a fantastic and fun filled F troop ride. The troop organized up for a great descent. We arrived back at the coffee shop precisely on time as the main group of riders were heading out.

The group who headed into town had their share of excitement with Des breaking a chain but was rescued by Tom from Abbotsford. While VP hit the one piece of metal on the shoulder and got a flat which Des was quick to change twice because the first tube must have had a hole as well or maybe you are supposed to pitch out the used tubes.

The airport sprint was a good one with an awesome leadout by Carl the Triathlete who had dragged us all back from St. Andrews.

Much frivolity at the coffee shop as the remaining Transalps boys were declaring their love of Swiss cheese and being neutral.

Next ride is Wednesday at 8 am.

World Cup

2010-06-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

In case you didn’t know, the World Cup of Soccer is on now. More on this later.

With the Transalps boys off “Peaking it”, the F Troop plus a host of others decided to do a spin down towards Oliver. After filing the ride plan on the wall at Smith we headed out. Please note that if nothing else we are efficient even if we don’t stick to the whole plan!!!

The cruise down Eastside and up McLean Creek was a steady tempo tapped out by a sensible lead group of Troopers.

At the top of McLean, the Big Dogs made the usual attack for the OK Falls sprint while the Troop worked on their double paceline formation.

Forming up for the spin to Vaseaux and the regular nature break, there was much discussion about the World Cup and the first of many “yellow cards” were handed out.

At Vaseaux it was noted that the facilities are, in fact, moved which has led to some awkward moments for some of the riders.

From here on in, the frequency of yellow cards increased exponentially with some riders getting enough cards to wallpaper a room.

Attacks were initiated and groups were formed only to be torn asunder when other groups slowed or raced.

Of note was a geography/road sign lesson as the ride plan called for a turn on Road Nine off Black Sage but the connecting road is not “really” Rd. 9 but Poplar Grove or something like that.

The climb up passed the Golf course was a battle for the Polka Dot jersey points, which Gloria forgot to wear today.

Stamping out a vicious tempo the Big Dogs split the group on the road to the Observatory, which worked in our favour as it made the first break with the official ride plan. The Hiking Team members pointed out the helipad above the Observatory for all to marvel at our exploits.

At the White Lake turn off cooler heads prevailed and the group opted for the St. Andrews route as opposed to the Twin Lakes route which made the back of Apex a non issue!!!

At the highway the group splintered as some chose to go straight into town while a larger group chose the OK Falls/Eastside Road.

At the crest of Skaha Estates, Brian and Eric made a tactical break that no one responded to and they managed to get a decent lead. However, JS, Des and Steve were not going to let them have their way and they decided to close the gap. Add in that the old sprinter, Mike C. somehow appeared out of nowhere and it was on for one and old.

The chasers caught the breakaway but Brian managed to take the sprint from JS.

The second chase group managed to keep Mike C. in check and he was unable to become a factor in the results although there were lots of participation ribbons award for the sprint!!

At the coffee shop, much discussion about penalties for excessive collection of yellow cards ensued.

But the real clincher was when someone suggested that the US could win the World Cup!!!

Next ride is tomorrow morning at 9 am from Smith and Co. The regular Sunday ride will be the flavour of choice. Hope to see you there.

CPP Hiking Team

2010-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Since one of the CPP Cycling Team is taking on a major hike in the fall, we decided to broaden our horizons and form a Hiking Team to assist him with his training.

For our first hike we chose an “easy” route just south of OK Falls on the road to The Wall. Our advanced scout who suggested the route mentioned that the first 100 metres was a little climb but once you hit the crest, the trail was then mainly switchbacks.

He did get the 100 metres part correct but the little climb was straight up. Just a note Warren did find the “animal” trail after we had made it up the “human” trail!!!

Once we were on the switchbacks, the trail was much nicer so the climbing was easier and the views were spectacular.

On the ascent, we did find a distant relative of Ogopogo.

We made it up to the helipad at the top. This gave us a 360 panorama of the area. Views included the White Lake Observatory and Skaha Lake into Penticton.

The return trip was an adventure as we missed the top of the trail and had to bushwhack our way back on to the correct trail. Once we found it the descent was fine. Even the straight down part was OK.

Needless to say the next time we do the climb we will use the animal trail.

We are now in search of more trails to climb.

Road closed!!!!

2010-05-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

A gaggle of cyclists including Transalps boys, Java Junkies, F Troop and CPP Racers headed north today to take advantage of the north winds. The group included Jeremy “I am a sprinter” Eden who was sporting a cast on his “skier’s thumb”. They may have to change the name to “biker’s thumb”!!!

The great ride to Camp Boyle was the flavour of choice with the spin out to Crescent Beach. Ian of the Transalps boys made an early break to take the green jersey points for the sprint with Jeremy and JS a long ways back.

As you all know the Camp Boyle ride is a good one because it is basically uphill out and downhill back with a tailwind.

The green jersey points went to Mike S. despite some protests from the second and third place finishers who questioned Mike’s sense of direction. However since there was no commissaire to rule the win stands. Once again proving the old addage that “A win is a win!!!”

Since the ride was lacking in any really good stories on the return voyage, the group decided to ignore the ROAD CLOSED sign near the softball fields and see if we could get through as Local Traffic Only. The rather large gentleman at the point of contact was adamant that we were not go through despite having a person from Summerland with us.

Much gaffawing and carrying on definitely spiced up the conversation on the return trip over the road that was more suited to a cross bike ride.

The cruise into town was outstanding with the full group in a paceline enjoying the northwinds that pushed us along at a comfortable 40+ km/hr.

The green jersey points were spread evenly between JS, Ian, Steve B. and Gary D.

The next ride is Saturday with a couple options available including the 4 Peaks if you are up for it.

Hope to see you there.

Salty Dog

2010-05-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

While some of the CPP Team were out on a recovery ride with the Java Junkies, your reporter wandered to the north country to take in the Salty Dog Mountain Bike Race.

Let me set the scene for you. It is a 6 hour mountain bike ride with both solo and teams plus chuck in a couple children’s events and you have a few hundred mountain bikers pounded up some steep climbs and then racing down some more steep stuff. It appears that the course goes up for the first half then comes down on the second half on a combination of logging roads and single track. It was amazing to see how these people can climb and then descend.

The basic premise is to see how many laps you can do in 6 hours. You actually have 6 ½ hours if you think you can squeeze in another lap if you start out before the 6 hour limit but if you aren’t back by 6 ½ hours the last lap doesn’t count.

You can also pull the pin when you have had enough and sit under the team tent and convince other riders that they can do one more lap!!! Which works out well because both groups get a good ride and have had a great time racing.

The Bike Barn was well represented with Evan, Will, Aart, Matt, Dwight, Greg, Al, Warren, Ron, Tim, Ryan, Kevin and Chad.

I even managed a work out climbing up on to the race course and finding some places to take a few photos. However, I chose wisely and headed back down the uphill side because apparently I was only a third of the way to the top!!!

The actual results are posted on the Zone 4 website at

Salty Dog 2010 Results

One result of note was the steak dinner bet, which was won by Will.

I think next time I attend one of these mountain bike event I will have to venture even further into unexplored territory and get up into the really high ground. Mind you tramping through the bush to stay off the actual race course did have some challenges.

a photo of some of the team post ride

Friday Cruise

2010-05-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

The CPP racing team needed a tune up for tomorrow so we headed down Eastside Road into a south wind.

Finally, nice to be out in the sunshine and warm temperatures. What a great area we live in for riding.

If you get a chance, ask Des how he likes his new bike!!! Doug is coming along nicely and should be ready for the Masters’ Racing season.

The wind gods were with us because the south winds held and even may have been stronger on the return trip.

We did see a few more potential members of the CPP Cycling Team heading the other way plus 3 guys who should have been making a contribution to our sponsor.

We did have some problems with the communications to the Team Car as we kept catching yet another breakaway on Eastside Road. There were at least 4. Mind you the really old guy on Skaha Estates Hill with the cruiser bike and panniers who was pushing it up the hill may not have counted!!!

The faster pace on Eastside road was definitely aided by the tailwind so we were able to get into a rhythym and stamp out a tempo.

The final sprint went to Des on his new Trek. Did I mention that Des likes his new bike!!!

Next action is tomorrow for the regular Saturday ride when the Transalps boys will be absolutely flying.

Hope to see you at Smith and Co. at 8 am.

Saturday May 1

2010-05-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hooray!! Hooray!! it's the 1st of May and outdoor riding begins today!!!!

As Des rolled by I think I may have shocked him when I shouted to hold on because I was finally going to put the Orbea through its paces.

Upon arrival at Smith and Co. it was heart warming to note that little had changed.

The Tri group hung out together and the big dogs snarled as usual.

Given the potential for rain from all sides with the northern route looking the most promising, the groups headed out. The Tri group took off first so there could be no doubt that they would not be drafting. That was the last we saw of them until the return ride from Camp Boyle.

The F Troop quickly wheeled out amid cheers from the single spectator who was just trying to get into the coffee shop.

The A Team not wanting to be left out decided that the route north was a good choice tagged on at the back.

The patience of the A Team was short lived as solo riders quickly pushed past once we hit Red Wing to leave the F Troop to its own devices. However, it should be noted that one rider who shall remain nameless when he and his brother finally drifted back to the F Troop stated that the A Team was riding at 35 km/h they were at 35 km/h and you guessed it the troop was at 35 km/h.

One could gather from this that maybe the A Team just doesn’t like us!!!

As we headed towards Crescent Beach, we met the A Team so JS could swing around and join his buddies in the A Team while we managed to pick up one A team member. A trade we were happy to make because we got Jeremy “I am a sprinter” Eden who has never ridden with us before so we knew we would surely get some fresh insight into the finer points of sprinting.

His first comment was “Not only did I lead out the Crescent Beach sprint, I shattered the competition” or words to that effect.

The climb up Peach Orchard has in fact gotten steeper and longer. Refer to the previous post with reference to the shifting of the tectonic plates.

When we hit the climb to Falder, Jeremy sensed he had had enough of the F Troop when we burst into a rousing chorus of "I am a Happy Wanderer". He quickly opted to head back with two other drop outs from the A Team.

The F Troop continued on up to Falder and on to Camp Boyle enjoying the scenery and humming some happy tunes.

We were almost bowled over by a wave of cyclists with the A Team and Tri Group who had already finished their banana and gatorade break at Camp Boyle.

To turn or not to turn that is the question.

We chose to complete the full loop and have our designated rest break at Camp Boyle.

The return trip was somewhat uneventful except for the winds that decided to blow in our faces most of the way along Okanagan Lake.

And so back to the coffee shop we go, only to find that we are the first to return. Nice for us as we get our choice of seats and a chance to tell our stories before we had to listen to all the goings on about climbing Giants Head, Sage Mesa and so on by the A Team Transalps.

Next ride is Wednesday May 5 leaving Smith and Co. at 8 am

Hope to see you there.

F Troop - the Final Frontier

2010-04-26T14:12:00.001-07:00

The F troop minus a few of our paid and unpaid members did the unimaginable on Saturday. We rode longer than our 3 hour limit. Needless to say we did have to hold a special meeting in order to amend our constitution. The amendment narrowly passed with a 3-2 vote with one vote in abstention.

The pace to Osoyoos was very tolerable however the A team seemed a little put off that the Troop took the wrong turn at Mclean Creek Road. They did manage to catch us along Tucelnuit Road ( we had a flat ). We all regrouped at Oliver and continued along Black Sage Road. Within the group it was heard that the M train wasn't feeling well and was riding easier than normal. From what we could ascertain in the troop, our computers have never registered that fast so would quickly ascertained that speed limits should be obeyed as we did not wish to get caught for speeding on Band lands.

The F Troop regrouped once again in Osoyoos. The Troop managed to pick up an A team member ( Des ) who seemed to be quite delirious and distraught. Another A team member ( Ian ) was lactating and was busy phoning a 1-900 number. That is the last we saw of that A team member. We spent about 10 minutes convincing the A team member the virtues of riding slower and observing the hills. At one point an F trooper even broke into song that the "Hills were alive with the sound of music". Winds were favourable to Osoyoos and not that bad in Cawston. A regrouping was in order on Barcelo Road where it was observed that an irrigation system was watering a hay field. Needless to say the A team member seemed to be quite taken by how the irrigation system moved within the field. The Troop managed to convince the A team member that the earths rotational gravity was responsible.

The ride into the Kaleden was uneventful excepting the hail that pounded us down Roadhouse Hill. Shrieks of laughter or it might have been pain from the hailing hitting our heads and faces was heard within the group. Back at the coffee shop in accordance with the constitution of the F troop the A team member had to buy coffee.

A great ride was had by all.

The F Troop Rides Again

2010-04-10T20:05:00.001-07:00

The call went out this morning for all F Troop riders and was heeded by a total of 8 riders although we managed to convice one of the A Team to come and keep the Troop company, thank you John Surkan. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. The Troop set out from the coffee shop at precisely 9:00 am. At least we know how to tell time!! It did not take us long to put a gap on the A Team. This occurred at the corner of Industrial and Fairview. Some incredible bike handling skills were performed and the Troop managed to shake the A Team. The Troop welcomed a newcomer. Maureen Maywood brought down the age of the group as well as definitely improved the appearance of the Troop as well.

The Troop was led by its honorary member JS via the IR Airport Road and up Hwy 97 to Hwy 3A and then to Twin Lakes. After a brief rest at the summit (at least it appeared to be brief) the climb continued. Steve B told informed the Troop that the climb up to Twin Lakes was increasing 2 cm every year as the tetonic plates deep within the surface of the earth were shifting and therefore making our climbs harder. A very interesting theory and needless to say the Troop was facinated as it definitely explained why the climb seemed so much harder than in other years.

At the Twin Lakes gas station the discussion then centred around stopping to buy some beer at the store.....refer to Ironman Day 2009 as a F Troop member had a convenient flat outside of the gas station and it was discovered that they sold beer. Now the F Troop might not be able to ride fast but we do know when and have a beer.

After incredible peer pressure the Troop pushed on to the golf course and then the descent began. After some spirited riding another rest was required at White Lake Road. At that point we lost two members who decided that the pace was too severe. The remaining 6 members and JS pushed onwards to Willowbrook. It was decided that a descent down the Wall was in order. A regrouping was in order in Ok Falls as the A Team member decided to push the pace beyond what the F Troop was used to. A great ride back into Penticton via Eastside Road except for the brutal headwind. With some great riding teamwork the wind did not seem to have an effect on the F Troop. The sprint at the spray park was won by the A team member but it was quickly protested and the protest was upheld and the A team member was disqualified as it is not proper etiquette to race in the F Troop.

The F Troop once again was first back to the coffee shop. The A Team members began to trickle in with various stories of woe. For some reason the A team does not seem to remember exactly how far they ride. One member stated 120k another 90 and yet another 110. Gary Denton (A Team member) indicated that he was very disappointed that the F Troop had managed to break away as he wanted to ride with the Troop. It was indicated that the Troop can only except one A Team member per ride as it would upset the chemical imbalance within the Troop.

Richter Ride

2010-04-01T11:17:00.001-07:00

Richter Ride

A rather large group of 43 riders headed out for the first Richter Ride of the campaign.

It became apparent right from the start that things were going to be a lot tougher than first anticipated as the pace on Eastside Rd. was blistering so say the least.

On the turn up McLean Creek, there was no slowing as the climbers sought the front positions to prepare for the challenge of picking up the first polka dot jersey points.

Meanwhile, the F Troop drifted to the back of the peleton to discuss the relative merits of Clif bars compared to Luna bars. A heated argument ensued and they once again became cannon fodder for the climbers.

The next sighting of the big dogs was at Vaseaux Lake where the usual suspects disembarked for the regular nature break.

Once again, the discussion centered on the infernal pace that was being set and should we not think about the poor old guy at the back. However, the Des rule was quickly referred to and discussion turned to Black Sage vs the highway.

The paceline to Osoyoos left little doubt that this was going to be a record setting ride if one could only hold the wheel in front.

As the climb up the Richter began, it became clear that the snow at the top of the pass was going to play havoc with the skinny tires but undaunted the peleton motored on.

Fortune smiled upon the group, as the highway crew had very carefully cleared a nice lane for the bikes and the second polka dot points were awarded.

The cruise down the backside of Richter was cool but you gotta admire the group for not complaining too loudly or too long. Yea Right!!!!

It would appear that the tour director neglected to check if the Bear was open (it wasn’t) so the only refreshments were some water and much grumbling.

The Yellow Lake climb and the last polka dot points was a delight to behold as the only two real climbers of the day battled it out while the remainder of the peleton realized that a Richter ride this early may not have been such a wise choice.

The final sprint was a spirited affair with the exception of the pick up truck that thought they should get the use of the lane and not a bunch of guys in spandex.

Coffee and good company naturally completed the ride and plans were made to get ready for the Transalps Training weekend.

Don’t forget the 9 am start on Friday

So it begins

2010-03-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty good turn out(12 or so . . .) JS, PA and SB were seen at the Nordic Centre trying to get the waxing right. A lone rider from the F Troop apparently was there but chose to remain in cognito or was that at the back!!!

Terry and Lana dropped by for coffee...

It was the Marty show as he is on a mission to become a bike racer and is doing a pretty good job of posing as one.... Jeremy managed to get the two sprints of the day ...

The best rider of the day went to Des for "keeping it up" ride as he hit a rock which blew his tire at about 65km an hour... well done.. Please note those are a contributor's words that you need to know the context for when they were said!!!

Next scheduled ride is Wednesday at 9 am from Smith and Co.

Don't forget the big Transalps Training Weekend starting Friday at 9 am.

More XC Skiing

2009-12-31T16:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a month now of solid training since the last post so . . .

The CPP XC Ski Team is in great form as Des and Doug fine tune their skating technique with some hints from Jerome and Chris.

Dave, Frank and Peter are classic kinda guys who like to do the long slow distance stuff.

Steve has managed to get some time off from his medical “job” and showed the classic boys how to climb up Eagles Nest.

The latest snowfall has made the trails at Nickel Plate even better!!!

The Team has boosted the training program to 4-5 days a week and it is really paying off with the fitness levels.

There is some talk of actually entering a race or two to test everything out but they can’t decide if it should be a 30 km or 50 km event.

In the meantime, we will continue to train at our outstanding facility at Nickel Plate.

You can check it out at the link on the right hand side.

There are even some team photos!!!

Outstanding

2009-11-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

The XC skiing was awesome today.

The usual suspects hit the trails at Nickel Plate to enjoy the second season!!!

JS was absent but he was down in the Big Smoke.

The snow was rated as very good for early season and both classic and skating were
outstanding.

The key is going to be trying not to do too much too early.

It is on again tomorrow!!!

Payday

2009-10-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

Since our corporate sponsor put the cheques in our accounts it was only fair that four team members headed out for a cruise today.

The CPP Racers, The Spanish Climber and your reporter made the trip down to Vaseaux Lake and beyond.

A little confusion on the communication (remember “Cool Hand Luke”) split the group at the taxidermist and your reporter turned for home so the Racers and the Climber would have someone to chase. Guess I should have mentioned I was going to do Oliver Ranch and McLean Creek on the return trip.

The bonus for me was I missed the vehicle confusion on the highway into OK Falls. Gotta watch the vans the back up towards you!!!

I did manage to pick up the win on the upper McLean Creek sprint soundly beating my two close personal friends.

While the other three chose to come straight in on Eastside Road, I did let the construction flagperson know that those guys were still on their first lap.

We did meet up at the coffeeshop to recount our best recollections of the ride. There apparently is a medical term for it. It is called MCD (note that is a C not a G!!!).

Did see Harold at the coffee shop and he was pumping the third option for riding which involves high RPMs.

Our next ride is Saturday leaving Smith and Co. at 9 am.

Don’t forget the work party at Nickel Plate on Sunday.

Hope to see you at one or both events.

Flat tire changing

2009-10-25T13:23:00.001-07:00

Yes it was a little cold but six hardy roadies headed out for our Regular Recovery Ride to Crescent Beach.

To test out the speed for a flat tire change, fortunately Gary D. got a flat so Des was on the spot with the stopwatch running. With his noble assistant, Gary, holding the bike and passing him the instruments the pressure was on. It may not have beaten the 1 minute 24 seconds on the video but then that guy didn’t check the tire for foreign bodies and his tire beads were very soft.

Our dynamic duo did check the tire for the cause of the flat and found a significant nail embedded in the tire which was the reason for the ticking sound emanating from Gary’s bike earlier.

The sprint at Crescent Beach was a hotly contested dash won by none other than JS. Doug and I casually noted once again the failure of some people to understand the concept of recovery.

On the return to town into the south wind we were supposed to have yesterday, the tempo had recovery written all over it.

However, an early break for the final sprint messed up Pat B’s plan to claim a win and JS once again took the Green Jersey points for the stage.

Looks like Wednesday is going to be the next group ride leaving Smith and Co. at 9 am.

We will also be riding next Saturday at 9 am.

Next Sunday’s ride has been replaced by a work party at Nickel Plate to help prepare for the XC ski season. The date is Sunday November 1, 2009.The more the merrier so give Jack a call to let him know if you can attend 250-490-2772

Sunshine and The Open Road

2009-10-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

While the mountain bikers will extol the virtues of riding in the wet and mud of the forest, the road bikers had to endure dry pavement and sunshine.

A Group of Seven once again not to be confused with that other Group of Seven plus one tourist headed out on an outstanding road ride. Taking in the delightful climbs out the highway to Twin Lakes Golf Club and then enjoying the magically descent to White Lake Observatory in the bright sunshine was very hard to take.

At White Lake the discussion centered around the time of the ride and the need for coffee. Naturally, the need for coffee won out and the group headed back into town.

As the Group sipped their bold coffees and discussed the possibility of a Sunday ride, it was noted that if you rode with the tourist you could mark in your training log that you had a two and a half hour ride but the Group only got a two hour ride.

Putting our faith in weather prognostication, we are planning a Recovery Road Ride tomorrow leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Hope to see you there

Sunshine and Recovery

2009-10-18T13:35:00.001-07:00

After a wee bit of time off the bike, it was nice to get back on the road.

Even managed to get a couple of the guys who like to ride in the rain to come and ride in the sunshine.

Pat B. chose his cross bike but then it was a recovery ride.

The Group of Five not be confused with the more famous Group of Seven headed out to Crescent Beach despite the fact that it was a south wind.

We did say a Recovery Ride to Crescent Beach and every now and then we like to stick to the plan!!

The Tour de Trout Creek has been added so we could check out Lloyd’s new house. Just curious if the proximity to the tennis courts means anything for future activities.

I’m thinking Mike aka JS’s brother missed his calling and should have been in real estate. He seemed to know the price of every listing on the route plus several others in town.

Once out passed Peach Orchard as we were cruising along Pat B. decided to take advantage of the gravel and make a break but Brian and Des quickly covered it.

After the mandatory Crescent Beach sprint (can’t seem to get a total recovery ride--mind you Mike and I know what recovery means), I questioned Pat about his tactics. His reply was well I had him in the gravel but even when I caught his wheel two pedal strokes and I was toast.

A steady tempo home was ramped up when Brian once again took the lead and boosted the pace from Sage Mesa in. I can’t remember that last time my heart rate hit maximum but it was fun just hanging on at the back while Brian, Des and Pat duked it out for the stage win.

The quote of the day came from Mike as we cruised down Lakeshore enjoying the sunshine when he said “That is the closest I have ever been to a recovery ride!”

Next group outing is planned for Wednesday. Weather permitting of course!!!!

Hope to see you there.

North Wind

2009-10-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Seems the group has been doing the same course to north as someone commented that they had done this ride the last four times. Kinda like when we always went south for a change

Only one other F Troop member to start the ride and a whole bunch of foreigners!!! They included Ed from Edmonton and his buddy Brian, Gary from Calgary who actually has a house in Penticon and is claiming to be a local as well as Andre from the Ukraine who is trying to get a visa and we all know how tough that can be.

Throw in a couple A Team members and we headed out towards Camp Boyle.

The handwriting was on the wall when the pace was 40 k/hr into a very strong north wind as the foreigners once again decided to show the locals what riding is all about.

Several regroupings took place on the various climbs with one F Troop member showing signs of wear and tear. Racing your way to fitness is way over rated!!!

Pat B. should have been on the ride for the cross bike action around the construction site in Summerland.

Must have been something I said as Tom K. a charter member of the F Troop decides that he needs to turn around at Falder. Something about needing a shower before he goes to make a contribution to the corporate sponsor. It appears that I am left to ride with my two “best” friends into the headwind when JS sees the desparation on my face from a long way off so he waits and drags my sorry a** to Camp Boyle.

I try to explain the “out and back” rule to the foreigners but they seemed to think that it was necessary for everyone to do the full ride.

On the return to Falder, we managed to pick up Carl P. who seemed to be riding around looking for someone or something. It was about then that Brian decided that they should whip up the pace again.

Fortunately, I was able to enlist the services of a Jim M. Todd H. and JS who collectively took up the task of towing me back to town.

With The Three Amigos leading the way the return to Penticton with a huge northwind was outstanding.

Meanwhile the A Team split up as Gary A. and Brian thought another hill was in order so they pounded up Sage Mesa and let the rest of The Entourage cruise the rest of the way. No indication of any sprint wins except for Jim M. who claimed the last few available points at the 70 km/hr sign!!!

Plenty of discussion around the table at the coffeeshop about when to retire, pension plans and such. Seems that a few guys are thinking this whole CPP Cycling Team is a good idea.

Next group ride is Saturday at 9 am from Smith and Co. Definitely need more F Troop members!!

Too bad you missed it!!

2009-10-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

After some time off the bike for some rather exciting times up in Kamloops here is a brief recap of the weekend riding.

The Saturday ride was a small group but what we lacked in size we made up for with intensity. Marty, Lee and JS thought it would be a good idea to make sure that after one ride in two weeks I should race my way to fitness.

So they took it upon themselves to drag the group out to the end of the Chute Lake pavement. Naturally, this was into a north wind.

Needless to say, I invoked the “out and back rule” on the climb up to Chute Lake.

On the return ride, the M Train and the L Train boosted the pace at the Red Rooster and I was left to ride with my two “best” friends who, strange as it is, were even complaining about the elder abuse.

By the way, what happened to Des and Doug? Maybe they joined the European tour!!!

We did meet a couple forest fairies back at the coffeeshop who were adamant that they did not like being called forest fairies so I will not call them forest fairies anymore. However, any references to them it will be understood that they are … “A rose by any other name is still a forest fairy”

After Saturday’s ride to Naramata barely attached to the M and L Trains, today’s Recovery Ride to Crescent Beach was outstanding.

Yes, funseekers you heard it correctly it was a Recovery Ride to Crescent Beach. A few of the usual suspects and a couple riders from PACA headed north into the wind.

There wasn’t even a sprint at Crescent Beach!!!

An awesome cruise back with a huge tailwind with a couple guys using it for alittle harder push to blow out the cobwebs while the rest of the group maintained the Recovery Pace!!!

No sprint at the 70 km/hr sign either!!

Next group ride will be Wednesday at 9 am from Smith and Co.

Hope to see you there.

OLD DIRT

2009-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Why are these men laughing? Read on to find out!!!

I believe the front of the birthday card read OLD DIRT and the inside had a space for a name between those options and that space was occupied by Lloyd.

What an outstanding ride to celebrate Lloyd being one year older. Was it mentioned that Lloyd turned 50 today. Amazing that his parents planned it so he would turn 50 on a Wednesday and the Richter Ride would have ideal conditions with a super group of riders. A bonus was Lloyd’s dad made the journey as the support vehicle and he came in very handy on several occasions.

There were several notable absentees today for various reasons and I know that they will all be upset that they missed out on without a doubt one of the best rides of the season.

When the group started out with one of the riders having a flat tire at the coffee shop that that should have been an omen. As it turned out there were a few more flats on the ride but they were actually a bonus as it allowed the peloton to form up a few times and gave those of us who needed it a well deserved chance to recover and enjoy the ride.

The early pace was tempered by the time we hit Vaseaux and we had tamed the guest riders Doug from Kelowna and John from Kamloops. We also managed to pick up a couple extra riders from the initial start list. Lee “I just worked night shift” and Mike “I set the wrong time on the alarm” were added to the mix at various stages.

There were several attacks on the hills and rollers with points and jersey being claimed by anyone who thought that they should get points and jerseys.

At the top of the Richter, waiting for Lloyd who it seems had a flat!!!

Nothing really out of the ordinary until we hit the Bear, where Lloyd and another flat which set up the old let’s leave Lloyd behind because while he was changing his flat everyone else was eating drinking and well you know.

So off we go and Lloyd is now eating, drinking and . . .

Lloyd's Dad making a call to Lloyd's Mom to let her know that Lloyd had another FLAT!!!

Probably one of the loudest flats I have ever heard happened just near Ollala when Doug from Kelowna’s tire blew. Sounded like someone had shot at us. While a couple people stuffed Clif Bar wrappers in his tire this gave Lloyd a chance to catch back up. Good for old Lloyd!!!

The group was kinda strung out now and the ride up to Yellow Lake(thank goodness no one suggested Apex) left the peloton in several pieces most of them in front of one rider who shall remain nameless.

That rider upon reaching the Yellow Lake parking lot began to do loops waiting for the rest of the peloton to arrive. Must have had a flashback to his youth when he would have been the first to the top. When the “lantern rouge” crested the hill our rider suddenly realised that he was going to have to do some serious chasing because he was not the first to the top and the meeting place was the other end of Yellow Lake.

The ride to Kaleden saw a few groups split off but reform at the weigh scales and the race numbers were distributed. It became apparent at this point that no prisoners were going to be taken as the pace in the words of Phil or was it Paul was “infernal”.

After some strong short blasts all the way down until the old Paint Ball place, Brian, John(Kamloops) and a couple others made a break. However, the wiley veterans of the sprint were sitting in the weeds waiting.

At the final line(which is now the green airplane sign) the top placings went to Jeremy “I am a sprinter” Eden and Ian “I should be in court” McAndrews and some old guy. Probably a good thing we didn’t let John from Kamloops know where the line was

Lloyd checking his messages to make sure he had the timing right for soccer tonight.

And so to the Barking Parrot where the group once again got split up since some of the riders went to freshen up while the rest of us saw a chance to get into the beer quicker.

Chris Hawk is planning a comedy night later on this fall but really could have saved himself a ton of money if he had just video taped the beer drinking session.

The general consensus was the Naramata Nut Brown was the beer of choice which was fine by me because it left more of the Stanley Park Pale Ale for me.

I would love to tell all the stories but I am sure you would find reading War and Peace by Tolstoy a much shorter work.

Lloyd with his flowers!!!!

Lloyd said he was hanging up the Orbea and getting the Cruiser out for his rides to work.

It goes without saying that we all owe Lloyd for having his birthday on a Wednesday, doing a Richter Ride and buying us lunch.

Next group road ride will be Saturday September 19, 2009 NOTE the start time is 9 am.

Hope to see you there.

On the Road Again.

2009-09-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

While the forest fairies danced in the pine trees, the road bikers decided to have a longer ride so a combination of A Team and F Troopers headed out on the highway to St. Andrews.

What a treat to cruise with a nice tailwind out past Kaleden and on to White Lake Observatory with a peloton intent on enjoying the fabulous weather and camaraderie without the need to rip the lungs out of everyone.

A little humour was tossed in as a couple F Troopers decided not to partake of a snack at White Lake and cruise on to Willoughbrook. As the rest of the peloton arrived one of the F Troopers casually mentioned, “Who was third in the sprint?” For the record, it was Jeremy “I am a sprinter” Eden who rounded out the podium after Doug L. and Tom K. claimed the 6 and 4 points.

Not sure if Chris “One 2 Many” Hawkins was recovering from his Ironman exploits or if he was out of breath after his detailed description of his head to head battle down Lakeshore with some guy in his age group but he and Jeremy from above opted to head down the wall.

That left the peloton with only two serious bike riders to do most of the work at the front while the F Troop and CPP Racers were content to work on their drafting technique.

The CPP Racers as noted in a previous post are tuning up for the Senior Games next weekend in Richmond.

As I always say, it is a good thing that we are not into bad habits because it is difficult to say NO as Tom K. learned at Fairview. His choice to head back was overridden by peer pressure to do the “Full Meal Deal” and join the peloton on the journey south to Black Sage.

As the paceline was flying down the highway to Road 22 and away from Penticton it should be noted that one rider remarked, “We sure look good going this way!”

At Black Sage the need to feed took over and everyone grabbed for a snack before we headed back into the North wind.

It seems that the wind gods decided to show us that they were serious today and we should really pay attention to the flags because the wind picked up on Black Sage which meant that Lee and Andy had to show how serious a bike rider each of them was.

The F Troop boys took a couple turns so that our big guys could get some rest before their next gigantic pull.

A stop in Oliver for fluids and for Doug L. to feast on his buffet seemed to be the refreshing pause that was needed as the paceline was steady all the way to OK Falls.

The attack on Skaha Estates Hill saw Lee grow weary of our pedestrian pace and he sailed off on his own. Mind you, I think he may have had a DNF as he was sitting on his deck enjoying a cold one and waving to us as we hammered by on our way to the final sprint.

Fortunately, the wind gods took pity on us and the winds on Eastside had died down so the cruise in was a joy to behold as Andy settled in on his aerobars and dragged us past Lee and his MGD!!

The stage win went to Des with a sprint that should put him in great shape for next week. While Doug H. is returning to form after his time off. The racers are looking good!!!

The next organized ride is Wednesday for Lloyd’s birthday. We will be leaving Smith and Co at 7 am and doing the Richter. Hydration and nourishment to follow.

Hope to see you there.

Tour de Summerland

2009-09-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

With the “cool” guys up in the forest, the roadies got Dave K. to take us on the Tour de Summerland.

Mind you we did have one rider with us who was trying out a “new” helmet that certainly looked good on him.

We stopped in at Jim’s place in Trout Creek for coffee but he was either asleep or he has caller display on his door because he refused to come out!!!

A spin out to Crescent Beach saw an infernal pace at the sprint with Brian picking up the green jersey points.

Then Dave K. thought we should experience the cobblestones of Switchback Hill in case we ever do Paris-Roubaix. At the top, a few riders stopped to make sure that all the things that should be tight were in fact tight and then we headed on Dave’s loop into the far reaches of North Summerland.

Good thing that a couple guys have GPS and we eventually found our way to the climb up to Falder. After the Switchback ordeal, this seemed like the new pavement on Black Sage.

The Big Dogs took it easy on us and stamped out a steady tempo until just passed the Alpaca farm when Dave and Brian made another break. The peloton was caught out by the acceleration and they broke clear of the field. It seems Brian is working on his sprinting for when JS makes his return.

After almost accusing Gary D. of littering, Brian managed to pick up coffee money before we headed back.

On the return trip to Falder the heads of state were absolutely flying as they ramped up the tempo once again.

At the regrouping in Falder, the peloton got into a rhythym and we headed back to Summerland.

Dave K. must have stayed up late last night working out the course because the main group chose to go on to the golf course and descend Canyonview so that Brian could exorcise his demons.

While the remnants of the F Troop picked a shorter route, we then realized that we had to dig really deep into our suitcases of courage to make sure that we would not be caught by the peloton.

The three of us pulled ourselves inside out and held off the hard charging peloton.

Dr. Lloyd joined us at the coffee shop on his way to do rounds at PRH and says he is going to rest up for his birthday ride. Details are still being ironed out but an email will follow with the complete itinerary.

While at the coffee shop, a few of the mountan bikers joined us and told many tales of how cool their ride was.

There is a group heading out on both Sunday and Monday from Smith and Co at 9 am.

Hope to see you there.

The Joys of Riding Slow

2009-09-02T16:35:00.001-07:00

With a huge ensemble this morning and the decision to once again “go south for a change” set the peloton on a course for somewhere near Oliver.

The usual suspects made the usual attack on McLean Creek Hill and some grumpy old guy suggested a need for regrouping at the top of the climbs.

An attack by Brian gained him green jersey points at the OK Falls sprint as the peloton was slow to respond.

The reformation at Vaseaux Lake was intended to bring the faithful together as a cohesive unit that would embark on a voyage of discovery to Fairview.

However, as they say “Great minds think alike and fools seldom differ” the main peloton decided to go Secrest while the very secretive troika that was hiding in the bushes decided that the F Troop should do that as well.

Once again the usual suspect poured on the pace up the climb and the regrouping although technically not at the top saw the peloton form up at the Secrest/Fairview junction.

A brisk tempo to the White Lake climb and another attack shattered the group with pockets of riders trying their best to survive to the Observatory Junction.

Apparently, the F Troop decision to go St. Andrews and not to Twin Lakes was kept a secret from the strangler to the meeting point.

The split in the peloton saw the A Team head to Twin Lakes while the F Troop opted as noted to go to St. Andrews and the coffee shop.

This left one old guy to fend for himself as he was given a guest pass to the A Team with the proviso that he not complain and that he take a short turn or two at the front. The F Troop guest pass as you know requires extensive time at the front!!!

After a quick drink at the golf club and a discussion about the possibility or pie and beer at the gas station is was back towards town.

A decent poker hand of 4 Kings and a joker descended to the Kaleden Junction where the Kings were shown that riding slow allows you to enjoy the scenery and generally have a lovely time.

At the airport sprint, the old guy was stuck out the front and thought he could at least be a leadout man for the sprint but wisely chose to get the @#$$ out of the way and let the big dogs duke it out.

Tactics are critical and the old saying that you only have to be ahead at the end applied as Ian nipped Dave K. at the airport sign which incidentally has been designated as the “official” finish line.

Back at the coffee shop, the F Troop having drained several cups of java made a quick exit and the A Team enjoyed the peace and quiet!!!

Next group ride is Saturday at 8 am from Smith and Co. There are two CPP rides planned for tomorrow and Friday leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.
Hope to see you on one of the rides

And now for the rest of the story

2009-08-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

The day began with a flurry of negotiations/discussion as to the route that the approx 30+ riders should take. After lengthy secret discussions it was felt that we should go to the Barn and ask VP where he thought we should go and is the custom go the opposite direction.

Early on it became apparent that the A team wanted in on F troop plans. The F troop took its rightful place near the back of the pack and waited for the opportunity to make a break. Fortunately the attack came early. As the A team headed south on the IR road via Green Mountain Rd the F troop seized the opportunity and attacked towards the Ranch. Luckily the F troop managed to recruit two A team riders along with 8 card carrying members of the F troop to pull us through the rough spots. It was heard in the peloton the A riders did not realize that riding could be so much fun. The ride to the Ranch went smoothly with the normal small attack by the A team riders at the chicken coup. Needless to say the F troop chose not to attack them.

After regrouping at the Ranch one of the best descents of the season was in front of us. Once again the F troop showed that we might not be as fast as the A team but we do know how to get organized and share the load of pulling without breaking up the group. After a brief discussion at the bottom of Yellow Lake hill it was decided a Twin Lakes/Wall ride was in the cards. A great decision as a tailwind was in order on the descent from Twin Lakes all of the way home. Side note: The F troop did notice the A team coming down the hill but they were to busy trying to hold onto each others wheels at 70k+ that they ignored the F troop other than one solo rider who claimed that he was becoming dilllusional.

As part of the initiation of the A team into the F troop it was decided a strategic sprint attack was in order at Willowbrook. After a discussion of about 5 minutes (nobody ever accused the f troop of being smart) it was decided how the attack was to take place to allow Steve B to take the green jersey. Unfornuately Tom K did not fully comprehend the magnitude of the decision and left SB to fight for the sprint with John S who from reports lost to the A team member by a half wheel.

Of course the f troop was undeterred. Another plan was beginning to take hold in the peloton for the Marina sprint. To make a long story very short the plan fell apart when Tony M decided to break John S. The attack was successful and the F troop had to console JS as we rode up South Main St. The F troop came into the coffee shop intact as the same group that we started with which is another novel idea.

Back at the coffee shop the two F troop renegades stumbled over and mumbled something about they couldn't believe they missed the F troop breakaway. Jim M was last seen wandering down the back alley by the coffee shop aimlessly. He was obviously in distress due to the experience of having to ride with the A team.

Highland Doug was also muttering in the corner that the F troop deserted him.

Remote control

2009-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

As noted in the previous entry, I have been trying to build up my supply of tubes so I have not been on the rides.

However, someone said that I must write these from a template because the posts appear to be very similar.

So I will try to write this one like I was on the ride.

I suspect that the two groups split up early with the A Team hammering away while the F Troop in their own inimitable fashion chose to go the oppose way.

I would also think that a couple F Troopers sensing that they should try the A Team probably tagged along.

Somewhere on the ride, the two groups probably crossed paths going in the opposite directions and from the crystal ball I am seeing Yellow Lake as they chose to do the same ride but in reverse.

At some point, let me see Dr. Lloyd would have been pushing the pace only to find that one of the sprinters would have decided to make him pay on the downhill from the ranch.

Meanwhile, back at the coffee shop the two renegades would have paid dearly with much haranguing from the rest of the Troop for deserting them.

If I have made any errors, please comment or email me at the CPP email address.

I plan to be fully stocked with tubes and back on the bike by next Wednesday so the stories following the template model will have names instead of allusions to certain riders!!

Better later than never

2009-08-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Since I am busy working for tubes at The Bike Barn, Brian had promised to do a report but he must have been busy chasing bad guys so this is a little late.

Here is the play-by-play from the Wed. the 26th ride:

I guess we are getting so used to the 30+c temperatures that the role out for the Wednesday morning ride saw a huge variety in clothing selection; arm warmers, jackets and full gloves. A good sized group headed south across the channel and then down to 97 via the Reserve/golf course. Once we hit the highway surprises were in order; we managed to stay together all the way to OK Falls. A cameo appearance by Barb Zimich, from Zimich Coaching, saw her along for the first part of the ride but alas she turned off at OK Falls. Oliver Ranch Rd. was the destination of choice and after the first kicker some itchy types started to ramp up the pace until the group came together at Vaseux Lake. So much for clothing choice as the operative word here was strip down. This was probably the shortest stop in many months and you had to be on your toes if you didn't want to be left behind; if only we knew what was in store just around the corner. Once we cleared the S turns the breakaways started and the pace quickly climbed until it was hovering around 50kph; thank goodness for tailwinds and short pulls. Lloyd was at the helm directing the group like it was his own symphony; but by the time we reached the 7-11 in Oliver we were down to 9 riders. Where the others went is still up for grabs. Once we hit the pavement again it was 97, Black Sage, 97. Up to this point there wasn't a ton of climbing but the pace was fast and once a group of three riders was spotted in the distance around Gallagher's Lake the chase was on; could this be the Lost Brigade/F Troop? As we approached the threesome we quickly discovered it was a group of "Left Coasters" sporting brand new Hayman wear. I guess we were linked somehow with our new Hayman shorts. The threesome swung on to the group and once we reached OK Falls the Conductor, aka Lloyd, directed his symphony up and over McLean Creek. J.S and Ian elected to take Eastside road and were later reported MIA. The newbies were quick to point out that they owned a local winery on Eastside Rd., momentarily distracting some of the locals in their attempt to hold the pace up the backside of McLean Ck. Patience was the order of the day and the group managed to stay together until the last kicker on Eastside Rd. when a certain Central Ontario type led out an early challenge for the final sprint. A local upstart held the pace and took the green jersey maintaining the bragging rights back at Smith & Co. Coffee, chocolate milk, juice, water and great conversation held the group together at Smith and Co for some time. Hey maybe that's the key; we should drink coffee, juice and taunt one another as we roll on down the highway and maybe, just maybe, we can all come home together. Okay I'm daydreaming and the Conductor wants me back on task. See you Saturday morning at 8:00 am for the Ironman weekend ride; watch your collarbones this time.

The Road Not Taken

2009-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

As the peloton headed out this morning, many choices awaited. At each main intersection, decisions were made to alter the course of the day’s entertainment.

With the A Team stamping out the tempo, we headed towards Apex Ranch but then a left turn meant the cruise out the highway to Kaleden.

Then to avoid doing Apex in reverse again at least for now, the decision was St. Andrews then low and behold a major break with tradition and someone suggests “The Wall”.

That appeared to be the key to pinning on the race numbers as the pace was boosted and the A Team plus assorted others began the racing down to OK Falls then on to the infamous Wall.

Some punishing attacks on the climb were brought under control at the top as the peloton reformed and we headed to Willoughbrook. The spectators were out in full force and some of the riders took time to high five the masses!!!

A cry of Fairview or Apex was heard with Fairview being the democratically chosen option whether by majority or loudness is not clear.

Once at Fairview, it became apparent that Black Sage in some form or other was on the menu.

And so to “The Road Not Taken”. There are several ways to get to Black Sage and they are numbered.

All that is required is a basic understanding of mathematics that as the numbers increase you are getting farther away from the coffee shop. Therefore some tried to chose Road 7 but were voted down in favour of Road 9 and some even chose Road 22. But it should be noted that the leaders of the Road 22 group needed to check Google Maps to see where they should turn.

Fortunately, the problem was rectified and the A Team plus the Foreigners including Scott from Omak and a couple CPP Team found Black Sage.

The F Troop chose Road 9 and was not seen again until the coffee shop but more on that later.

The bulk of the peloton wound their way back on Black Sage to Oliver and a little stop for nourishment.

The choice to return directly to Penticton or do Fairview was a short debate and the lower route was selected.

A split in the group by Vaseaux Lake worked well for the CPP Team as we teamed up with Ian and Andy who very graciously towed us back to town while the breakaway group followed Lloyd up McLean Creek. He was not going to be going it on his own again!!!

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop, the discussion about sprint winners was rampant with claims of wins by all and sundry not the least of which was Pat B. who claims he did all the possible sprint sites just to make sure. Or Steve B. who let JS leadout for the final 4 kms. and then take him on the line.

While the A team and assorted others had their own versions of who won, the most important thing was that once again everyone got their money’s worth and had a great ride.

There is a “Recovery Ride” leaving Smith and Co at 9 am tomorrow. Good luck to those who are doing the Apple Triathlon tomorrow.

Elder Abuse

2009-08-19T15:48:00.001-07:00

The Wednesday ride was a fine example of a chain reaction that led to some elder abuse.

There were two foreign riders aka Gary and Paul from the flatlands of Alberta who decided that they would show the local A Team that they can ride hills.

As they were in the process of hammering the local big dogs, the CPP Team was thrust into the batter just like blueberries in the pancake mix.

Not withstanding the fact that a couple of the locals were on their short but hard workout days that made the warm-up tempo on Eastside Road significantly faster than “normal”.

When the attack on McLean Creek split the group it appeared that the CPP Boys would not make the OK Falls sprint as the foreigners dragged the A Team along.

However, a well placed pickup truck negated the sprint and we once again formed a bonded peloton of A Team, Foreigners. F Troop and CPP Racers.

Several attacks later, we spent some quality time at Vaseaux Lake discussing possible routes for the remainder of the ride.

Since there was no clear preference from any of the groups, we all saddled up and headed for Fairview. As each of the A Team, look the front they did their best to show that they would not be intimidated and they boosted the tempo.

As the CPP boys tucked in the paceline, it was apparent that the climb up Fairview and beyond was going to be a challenge.

Not only did it tax the CPP Team but also the F Troop was feeling the pain as the attack on the climb put the majority of the peloton in the red zone.

The cruise, if 40k/hr into a headwind can be called a cruise, left little doubt that we needed to get rid of the A Team and the Foreigners.

The last two climbs to White Lake made it evident that something desparate had to happen and as luck would have it the Big Dogs decided that they were doing Twin Lakes and Apex.

Well let me tell you friends that the F Troop and CPP Team were very quick to make a hard right and head for the coffee shop.

As we swung down passed the Observatory the comments ranged from “glad we finally got rid of them, I’m cooked, I have never felt that bad on a climb and their easy is my red zone!!!”

The ride into town was awesome as Eric once again realized what an honour it was to ride with the F Troop and CPP Team that he spent most of the time at the front.

A little sprint at the airport to get the CPP Team ready for the Senior Games that are fast approaching and it was off to the coffee shop.

No word on the A Team and Foreigners. Hopefully, with out leadership they were able to find the road up to the ranch and were not heading out to Keremeos.

Next group ride is Saturday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am. Hope to see you there.

What exactly is a Recovery Ride?

2009-08-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Photos from today's "Recovery Ride".
It seems like recovery may be a foreign cycling term for we should hammer the hills in Naramata and make up some new sprint places.
The photos are courtesy of Brian Burke who tried to take a photo of himself winning the Peto Sprint only to have someone beat him on the line.
I see I need to revise how I upload photos so that they appear in the correct order but I figure at least I got them uploaded!!!

Some post ride discussion on where was that sprint line.

Enjoying the view from Painted Rock before the climb up to Chute Lake and then down to Indian Rock.

Brad realizing it is August!!!

The CPP Racing Team discuss tactics only to find out they didn't know where the sprint line was.
A serious bike rider!!!

The Champion of some unknown country out for a Sunday cruise.

Pat B. who was going for a cross ride. Only to find out no one knows what that means.

Next ride is tomorrow at 9 am leaving Smith and Co as the CPP Racers begin gearing up for the Senior Games in September.
The usual Wednesday Ride is still at 8 am leaving from Smith and Co.

Team Big Deal

2009-08-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Due to a volunteer commitment, I was unable to make the Saturday Ride but I suspect that the A Team and F Troop left Smith and Co to go their merry ways. There may have been all sorts of stories to report, but none of the participants filed a report so . . .

Meanwhile after taking photos at the 1st Annual Down the Channel Swim (now Jim old buddy this is an event to mark on next year’s calendar!!!), I got a call up to ride with Team Big Deal.

And I have to tell you it is a whole lot like riding back in “the good old days”.

First off is coffee at Starbucks and a chance to watch some buskers sing old time gospel songs.

Then a solid tempo ride up to the ranch with a solo break by the Team CPP guy to claim the Green Jersey Points at the Chicken Coop!!!

DBD was setting the tempo based on ABD’s watt meter so we were holding 250 watts to the ranch.

Then since ABD had the aerobars, he took the lead down the backside to the highway. Still maintaining the 250 watts meant that the pace never slacked off.

On the Yellow Lake climb DBD, decided that it was time to boost the watts so he made a little attack while ABD and Team CPP held the 250 limit.

At Yellow Lake we met KBD’s wife who was helping out with the Impact Richter Ride so we had a nice chat with her before we headed for the gas station at Twin Lakes.

And so to another good old days custom, we stopped at the gas station to try some of their delicious pie.

Seems just like when we used to stop at the Husky for poached eggs on toast before climbing up Richter Pass.

Now DBD and ABD had to have roast beef subs with their pie but I didn’t want to go overboard so I just had a lovely piece of apple pie. I am convinced that the F Troop will have to add this “old” riding regime into our program.

Then it was back to Penticton where it seems that Team Big Deal worked out the sprint strategy while Team CPP was stuck at the weigh scale intersection.

ABD went to the front early and boosted the tempo while DBD who normally does the long attack sat back. So I am thinking sooner or later DBD is going to hammer it but the gap widens and ABD takes the stage win.

It is heartening to note that it took two of team to beat Team CPP. So just wait til next time when Team CPP has a couple riders, we will show them a thing or three.

There is a Recovery Ride leaving Smith and Co. at 9 am tomorrow 09/08/16.

Hope to see you there.

In need of leadership and direction???

2009-08-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

As the peloton broke into two groups face to face on the road by the Skaha Meadows Golf Course unable to decide should we go north or south, it was a foreshadowing of more confusion to come.

Since the larger number of riders were facing south they dictated that we go that way but that was the way the other group wanted to go anyways!!!

The plan seem to be working until we hit the junction at the Observatory when once again no one seemed to want to step up and take charge.

With the F Troop, we may not ride as far or as fast but we know where we are going!!! However, the depleted numbers meant that Troop was “forced” to ride with the A Team.
Tom and Doug, you missed the chaos.

Some said Fairview. Some said Apex. In the end, the Fairview mob won out and the Apex group eventually caught back on at Willoughbrook.

After complaining that no one waits for him, Ian had a minor mechanical issue and one of the F Troop waited for him. While the A Team blasted off, the Troop plan was working by having gotten the A Team out of the way only to find that Lee and Lloyd wanted to know what it was like back with the Troop.

Now the Troop has three guest riders who have the audacity to haul us back up to the A Team and it is down to Fairview and more confusion as we hit the descent to the golf course. It looked like some of the Team wanted to head up into the wilderness to find the back road to Keremeos.

Someone says “How about Black Sage” but it seems that not only do they not have leadership they don’t even know where Black Sage is!!

At the highway, there is a turn towards Penticton as someone else suggests going up Baldy.

In Oliver, they can’t seem to find the road to Baldy so it appears that the Troop just can’t get rid of these people.

A paceline towards Penticton turns into a major attack on Oliver Ranch Road and finally at OK Falls the Troop with the addition of JS and Lloyd has shed themselves of the Team.

Lloyd thinking that the A Team has some “serious bike riders” decides that McLean Creek is the go so we bid him a fond adieu and we make our merry way back into town with the aid of a charming south wind.

As we pass Tim D. in the Argo truck, he tells that we are “chase group 1” so Lloyd is going to be “chase group 2”!!!

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop a lot of talk about the leadout man aka Dave K. almost beating the stage winner Ian.

Trying to drum any riders for tomorrow is a lost cause as everyone either is contributing to our corporate sponsor or of all things going for a swim and a run!!!

Next group ride then is Saturday and note the time change to 8 am for all those people who need that extra hour of sleep!!!

Hope to see you there.

Three Groups

2009-08-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

A few boys headed to the warmer climate of Osoyoos to do the “famous” southern 3 peaks ride.
As this is being written, it is likely that the 3 peaks group is somewhere on Richter Pass.

Meanwhile back at Smith and Co. one of the F Troop had some equipment issues so we decided to meet him on the highway back in from Summerland.

The A Team got wind of our plan and decided that a ride out to Summerland would be a nice warm up!!

Upon meeting our good friend, the entire peloton turned and headed back for the planned route up to Apex Ranch and beyond.

It is a good thing that none of the F Troop has any feelings or is easily emotionally scarred because it would seem that once the groups have been established we are left to our own resources.

As is the custom, someone in the A Team decided that the pedestrian pace needed some boosting and off they go with our good friend in their midst. Which is the last time that we saw the A Team and our buddy until back at the coffee shop.

As far as we can determine both groups did exactly the same ride but the A Team invoked the no waiting rule, which basically says, “If they want to ride back there, they probably want to ride on their own.”

Not a problem for us but there is the issue of our good buddy. We have a new 50-page reinstatement document that he will have to complete to be admitted again.

According to all reports, the A Team had lots of stories to tell but didn’t seem to want to share them with us!!

The F Troop once again had an awesome ride and we even met up with our guest member Mike S. aka JS’s brother on the road at Kaleden so he could spend some quality time at the front dragging us back into town.

It will be a lonely ride next Wednesday as two of the F Troop are on road trips. One member is heading to the Capital to share some quality time with the ruling party while the other member is heading to the hilly stretches of Saskatchewan to test out his timetrial skills while listening to Tommy H. on his IPod.

There will be a “casual” group going out tomorrow for a 2-hour “recovery” spin leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Hope to see you there.

Yes there is an abundance of smoke.

2009-08-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

After very little discussion, the group decided to do the Apex Ranch and beyond ride as it would provide some cut outs for those who had more things to do besides suck in great volumes of smoke.

The A Team cruised on ahead and Dave K. put the hammer down at the chicken coop just to see what the other boys had. Apparently, there was little response as he put in a huge gap right at the start and never looked back.

The F Troop welcomed Tobin from the great metropolis of Vancouver to our midst. It wasn’t long before JS grew weary of our endless chatter so he and Tobin embarked on a minor breakaway at the coop.

At Apex Ranch, Pedro A. from the Mexican federation was the first to play the “I have better things to do card” and he returned to Penticton.

That left the F Troop down to three stalwarts who had an awesome decent to the base of Yellow Lake hill. It is real treat to fly down the back of Apex through those winding curves and have the wild life aka Peter Rabbit dodge between your front and back wheel.

In the meantime the A Team waited patiently at the start of the climb up to Yellow Lake. Once again Dave K. put the hammer down and put Ian and Gary into serious difficulty.

After a quick drink at Twin Lakes Golf Club, we once again headed down to White Lake Junction where JS, Tobin and Dave K. played the “I have better things to do card”.

Despite the fact that we are not very flexible in our choice of routes, we did opt for Secrest.

The Willoughbrook Sprint was a wild affair with Ian doing a Mark Renshaw for the CPP Guys to duke it out.

The comment on the rather fast tempo ride to Secrest was “Boys, we aren’t cruising at 40 km/hr because we are strong riders!!”

Needless to say, the issue was a strong north wind that was blowing us along. More on that later.

At the bottom of Secrest, Ian sent out a call for any of his friends to join him on the climb back up. There was not an abundance of takers so he must have waited for a while at the top for someone to accompany him back to St. Andrews.

The ride back in to the headwind was made way easier as Norco Joe was trying to get himself ready for this weekends three peaks ride down Osoyoos way so he took the front from Secrest to OK Falls.

Des and Joe made a break on Eastside Road so that Des can get ready for the Senior Games coming up in the near future.

The F Troop worked on our paceline precision into the north wind. The sprint for the final podium position was a blanket finish.

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop, Ian did mention that he should have been paying attention to the flag at the fire hall because his lack of friends made the trip back to St. Andrews and into town not as much fun as he thought it was going to be.

The usual suspects will be rolling out on Saturday at 7 am from Smith and Co. Hope to see you there.

When a leadout is a leadout.

2009-08-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

You guessed it sports fans the Saturday Ride.

First of all, both the A Team and the F Troop agree that we made a great decision leaving at 7 am.

You may recall awhile back the discussion about the best laid plans well . . .

The F Troop planned to head straight over Skaha Estates so that the A Team could go McLean Creek but someone forgot to tell the A Team that!!!

All sorts of hand signals later the A Team makes the attack on Skaha Estates hill and the next time we see them it is at Vaseaux Lake.

So back to the drawing board and a new plan is put in motion. The F Troop is going to do Secrest, Twin Lakes and Apex.

The A Team well needless to say they lack any sense of organization and direction but we plant the seeds that they are going Black Sage!!

As we roll down passed Gallagher Lake at our usual pedestrian pace the A Team becomes frustrated so Dr. Phil, Lee and Ian decide to take up the challenge and step up the tempo.

Finally, a plan that works and we divest us of the A Team for parts unknown.

The F Troop launches into what turns out to be an awesome ride in the cool shade up by Twin Lakes and then on to the climb up to Apex ranch.

Only one incident to report as one of the old guys wanted to show how the juggling lessons were going and spilled his water bottles all over the highway.

We did have some new guests in our midst as Doug of the CPP Racers joined us after his wine tasting holiday at the Tour de France and MJ who chose wisely selecting our group and not those other guys.

And so to leadout story #1, The F Troop sprint was won by some old guy who was led out by Jim of Team Alp d’Huez to narrowly beat Steve B. was thinking he should have stayed with that woman rider at the Apex Bridge.

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop the A Team were sitting around trying to get their story straight about where in fact they did ride!! They finally agreed that they did Fairview and St Andrews.

And for that matter what happened to the rest of their group. Apparently Dr. Phil and Calgary Paul were somewhere down by Oliver as was Vancouver Steve(should have listened to MJ and joined the A Team).

Lead out #2. Is more about “you only have to be ahead at the end” as Lee thought he had the sprint wrapped up only to be nipped on the line by Ian.

As a side note, ABD and GW did the full ride after leaving the A Team as they went up Twin Lakes and Apex Ranch.

Since we are so pleased with our decision to leave at 7 am there is a group heading out tomorrow from Smith and Co. on a spin out towards Summerland/Falder.

When is a leadout not a leadout?

2009-07-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you suffering from a lack of Tour de France coverage, we bring you the next best thing.

Tales from the Wednesday Ride, live and in colour.

On the roll out this morning, three guests Nanaimo Ron, Calgary Paul and Dr. Phil joined us.

The “heads of state” were in attendance as the new guys said they were here to do some “serious bike riding”.

The decision to do the Apex Ranch ride was a test to see if these guys were as good as they said they were.

It was apparent right from the start as they were “setting the tempo” on the early parts of the climb then when they made their attack at the chicken coop the local riders where put into some distress to hang on.

A regrouping at the ranch and it was on again down to the highway at Yellow Lake with Dr. Phil leading the way just like il Falco from a couple years ago.

At the Twin Lake feeding zone, there was a little split in the peloton and a couple groups made the descent to White Lake observatory.

I was fortunate to hook up with Dr. Phil and Lee H. who both decided to hammer so that the chase groups would not catch us. What an awesome ride with these two guys

Another regrouping at White Lake and the final route was determined to be St Andrews down to OK Falls and then Eastside and back to the coffee shop.

A flat to Nanaimo Ron on Waterman’s hill opened the door for JS to show his “sense of humour” when he was phoned by the concerned peloton as to the whereabouts of some of the F Troop and Nanaimo Ron.

The racing began in earnest on the Skaha Estates hill as three groups made separate attacks.

The first was Ian and Lee who somehow managed to get a decent time gap on the rest of the field. They were pursued by a hard charging Dr. Phil and Jeremy while the rest of the peloton were forced to ride tempo back with Jim M. trying to close the gap but realizing the 45k/hr rule was in effect.

Lee and Ian held off Chase 1 but only just as Phil and Jeremy did some serious riding to try and bridge the gap.

Meanwhile the peloton were all happy to be getting participation ribbons for their sprint!!

Which brings us to the question when is a leadout not a leadout? It would seem that it is not a leadout when your sprinter gets beat on the line. However, in fairness to JS, Tom K. did break a cardinal rule—Never tell the new guy where the sprint finish is.

As we gathered at Smith, Calgary Paul appeared from somewhere.

The next group ride is Saturday morning leaving Smith and Co at 7 am.

Hope to see you there.

A kinder, gentler F Troop

2009-07-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am certainly glad I am writing this from the comfort of my computer room after the Monsoon that hit Penticton. While driving back from Save On, I pulled over to the side of the road until visibility improved. The volume of water running down MacCleave was incredible. It would have made bike riding extremely difficult.

And so to the Saturday ride.

After watching the battle on Mont Ventoux, the peloton rolled out down Eastside Road for the inevitable climb up McLean Creek. At the top one of the old guys using stealth tactics made a break. The other riders called his win at the OK Falls sprint into question. There was some discussion about the Rules in the Tour de France about not attacking when there is a nature break.

But this isn’t the Tour and a win is a win!!!

After the second nature break at Vaseaux, the M Train blasted the peloton apart on the ride to Gallagher Lake. This was fine with the F Troop as we picked up two new members, Steve and Gloria fresh off their cycling camp in Spain. Needless to say, it was Gloria’s influence that made it a kinder, gentler F Troop. Not only that but she spent some significant time at the front in her aero bars!!!

The Troop sprint was a titanic battle between JS and some old guy who picked up the win after a great lead out by Doug.

And so to the remainder of the riders who seemed to get splattered across the valley on various routes and various tempos.

With one notable exception, the rides were apparently not news worthy. At least no one sent in any reports.

It seems Lloyd and a couple others came upon a “new” team of riders by the old boar farm.

Team Alp d’Huez was in the process of scraping up one of their members who it seems managed to cross wheels with one of the teammates. I am guessing that there will need to be some more work on the team time trial. Fortunately for all concerned the crash only resulted in some significant road rash and the need for the Team to make another trip to France to pick up a new jersey for Terry McDonald.

Team Alp d’Huez is going to do Apex to the ski hill tomorrow while some of the F Troop and Java Junkies are going to do a “Recovery Ride” from Smith and Co at 9 am

The usual Wednesday ride is still on the schedule despite The Weather network’s call for super hot conditions.

Stage 17

2009-07-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

A little confusion at the start as a few riders headed out before the dramatic end to today’s stage.

However, the highway gods brought the group together since Peach Orchard Rd. was closed for repairs.

This allowed Brian to take us on a “new” climb up the Col de Summerland. Some very steep pitches, a guy in a big pickup truck, and a flat tire saw the peloton reform at the tunnel under the highway.

A special mention goes out to Ian’s many friends who waited for him to fix his flat not once but twice.

After a scene that could have come from the movie Duel when the peloton decided to faceoff against a cement truck, we moved on to the Col de Falder.

The groups never really got together at the top and there was a definite mixture of A Team and F Troopers in both parts. For the scientists among us, it is noted that a mixture is like a bowl of granola. Neither group was a cohesive unit as the lead pack shattered when the Marty Train, Brian and Ian decided to start the sprint at the Alpaca farm.

Green jersey points went to Brian as he nipped Ian at the scout camp. That is not as “dirty” as it sounds.

On the return, trip a lone rider made a break so that the peloton could chase but he was engulfed on the rise out of Falder back to Summerland.

The lack of direction was evident as arms were gesturing like some boys scouts who were learning semiphore.

With the signals crossed, a few riders headed straight in around Giants Head while the second group chose to turn left into the oncoming car lane and fortunately avoid the driver.

The left turning group once again proved the old adage “That what goes down must come up”. We did manage to see some new and rather cool real estate.

The climbs back out proved to be much steeper and more of them than advertised.

Once down on the highway waiting at the fruit stand, it was noted that if the other group had already started riding back to Penticton it really didn’t make much sense us waiting for them!!!

A torrid pace back in to town by the main pack, saw Brian make a break for the stage win but the Marty Train dragged Ian to bridge the gap for Ian to take the win.

And you guessed it sports fans, the right wing group were back at the coffee shop wondering what on earth could have taken us so long to catch them!!

The round table discussion centered on Gloria’s trip to the Mediterranean but was cut short by a wise piece of advice that what is said in the coffee shop doesn’t necessarily stay in the coffee shop. And we don’t need to go over that old story about the STP again!!!

A group is leaving Smith and Co at 8 am on Friday for the out and back loop over Apex. And the usual Saturday ride will once again assemble at 8 am for parts unknown.

Keremeos or Bust

2009-07-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Since your regular correspondent felt if the Tour de France riders get a day off a week must be better, he sent out a call for submissions for the rides. It appears that the boys from the frozen tundra of Edmonton decided to answer the bell. So . . .

Submitted late by foreign correspondent Bruce with occasional flashbacks from his fellow Hound corroborator Al.

A gloriously warm day greeted the expanded group of 20 or so A Team, Java Junkies, F-Troop and assorted guests as they departed Smith and Co. promptly at 10 past the hour.

The planning ride down Eckhart was spent mostly advising those who didn’t want to know the latest status changes from that days Tour de France. Part of the communication did not unfortunately include the planned abrupt left turn after only 200 metres of what many thought would be the climb to Apex ranch. The plan appeared to work – spitting 3 unsuspecting riders off the front. The day’s first catch-up sprint thus ensued. (Peleton 1 –sprinters 0)

The group settled in to a very professional 2 by 10 pace line, with one roving rider providing random 3-wide coverage as needed. The pace over the gently rolling hills could be described as pleasant and conversational.

Right turn on to 97 and the first ‘bump’ with the pace now described as testy with occasional gasping sounds. So said those who were gravity challenged or training less than 30 hours a week. For lighter riders, the PowerTap reading was pegged at around 330 watts, while for those more familiar with buffets the Polar reading was pegged at just below 400 watts, but Polar is notorious for measurement error. It was probably higher.

As a result of the climbs the group was spaced out nicely over a distance of about 2 km by the time the leading A Team turned up highway 3A. By group agreement they were on the way to Keremeos. At least that was the story and they’re sticking to it. Some minor confusion occurred with the remaining teams who then formed small breakaways in both eastern and western directions. This was while waiting for the results of Mike S’s 30 day holiday no riding policy to take full effect.

Multiple teams sized from 8 down to 1 then paced themselves up to a high point several kilometers from the Twin Lakes turn off. To the surprise of many, at least to the surprise of several of the F Troop members, the A team waited politely at this point for nearly all of the riders to re-group. It was about this time that John S was seen riding the wrong way and talking on his cell phone. Some suggest it was a pre-planned strategy to unsettle the contenders.

The teams headed off again, with the A-team in the lead followed by two or more chase groups. Due the largely downhill nature of the next section, your foreign correspondent was able to bridge the gap and just catch the A-team as they mounted up to leave the Twin Lakes golf club for Keremos. Unfortunately again the plan was not shared with all team members, the first out the gate turned left and off the A-team went to tackle Fairview road and points beyond. While I have no direct knowledge of these further events, I’m told what followed was a spirited ride. A quick trip was had by all down Secrest road including some left lane cornering chicken or as it was referred to later “who’s got the kahuna’s now?” Ian was kind enough to suggest a ride back up Secrest and this was completed in a manner that I understand would have done the Tour contenders proud - or at least tired them out a bit. The climb included a most admirable showing by Al the Thinner Hound but at the time of writing there was no way to confirm this anonymous report.

Meanwhile back at the golf course, having once again separated from the fast group and lost site of the F-Troop, your correspondent was blessed by the luck of the Irish. Patrick appeared as if by magic, with John S. also making a brief appearance before disappearing to find a land line to call the hospital or his broker I’m not sure which. After a short delay to inform Mike S. we would be abandoning both him and his broken Ksyrium spoke at the bottom of the Yellow Lake hill, our trio then had a wonderful shady ride up Green Mountain Road to the Apex Ranch. A speedy downhill followed with a long lead out by Patrick, a powerful standing sprint by John, and the usual wheel sucking by your correspondent. The group then took first honours with their virgin like arrival at Smith and Co.

The F-Troop during this time had pressed on with the A-Team route to Keremeos, taking enough time to assure the sun was high in the sky for a hot climb back up to the Apex ranch. Kudos to the group for showing how a route once planned can actually be ridden. Even if it does mean arriving third at the coffee shop, but hey who’s counting really.

The cool down commenced in earnest during which Gary D. once again seemed able to bring out the best in people. The new staff member at Smith and Co, in a plan to ingratiate himself with the team, tried the old cigarette butt in the ice cube trick as a conversation opener, but Gary was on to him before you could shout “hey it’s only flat on the bottom”. Actually Peter spotted it as Gary had the ice cube in his mouth at the time. What followed was a series of very funny role plays of how the cigarette butt got in to the ice cube. Gary played the straight man with refinement seldom seen in an off Broadway production. None of this had a wit to do with cycling, but it really put the cap on a very good day of friends riding and playing together. Now if they’d just grow up maybe we could train and win a few races.

Two Kinds of Friends

2009-07-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Glorious sunshine and light winds made the ride today outstanding!!!

A big group under the direction of Doug L. headed out up to St. Andrew’s then south to Oliver.

The usual attacks on the climbs were made with the A Team once again leaving the F Troop gasping at the back.

When the peloton assembled at White Lake, a break away of two riders from the F Troop started the race for the Willoughbrook Sprint.

Never let it be said that F Troop doesn’t have guts but several chase groups from the A Team caught on and the pace quickened.

The Big Dogs from the A Team battled it out with Brian and Jeremy high fiving each other after the sprint. Not sure if there was a clear cut winner but the Java Junkie boys seemed very pleased that they pounded on Dave K.

And so to the first Kind of Friend. You invite a close personal buddy who you rode the mountains of Spain with to join the Saturday ride and when he gets a flat you drop him like a hot potato. Fortunately, the F Troop boys took up the slack helped him change the tire.

There were several Guest Passes handed out today. In particular, a couple to the Edmonton Hounds with the proviso that they spend lots of time at the front!!!

The flat tire incident caused a major split in the peloton, which left the A Team to do the full Monty on Black Sage while the F Troop did a half-baked version.

Everyone came together on Tuc El Nuit road and the large paceline headed home.

Another flat (not the same guy from before) saw another split in the peloton with a combination of A Team and F Troop members falling into the separate groups.

The first group “soft pedal” at 30 km/hr into OK Falls virtually guaranteeing that the second group could not catch them.

And so to the second Kind of Friend. A serious breakaway on Skaha Estates hill put a “famous” sprinter off the back but his good friend said it wasn’t fair to attack him. I believe the direct quote was “I want to beat him fair and square in the sprint”. After much debate the breakaway sat up and the group reformed.

We definitely got a good return on our passes to the Hounds as they both put in sterling performances on Eastside Road.

Needless to say, the “famous” sprinter kicked our butts in the sprint and his good friend felt really great about that.

As for the second group, a smiling Dave K did indicate that he once again extracted a fair degree of revenge taking out the stage win for a second consecutive ride.

Meanwhile back at the coffee shop the Spanish story gets another twist as the directions given left the other Kind of Friend searching for Smith and Co.

There are a few Recovery Riders going out tomorrow from Smith and Co at 9 am and the usual suspects plus the Hounds will ride on Wednesday.

Hope to see you there.

Fun and Frolic

2009-07-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

Apparently, we have come up with a couple replacements for our original “F” in F Troop.

A very good group headed out today for the Wednesday ride. Despite the north wind we opted for a southern course to avoid what appeared to be a significant amount of rain.

A wise choice as we only got some rain near the end of the ride.

On the way out to the Lookout at Kaleden a quick attack on the climb got the A Team moving and the Troop was able to settle in for the climb up to Twin Lakes. A couple of the A Team went off course but quickly figured out their error and rejoined the peleton at Twin Lakes.

A shout out goes to Brian Burke who came back to pick up the lone rider who stopped for a drink at the Golf Course. There was some discussion about financial considerations but I don’t think the F Troop has ever paid off a debt.

Some serious racing past the old Boar Farm saw the A Team break away for the Willoughbrook sprint. This led to a little more confusion for the A Team who forgot that the Troop’s favourite ride is down The Wall.

JS got another guest pass and split away from the A Team to join us.

In the world of competitive sports, it is often the case that the weaker team will raise the level of their play to match up against a stronger opponent.

Not the F Troop!!! We take pride in our efforts to get people to sink to our level.

On the ride in JS aka John Surkan, did his best to push the pace and keep the tempo high. Gradually, the F Troop wore him down and eventually on Eastside road he surrendered and rode in the paceline with us.

Mind you he did win the sprint and I really think we need to revisit the whole guest pass issue even if he did do most of his time at the front of the line into the headwind.

At the coffee shop, the discussion turned to animal humour, which progressed from Wiley E Coyote to the famous Farside Boneless Chicken farm and Tom’s excellent impersonation of Foghorn Leghorn.

I guess you had to be there!!!

The A Team eventually rolled in with a tale of woe as they finally figured out that route was down the wall.

Just for the record, Dave Kitson picked up the A Team sprint win ending Brian’s streak.

Next Ride for the CPP Team will be Friday as the Pro Triathletes gear up for The Peach. The regular Saturday ride is on as well.

Hope to see you on one of the rides.

Robbie Burns

2009-07-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley"

What started out as an excellent plan to paraphrase Burns went astray at the Apex Ranch but I am getting ahead of myself.

A very very strong group of riders headed out this morning on Eastside Road. News filtered down the peleton that the F Troop had a plan.

To this end we sent out JS to set the plan in motion and it succeeded as he pumped the pace up to about 45 kph then handed off to Dan Mac who boosted it to 50 and we had the A Team right where we wanted them.

The F Troop skipped McLean Creek and headed straight to Vaseaux for the usual nature break and then on to Secrest.

Meanwhile the A Team was sprinting away and Brian B who is racing the crit tonight took the OK Falls points.

He and a group returned to Penticton while the rest of the A Team was left to chase the F Troop to White Lake.

On the climb to Twin Lakes everyone came together with the exception of Dan and some others who headed back to town via St. Andrews.

But it did leave a solid contingent to join the F Troop on the road to Apex Ranch.

As the Troop likes to do, they formulated a plan for the descent from the Ranch into town.

And so to Robbie Burns, It would seem that the plan as often happens didn’t get spread to all concerned so Jim, Steve and JS blasted by the entire peleton at the bridge and began the charge in to town.

Scrambling to find a wheel was the order of the day and the chase was on. The A Team led by Ian and Gary reeled in the breakaway but the F Troop must have still been formulating yet another plan.

The overall win today went to Ian with a couple of the CPP boys filling in the minor placings. A strong showing by Gary moved him up from an earlier “participant in the sprint” to a podium finish. This could mean some serious problems for the racers when they return from holidays.

Fortunately, the F Troop knows where the coffee shop is and they wander in questioning the loyalty of Jim M and Steve B.

Good luck to those racing tonight and tomorrow. There is a “Recovery Ride” group leaving Smith and Co Sunday at 9 am.

The usual ride is still on for Wednesday. Don’t forget you can catch Tour de France action at Smith and Co prior to the ride departures.

Hope to see you on one of the rides.

The profile and map shows today’s ride down to Secrest, White Lake, Twin Lakes and Apex Ranch. Click the photo to enlarge

Pro Triathletes' Friday Ride

2009-07-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

A great ride today with the Pro Triathletes. We had a new member out today making a welcome guest appearance after his trip to Africa and a member of the infamous F Troop who wanted to get some secret training in so he could hammer his buddies tomorrow.

Once again we never got cheated on the ride and earned our pay cheques.

I thought I would include today's ride profile which is the climb up to Apex Ranch then down to Highway 3A then up to Yellow Lake and home on Highway 97 through Kaleden.

You can click on the photos to see a larger version.

Here are three other rides near Penticton that show the diversity of the terrain for riding. It should be easy to figure out which one is the ideal choice for your training program.

Ride Profile # 1 is a tour out on Naramata Road to Painted Rock then down into the village and up to Lang's Winery.

Ride Profile #2 is a cruise out to Crescent Beach on the highway. It is basically flat and ideal for the Sunday Recovery Ride!!!

Ride Profile #3 is the climb up to Apex Ski Hill and although I have never been able to verify this personally, it is supposed to be comparable to Alpe d'Huez.

Good luck to all the riders who are racing this weekend at the Masters' Race in Kelowna.

For the rest of the group, we will be leaving Smith and Co at 8 am tomorrow.

Matrix vs. Orbea

2009-07-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

The first annual Canada Day Ride up to Apex Ski Hill was held today with a strong group of riders heading out from Smith and Co.

A solid tempo to the chicken coop was quickly erased as the A Team decided it was go time. This pretty well split the group into several pockets of riders of varying sizes. (both group size and rider size!!!)

As the ascent from the Ranch began, I began to draw comparisons between my normal ride up to Apex and today’s mode.

The Matrix a VVT-I 16 Valve engine versus the Orbea a compact crank set. The Matrix front wheel drive with snow tires versus the Orbea a 34 x 26. The Matrix playing Dwight Yoakam’s greatest hits versus the Orbea playing Maroon 5 “Harder to Breath” or Johnny Paychek “Take this Ride and Shove It.”.

Ah but what would it be without the camaraderie of close personal friends to ride with on this ascent that has been compared to Alp d’Huez.

Once at the top the descent was outstanding with many riders revelling in the fast pace and flowing corners.

Mind you the logging truck did present some problems.

Down at the ranch again the age-old dilemma. Where should we go Yellow Lake or coffee shop? A quick show of hands and wouldn’t you know it, the coffee shop wins. No need for a judicial recount as the A Team pinned on the race numbers and were gone.

The F Troop split in two so that we could practice our chase the Big Dogs tactics. Once again reinforcing the 45-kph rule.

Lots of stories at the coffee shop made the earlier decision a good one.

Next ride for the CPP Team will be Friday when the Pro Triathletes make a return. We will be leaving from the Fairview Bridge at 9:30am.

Some of the Java Junkies are going to test their race fitness at the weekend’s Kelowna masters race. While the usual suspects will front up again at Smith and Co on Saturday leaving at 8 am.

Hope to see you there.

Guest Pass

2009-06-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

After our history lesson from the last ride it seems that the Java Junkies team mates will hook on to the strongest rider and leave their buddy dangling.

A strong group headed south again!! The nature break at Vaseaux Lake allowed everyone to catch their breath, have a banana and formulate the eventual routes for both the A Team and the F Troop.

The great pavement on Black Sage seemed to be the ride of choice and both groups found their way back to highway 97 for the return trip.

The A Team made the decision to go see someone’s granddaughter who works at Fairview Golf Course while the F Troop thought they would check out the wild dogs on River Road.

After a brief stop at the golf course the A Team headed up into Willoughbrook and then towards the Wall. Brian took the KOM points only to see his Java Junkies buddies latch on to Dan from Total Restoration and leave him in the dust. Fortunately, two of the CPP Team picked up Brian and dragged him back up to the break.

From all reports, Dan won everything else including the green jersey points and the stage win.

Meanwhile back on Black Sage, the F Troop welcomed a new member, Dave who may or may not be related to that other Nash guy who plays basketball.

As well, we offered a guest pass to JS to join us and it was accepted. It was a good thing as we got full value for giving it to him because he did the lion’s share of riding at the front on the way home.

We did a little Tour de Willoughbrook to show Dave where the Masters Road race goes just in case he decides to give up triathlons and take up road riding. We went down the Wall as well but didn’t have the same problems with cars as the other group did.

A brief visit with Bruce S. in OK Falls while the race numbers were given out at Christie Beach and it was on for the Eastside Road hammer time. Very nice coming back with the tailwind.

JS won the sprint and immediately had his guest pass ripped up. I did tell you about alliances!!!

There are a few guys leaving Smith and Co tomorrow(Sunday) at 9 am.

Don’t forget Wednesday is July 1st so there should be lots of riders for the regular ride from Smith.

Hope to see you there.

Alliances are fleeting

2009-06-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

If history has taught us one thing, it is that ententes and alliances are more for convenience than for your loyalties to any particular group.

Why do ask is this about history and not the usual BS about the Wednesday ride.

Why indeed!!

The Wednesday ride started out the same with the usual where are we going and then the usual hammer fest to Vaseaux Lake. With the usual confusion from there to Oliver with still more hammering.

A loose reforming at the top of Fairview was followed by some solid tempo until one of the Big Dogs decided it was time to really put the hurt on the group.

As the peleton shattered with pieces falling off left, right and centre, the trouble began as the F Troop chose to go down the Wall again!!!

This left two of the probationary members to chase the main pack to White Lake.

A cry for help from the ghost of White Lake appeared to rattle the main group and only two riders waited for the misfits.

It was a sad time riding in to hear two grown men in such a state of disillusionment thinking that their “friends” would be waiting at the next possible meeting place. It did give them hope that maybe those “friends” would be just around the next corner.

But alas is was not to be and they even deserted one of their own after the final sprint to leave him limp home on his own.

It was, however, great that Ian and Gary dragged us back to town.

After much cajoling at Smith and Co, which appeared to fall on deaf ears, a remark was made that “we are not babysitters”.

The F Troop arrived with a good deal of fanfare to state their case for forming yet more alliances.

And so to today's moral. It would appear that an oath of allegiance is like an oral contract only as good as the paper it is printed on. I think I heard that from one of the lawyers on the ride.

Next major ride is Saturday at 8 am but I believe some of the racers will be attending the Criterium in Kelowna on Thursday and a small group is heading out Friday at 9 am.

Hope you can make some of the action.

Benevolent Dictatorship my @#$

2009-06-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

After considerable discussion about possible routes, a very strong contingent headed south for a change this AM. Given the favourable north wind, the early tempo was severely disrupted as the attacking and chasing began as soon as we hit the city limits on Eastside Road.

The hammer off the front and chase philosophy carried on to Vaseaux Lake where the regular regrouping takes place.

The Big Dogs decided that the new pavement on Black Sage was too good to resist so they selected that option from the candy machine.

Meanwhile the Benevolent Dictator still hadn’t made up his mind so the F Troop was left dangling in various locations in the paceline.

As the Big Dogs piled on the pace by Gallagher Lake, the word came down the line--“F Troop is going up Secrest”.

When the Troop split off at Tuc El Nuit, we had managed to enlist three new members—Eric, Steve and Gloria.

A casual remark that we could do Black Sage and come back on the highway was met with cold stares and some language not fitting for our G rated blog. Once again indicating that one of the founding fathers does not get any respect.

The Troop ride back was awesome as Eric realizing the honour bestowed on him as a member of the secret society spent most of the time at the front dragging us into the headwind.

At the White Lake turn off the usual riding lies were discussed but that wise old man Walking Eagle said he was going right so Gloria and your humble reporter voted with him. The other Troopers saw the error of their ways and it wasn’t long before they too decided that Twin Lakes/Apex is way over rated.

The airport sprint was hotly contested after some early lead out action by Doug L. for Tom K. Now that they know where the finish line is I may have to develop some new tactics.

As for the Big Dogs, they did Black Sage/White Lake and home with the group thinning out as riders chose to take the highway back and not suffer the climb up Fairview.

From all that I can gather the final sprint went to Ian after a “huge” pull by JS.

Next action will be Wednesday for the CPP Team and associated riders such as the F Troop and the Java Junkies.

Big race weekend as mentioned earlier with the hill climb today at 4 pm from Kal Tire and the road race at 10 am tomorrow by the Willoughbrook Firehall.

Hope to see you at one or more of these.

A Good Day in Vancouver

2009-06-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

A long time ago “this would be a good day in Vancouver” meant that there was rain but we wouldn’t have to ride because we don’t start a ride in the rain in Penticton.

My how things have changed but don’t get me started on the good old days.

There were a few raindrops but a hardy group of 8 minus Doug who must have thought he was back in Scotland headed down towards Oliver. Fortunately, the rain eased off when we hit Eastside Road right around the time that the pace picked up!!!

The OK Falls sprint had a little excitement with one of the riders getting a flat just as he started to sprint. This left the door wide open for JS et al to battle it out.

At least this time the guy with the flat took off the correct wheel!! The F Troop did rally around and offered lots of advice. Mind you, Des was nowhere to be found to assist in the flat repair. And it really wasn’t Steve’s pump that didn’t work.

There may be some Youtube video of the group hanging out while the flat was fixed.

The remainder of the ride into Oliver was rather uneventful with some serious hammering from Vaseaux Lake down to Tuc el Nuit.

After a quick drink at the 7-11, it was a charge up Fairview and on to White Lake. On the cruise along the top what should appear like the Phoenix rising from the ashes but Doug H. And a good thing he showed because we needed extra bodies to pull us back into the north wind.

A solid tempo all the way into the airport sprint which was won by some old guy who spent the whole ride at the back never taking a turn at the front.

Once again proving the old adage “that you only have to be ahead at the end.”

There will be the usual Pro Triathlete ride on Friday and a few of us will ride Saturday morning.

However, the key ride will be the BC Masters Hill Climb and Road Race put on by Des Snider this Saturday and Sunday. For details check out http://www.bcmasterscycling.net/page3.html

Secret Society

2009-06-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Minus a few of the usual suspects due to racing commitments, the Saturday group headed up to Apex Ranch for a change. That makes three times this week. It is a good thing the ride down the other side is so much fun!!! There were a couple guest appearances today including Dave C. and another member of the CPP Team Jim M. all the way up from Vancouver.

A solid tempo to the Chicken Coop and then the Big Dogs decided it was go time with the Medical boys leading the way. Not sure what would happen if one of us at the back needed attention. Oh yah take two aspirin and call 911.

And so the story of the secret society. On the ride down, the F troop boys had a vote and decided that one of the founding fathers was on probation so he was kicked off the bus. They also threw Tom off as well but reconsidered his membership later when “they” decided to go down The Wall and not tell the entire Troop.

The big dogs headed down to Secrest and enjoyed a bit of tailwind on the ride back into OK Falls.

The race once again began on the climb up Skaha Estates Hill when a severe attack was made. About half the group got over the top while that other half showed the meaning of true friendship and stopped to assist JS fix a flat. I think the first group invoked the Mike Cooper rule.

After fixing the flat, we found the F Troop boys who had decided to check out real estate in OK Falls. We formed up and had an excellent paceline into town.

The sprint was led out by Doug L. with JS taking the points followed closely by Steve B.

Not sure about the first group sprint as details were sketchy and the whole story about Ian’s bike shorts seemed to cloud the issue.

Mind you it did lead to the quote of the day by Dave C. who suggested that “Gary participated in the sprint”

There are a few of us heading out for a “Recovery Ride” tomorrow morning leaving from Smith and Co at 9 am

Hope to see you there

The Old Guys Ride

2009-06-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to get a full team out for a ride because as great a life as it is being a pro cyclist there always seems to be something that has to be done that can infer with the riding.

Having said that we did manage to get six riders out for the Friday spin up to Apex Ranch.

The CPP Racers are tapering for the upcoming Kelowna extravaganza so they were content to ride an easy tempo.

On the other hand the pro triathletes needed to get some intervals in so Dave pounded off the front early while Steve said he was keeping his watts under control. Frank was just warming up!!!

When we hit the chicken coop all bets were off as Steve decided that 250 watts should really be 500 so he set off to catch Dave. Mind you he never told anyone he was boosting the watts so we’re thinking that maybe our brakes were rubbing. Oh wait a minute that’s a different time trial and a different year.

Fortunately, Steve and Dave’s intervals ended by the old log building site and the rest of the group were able to reel them in.

After a banana and a few stories about the good ole days when we used to gradually build up to a ride to the ranch we headed down.

Frank decided to test out his 53 x 11 so the pace ramped up early and it was on for young and old. Oops there was no best young rider today so it was just the old guys.

Things heated up even further when Doug thought he should test out his racing form.

The final sprint was a tactical masterpiece as Des made an early break and would not be caught.

Good luck to all the Java Junkies and CPP Racers for the weekend.

The non-racing members including the now famous F Troop will be leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Hope to see you there.

Tour de Keremeos

2009-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Wednesday group opted for the Apex Ranch ride for the warm up today.

A steady tempo to the chicken coop was followed by the “Usual Suspects” attacking.

The cruise down to the highway split into two groups of five. Each one ramped up the pace and the speeds were in the 60 k/hr range at times.

Once we hit the highway, Lloyd decided that we should have a group hug. No think it he may have meant a group ride to Keremeos. We rode the paceline to the Bear then really did the Tour de Keremeos riding into the downtown area and waving to all the locals who lined the streets as we passed through.

After a stop at the Bear for a drink and a little fuel, we headed back to Penticton.

Showing that our group is very democratic, we had a vote to go Yellow Lake or Apex. I only heard one vote for Apex and it seems that the group respects the rights of the minority and we rode to Apex.

A steady tempo to the Ranch saw the F Troop boys assuming their rightful position.

A little excitement on the climb as a mother bear and two cubs were spotted by our resident zoologist. The mother bear stood up on her hind legs and surveyed the group but quickly realized that there was too many old geezers and not a decent meal to be found amongst them.

Naturally, I made sure that I had two young riders between the bears and me.

At the ranch, the social riding ceased as Lloyd distributed the race numbers and the cannon went off. The paceline formed and it was on.

As we approached the finishing sprint, an ambulance chose to go the speed limit so the sprint unfortunately became a non-event. A pity because all the big dog sprinters were lined up for the go time.

There are a number of the Java Junkies signed up for this weekend’s big races in Kelowna. Good luck to all those riders who are racing.

There will still be a group going out on Saturday morning leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Hope to see you there.

A possible new activity

2009-06-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Saturday ride was minus the triathletes as they prepare for tomorrow’s half in Oliver and the mountain bikers who seem to dance to a different drummer.

What can you say but the ride was dictated by the huge and I mean huge north wind. Therefore, we opted for the usual Crescent Beach/Peach Orchard to Camp Boyle loop.

The F troop boys chose to cut out the Crescent Beach section so we could check out the parade preparations for today’s Summerland Action Fest.

The rest of the group used the cruise out to Camp Boyle to work on their double paceline technique, which may require some more fine-tuning, but it is coming along nicely.

As noted the huge north wind was in play for the return ride from Camp Boyle and the race was on back to Summerland. The wind was so good that the trip was so short that extra distance was needed and the climb up to Giant’s Head was added.

Seems that there are some stretches on the climb that are 18-20%. You don’t really notice it going up as you are just trying to get the pedals to turn over but when you are looking over your handlebars on the way down you appreciate how steep it is.

Which brings us to the “new” activity. There were several long board skaters coming down from Giant’s Head and they were flying. So much so that they were passing the cyclists. Mind you they do have 4 wheels so they should go twice as fast. They were extremely talented boarders, which I suspect is a good thing given the descent. Probably not the first downhill you would pick to test out the systems.

The ride into town was outstanding (read huge north wind) as speeds of over 60 k/hr were mentioned. Word in the coffee shop was another win for Brian as he had a lead out from the “Marty Train”.

Next planned get together is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am. Hope to see you there.

Almost a full team

2009-06-05T13:40:00.001-07:00

We just about had a full team for the ride today. Dave was on his way to Vancouver.

We opted for the Naramata ride so that Frank and Len could test out the systems for the Peach triathlon.

Warren was also testing out his time trial bike but had to return early with a mechanical issue.

Brian B. took the honours for the “best young rider”!!!

After a solid cruise out to Painted Rock, the tempo increased on the return with the CPP Racers and Brian pounding the pedals. A good effort considering that they all raced the Kelowna Crit last night even managing to avoid the crash.

Next action is tomorrow morning leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Hope to see you there

Baldy? I don't think so!!

2009-06-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

A strong group headed out after much discussion about possible routes. Not a lot of support shown for the ride to Baldy!!!

Once the course was determined, we headed up the highway to St. Andrew’s and then up to Twin Lakes Golf Course.

Just an aside, there is a technique to dropping your chain at opportune moments to get a rest. A slightly better option than the good old flat tire.

A solid push all the way to the golf course and then the race numbers were distributed.

After we turned onto 3A we carried on down to the backside of Apex and the work began. For a guy that says he is out of shape Marty led the charge all the way up to the Ranch; we can only wish we were that out of shape. Some discussion was had about a new sprint line/KOM spot on the climb as Des pulled through to announce that he had taken it; caught everyone napping. After we regrouped the charge to the bottom was on and the first to lead out was that out of shape guy 'Marty'. It was great fun until a few gaps opened and the group splintered. I think some were scared of Lloyd and his 'boyish cavalry charge yelps' ; good on him because it was a very quick descent. Something about hanging over the front of the bars to get aero and the screaming intimidated the group; more on his upbeat tempo later. Once we reached the flats Brian pulled off the front and again split the group before the sprint finish. It helps to know where the sprints are as we regrouped and the race was on again. Brian and Ian battled it out with honours going to the 'right side of the law'. Readers can pick sides now as to who they think that might be !!! The third regroup of the day was at Smith and Co. where plans were being laid to attend the K-Town Classic stage race on the weekend of June 13/14. We have 5 heading up so far. Back to Lloyd now as the coffee started to kick in and he was in a frenzy to get the Tour de France aired at Smith and Co. Hopefully his hard work pays off. An awesome day of riding today with great weather, ride choice and NO FLATS. For those into it 5 of us are heading to Kelowna for the Crits.

There will be a Friday ride for the “Pro Triathletes” and of course the usual Saturday fun and games.

Hope to see you there.

What part of recovery ride?

2009-05-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

As the small group assembled for today’s recovery ride the discussion centered on no hills and no sprints.

Somewhere in that conversation, someone said “You know I never get to ride to Naramata”. That sealed the deal and it was out on Naramata Road.

Trying to invoke the “ Out and Back Rule” had little effect as the group just had to climb up to the end of the pavement at Chute Lake.

Even explaining “What goes downhill must come back up” didn’t seem to work on these guys as we cruised down into Naramata.

I believe JS’s comment on the way back up about this being the only hill didn’t help either.

So if you can’t beat them you might as well join them and the race numbers were given out when we hit Naramata Road.

No mercy was shown at Red Rooster when Pat B. decided to try and drop as many as he could. However, by then the heart rate monitor was beeping so you might as well try to hang on.

The “no sprint” thingy was long gone and the CPP boys took the top two places.

Next group ride will be Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Hope to see you there.

A Good Choice

2009-05-30T13:01:00.001-07:00

The Saturday ride saw a big group even without the mountain bike boys who decided to go to Subway.

For some reason Team Big Deal really likes the “Five Peaks Ride” so we just let them go!!!

The remainder of the group chose to go out the highway and up to Twin Lakes.

Everything was going relatively smoothly until someone mentioned that a few people got dropped at the lights at the Channel Parkway. Just when a few of us decided to sit up and wait 8 members of a Russian racing team went by and a few of our guys hopped on that bus.

We did form up again for the climb up to Twin Lakes Golf Course when another series of serious attacks were made. This really fractured the group and several separate rides were set up.

Fortunately, the F Troop boys decided that given the rapid increase in temperature that a ride in the shade to Apex Ranch was in order. This was a good choice as we rode a steady tempo up to the Ranch.

The ride down either way from Apex Ranch in a paceline of 6-7 riders who ride a constant effort taking short pulls at the front has to be some of the best riding there is. JS proved once again to be a crafty tactician in the sprint as Steve and Geoff led him out for the sprint win.

On the ride down we did see Team Big Deal going the other way.

We did have some interesting similarities mentioned in the coffeeshop about five of the F Troop riders and their designation as “Grad Dads”.

Just as we were leaving, the CPP Racers arrived from their tour down Secrest. Little news to report as they mentioned that the groups that headed that way did become somewhat disjointed as there were people chosing to go longer or shorter depending on their training schedules.

There is a small group planning a recovery ride to Crescent Beach tomorrow morning. We will be leaving Smith and Co at 9 am.

Hope to see you there.

Drafting Practice

2009-05-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

One of our Pro triathletes was doing a time trial today so Doug, Warren and I got in some drafting practice.

Dave is gearing up for the Investors' Peach Triathlon in July so we headed out to Naramata.

What a great day for riding! A gentle breeze from the north and not a cloud in the sky made for ideal conditions.

We cruised out to Painted Rock then after enjoying the spectacular view we boosted the tempo back with the tailwind.

A minor incident with Dave’s new contacts gave us a little rest but that was quickly recitified and it was on again.

No sprinting to speak of since it appears “sprint” in triathlons is limited to the name of those really short races.

The one bonus (well two actually) is that the cycling team doesn’t have to deal with swimming and running.

It looks like the Friday Rides are going to be a regular feature of our training program as the Pro Triathletes gear up for the racing season with the Peach and a Half Ironman somewhere. They are waiting for Peter B. to come up with a race in some exotic location.

Next road ride is tomorrow leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Ian’s Birthday Ride

2009-05-27T17:22:00.001-07:00

At roll call this morning there were 28 riders ready for Ian’s birthday ride. Where are these guys on a normal Wednesday ride?

Oh!! Wait a minute there is the little thing about free beer at the end of the ride that seems to be a very big attraction.

As advertised the route was up Apex, where Dr. Westby who seemed to appear out of nowhere joined us.
In addition, Ron from Hayman Sports was added to the mix.

The climb to the ranch saw some major attacking once the group passed Herb’s chicken coop. The CPP racers were right in the thick of things and the F troop assumed the usual position.

The plunge down to Highway 3A was stirred up when after a few token attacks one of the CPP boys decided to boost the pace and of course the group responded with the tempo hitting race pace.

Our guest of honour took the sprint at the bottom with several others making a valiant attempt.

Unfortunately, most of the F troop had to return to town so the numbers were down but we did manage to pick up a new member. Welcome Stephan.

The Bear was closed but we did manage to at least get some water for the cruise over the rollers. The cruise heated up and the group pounded the ride up to the top of Richter Pass.

The guests from Kelowna, Doug and Eric, were intent on making the locals hurt. They seemed to be reasonably successful in their attempt. In addtion, Kerry was right there all the way.

The wind gods were on our side and the ride from the Husky to the bottom of Oliver Ranch Rd. was excellent.

The climbs over Oliver Ranch saw some more attacking with a group of 5-6 getting a bit of a break as we entered OK Falls. The remainder of the group formed up after the charge up Skaha Estates Hill and the chase was on.

I suspect the break away was holding a bit back but the group caught them with some strong pulls by several riders.

The sprint attack as usual came on the last little hill and 5-6 sprinters got away.

The stage win went to Jeremy with Harold taking the silver and Eric the bronze. We must have a chat about telling the out of towners where the sprints are.

Hydration (see note at the beginning about free beer) was at the Barking Parrot. It was very nice of Ian to pick up the tab for the beer. The food from the new menu was great and the service by the very attractive waitress was awesome.

It seems Dr. Westby decided to make some house calls in Keremeos and then go to Subway for a snack and read the newspaper. He spent the rest of the ride chasing the group and finally caught up at the Barking Parrot.

The CPP Racers plus a few others are planning to attend the crit in Kelowna on Thursday.

The next group ride will be Saturday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Camp Boyle

2009-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Wednesday crowd opted to go north today since the prevailing winds were supposed to be from up there.

A steady cruise out to Crescent Beach with a sprint win by JS was followed by the climb up Peach Orchard Hill. A nasty little climb but at least it is only one climb instead of a series.

Des decided that he would try some one handed riding and managed to find the only pothole in sight. This naturally caused him to test out his crashing skills. Most judges gave him 4’s and 5’s but the Russian judge gave him a 2.5. Fortunately, there was expert medical advice close at hand and there was no major damage to Des.

The climb up by the dump once again saw some serious attacking with the CPP Racers and others. The F Troop boys sounded the bugle and formed up at the back.

The cruise out to Falder and Camp Boyle was very solid into a strong north wind. JS once again proved too strong and claimed another intermediate sprint win. Doug H. looks ready for this weekend, as he was right on JS’s wheel.

As advertised the return ride was awesome with the huge north wind and the pace was outstanding all the way back to Summerland.

The paceline in on the highway was a great example of racing technique as everyone was into the mix.

The stage win went to JS in a photo finish as we had Doug taking a long pull near the end and Des was boxed in by the group so John was able to pound up the outside.

As noted earlier, Doug is off to the Masters' race on the island this weekend. It is a three-race package with a road race, time trial and crit. Des on the other hand is off to the Prairies for the Northern Alberta Jam Session.

Looks like the rest of us will just have to be content with the local Saturday ride, which is leaving Smith and Co at 8am. Hope to see you there.

The Magnificent Seven

2009-05-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

What a great day for a ride over Apex!!!

A group of seven riders, not painters or actors, headed up Green Mountain Road in ideal conditions.

A series of early attacks got most of the group to the ranch minus the lone member of the F Troop. Hey, where were you guys? It is lonely riding back here.

After a serious discussion between the two ``mountain`` men, discretion was the better part of valour and they opted join in for the ride down to the highway to Yellow Lake.

That stretch of road has to be one of the best pieces of riding around. Get 3-4 guys in a paceline and you can fly at 50 to 60 km/hr. It is wise not to get the wrong guys hammering at the front but the CPP Team had an awesome ride down chasing the break away group. Once again if they are going 50km/hr and we are going 50km/hr it is tough to catch them.

The ride up Yellow Lake and into town featured some long steady pulls by the entire group with no attacks.

The “mountain” men must have held a secret strategy meeting because when we hit just before Okanagan Amusements they put on a serious attack. The CPP racers put up a valiant effort to catch Brian however he was successful in holding the team off but Doug did manage a strong silver medal performance.

Both the mountain men and the CPP Racers are planning up coming events with the regular Thursday crits in Kelowna starting. Plus there are two separate races on this weekend down at the coast with the Masters race going on on the island.

The next group ride is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am. Details of Ian’s birthday ride are still to be finalized but as soon as they are available they will become public knowledge.

The Rest of the Story

2009-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just like the Paul Harvey radio show here is

the 'rest' of the ride:

We continued on down Black Sage Rd. where we were very nearly all taken out by an overzealous young driver that pulled in front of the group and then proceeded to slam on her brakes and delay turning to the right; I think she is still mulling that decision over after a few choice words were thrown her way. Black Sage proved to be a great part of the ride with the pace held at a comfortable sight seeing speed. Wow were there a lot of Tri-riders out today; more on that later. As we reached our southern tip of the ride we hit 97 and the compass turned north. As we went single file and the pace picked up we had an oversight and someone hit a bad spot on the road, which resulted in a pinch flat. A quick change led to another flat so it was on to tube #2. Names have been withheld to protect those associated to this unfortunate blip on the ride but we did consider calling BCAA. Onward the group went and after a quick bottle refill at 7-11 the consensus was to continue north on 97. Now as for the Tri-riders I think we all remember the childhood fable about the Tortoise and the Hare, well it proved correct today as we were continually playing cat and mouse with this group. I honestly think some of the riders wanted to say hello to the 'strangers' more than once. Again names are withheld to protect the guilty. The pace gradually ramped up until we were in the 40 plus category all the way to OK Falls. Oddly enough we saw Kevin Cutjar all by his lonesome heading in the opposite direction; perhaps he was on a photo shoot for another billboard. After a brief regroup in OK Falls Jeremy led the group up Eastside Rd. and then ramped it up again on the 'last' hill of the day. Brian and Harold were able to hold Jeremy's wheel and ripped up Eastside Rd. in the 45 plus Kph zone; and it was fitting that Jeremy took the final sprint of the day after some awesome pulls. Great ride and better yet it was awesome to see some many people out on two wheels today.

Brian

F Troop

2009-05-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

A big group rolled out this morning from Smith and Co. The decision was made to go “south for a change”.

Most impressive down Eastside Road as a single paceline of 30 plus riders cruised along.

The inevitable attack up McLean Creek and the sprint at OK Falls left the “F Troop” boys wondering if it was something we said.

At the gathering spot at Vaseaux Lake, the eventual destination down the great pavement on Black Sage was selected.

The huge paceline once again was in motion with a solid tempo until the stretch by Gallagher Lake when it picked up to near race pace.

The wise old boys of F Troop decided that some hills were in order so we opted for the gentle climb up Secrest and a cruise through Willoughbrook, St Andrews and back on the highway home.

A point is to be noted given the large number of cycling groups in town. When going down from St. Andrews to the highway at Kaleden watch for oncoming vehicles passing cyclists coming up.

The big group according to all reports had a leisurely stroll down Black Sage. As one rider phrased it, it was a group of riders spinning along, laughing and joking while enjoying the Meadowlark Festival activities.

There were some up-tempo moments on the way home but no reports of major attacks or sprint wins.

There is a recovery ride planned for Sunday leaving Smith and Co at 9 am. Hope to see you there.

Getting Old

2009-05-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

The usual suspects were ready for the Wednesday ride with a guest appearance by John K. who backed up after a very tough ride on Saturday. Where is Geoff?

After a little spin over to the Bike Barn to check out the Ride to Work promotion we headed out.

It was a solid climb up to White Lake by the group and then a turn to the south to take advantage of favourable winds. Thanks Des for the tip.

The Willoughbrook sprint was taken by Ian over an aging JS.

At the Secrest junction, the B group made a wise decision to go left.

Ian after his lonely ride on Saturday finally found some “friends” to ride with as JS and the CPP Racers headed on down to Fairview.

The B group’s voyage had a slight interruption as Doug had a flat at the bottom of Secrest. Fortunately, the guilty piece of glass was found so we didn’t have a repeat of the previous flat he had. Remember when he had to keep blowing up his tire every 10km. We could have used Des to help us but Gary stepped in nicely and looks like he could be next in line as a flat changer.

After the flat we hopped on the “Marty Train” and were flying home. We even passed a scooter on Eastside Road!!

We did see Team Big Deal heading south. Must be nice that they can sleep in and start training late in the day.

Our A group boys had a little incident near the Oasis gas station which was handled in a calm and ration manner by our guys.

At the coffee shop we had a little “birthday party” for the aging JS. Did I mention that it was his 50th today?

Speaking of birthdays, Ian’s birthday ride is fast approaching. Details to follow when they become available.

Next group ride is planned for Saturday at 8am leaving Smith and Co.

Black Sage

2009-05-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

It was a big weekend in town with the Barebones Duathlon, the Blossom 10 Miler and the Canoe Racing.

As for the bike riding, it was business as usual.

There were three groups that headed out on Saturday morning with the tiny but tough “B” group heading down to check out the new pavement on Black Sage Road. John K. decided to join us and do his base training in one ride but more about that later.

The “A” group racers decided to give us a head start and chase us. While the “A+” group had other plans and did a modified “Peaks Ride”.

The double A group had to adjust their eventual route because they are not that keen to ride in the cold and wet. So the only managed 3 Peaks and a little cruise out to Naramata.

After putting on their race numbers, the A group pounded by us on Eastside road without so much as a gentle hello.

But we fixed them as we went over Skaha Estates hill and not McLean Creek. Let them see if they can catch us now!!

The B group passed several packs of riders from Calgary who were here for a cycling camp. It is nice to see so many out of towners here enjoying the fantastic riding.

The A group did finally met up with us at the gas station in Oliver minus Ian who it seems had a flat. Either no one knew he had a flat or . . . And then the Keystone Cops movie began as they realized that maybe they should try to find Ian while Ian thought it might be an idea to try and find them. So as he went up Secrest they went back towards Vaseaux and as he came down Fairview they went up Secrest. And so it goes!!!

In the mean time the B group charged onward over the new pavement on Black Sage Road. I must say it was well worth the trip as it is now some outstanding riding.

I have to mention that we did look very fast heading south with a huge north wind and as we turned on to the highway it became apparent that the piper must be paid.

We were staring a long ride home into a head wind, which we thought would be made easier because Ian found us. However, he thought maybe he should once again try to find his “friends” so off he went up Fairview again!!!

Undaunted we struggle on into the wind with John K. finding that the lone ride to Naramata may not have prepared him for today’s effort. Being the gentlemen that we are we allowed him to ride at the back and when needed stop occasionally for a little stretch. We did encourage him with taunts that Geoff S. was with us last ride and he didn’t quit. Mind you Geoff hasn't been back to ride with us!!!

Haven’t had any report from the Robb’s Ride contingent but if I hear anything I will let everyone know.

Our next group ride is Wednesday leaving Smith and Co at 8 am.

Ocean’s Eleven

2009-05-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Not exactly George Clooney and Brad Pitt more like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, left Smith and Co for the Wednesday ride.

We must be fairly consistent because Bruce and Susan knew we would head south and met us on Winnipeg.
Our choice to head south was coloured by the fact that theweathernetwork said there was going to be a south wind all day today.

The Spaniard was back with many stories about the great time at the cycling camp on Mallorca.

The group cruised down to Vaseaux with the OK Falls’ sprint which was won by Brian. He is looking very strong but we have to keep him in this form until September. That may be a tough task but we will give it our best shot.

Since a large contigent are heading out to Rob’s Ride this weekend, we decided to turn at Oliver and come back on the highway.

Finally, theweathernetwork gets it right and there was a significant south wind. We got to enjoy some very fast riding all the way back to OK Falls.

The racing began on the climb up Skaha Estates Hill when Brian and Bruce made a break. The rest of the pack was slow to respond and they got away.

The chase was on but the “Laws of Physics” as they apply to bike riding came in to play.

“If the breakway is going 50km/hr and the chase group is going 50km/hr, you are not going to catch them.”

No word on the battle for the bronze medal but Bruce did take Brian for the stage win.

As mentioned, some of the boys are away this weekend but those who are staying around are planning to ride at 8am from Smith and Co. on Saturday.

Sensible Sunday Sorta

2009-04-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

A hearty group of riders decided to try a sensible Sunday ride out to Chute Lake Road.

For the most part it was in fact a very nice cruise along the new pavement on Naramata Road.

At the Chute Lake turn off someone thought it would be a good idea to check out the end of the pavement since we had a couple riders who had not had the lovely experience of the climb.

A leisurely stroll to the top and a chilly descent set up a push back to Naramata and a venture down a rather steep road that rates as a great downhill but one that would be a very nasty climb.

A casual spin through the burgh of Naramata past a rousing game of softball and a chance to admire the engineering marvel of the stonewall put us into gear for the climb out up Old Main Road. Des thought it might be good idea to test the braking power of his Trek and a Pontiac. Fortunately, Des’ brakes work just fine.

Once again, the wind gods smiled on us and that wonderful north wind carried us back to town aided by a very long and strong pull by Doug.

The sprinters had a great lead out by JS and we showed Mike Cooper that we have in fact been practicing in his absence.

And what ride wouldn’t be complete without at least one more incident as Doug showed us his braking and sliding skills to avoid running into a flatbed truck at the roundabout.

The Wednesday crew are planning a road trip to the West Kootenays to participate in “Rob’s Ride” on the May 8-10 weekend. So for a training session the plan this Wednesday the 29th we will be starting at 8 am and “going long”.

Hope to see you there.