This year I once again took part in the Valley Gran Fondo but was joined, kind of, by Chelsey. While I did the 162km route Chelsey and her friend gave the 50km route a try; Chelsey has only had her bike for a week and her friend for a month so it was pretty cool for them to give it a go - it helped that Chelsey won a free entry through work!
By all accounts Chelsey had a good ride, they told me about the enjoyment of the ride, hanging around the rest stop and checking things out - they clearly were not concerned about beating a specific time! On the other hand, I was trying to beat my time from last year which I succeeded at doing! Last year I completed the 162km route in 5hr 31 min and a few seconds and this year I did it in 5hr 16min and a few seconds so I whipped 15 minutes of my previous time which I was pretty stocked about.
But much like last year I hit a pretty big wall and struggled at the end. Last year I lost my mojo with 60km to go and this year I lost my mojo at 120km with 42km to go. I felt like I was going to puke and was cursing my bike telling myself I would never do it again. But, once I finished and rested for a bit the feeling of completing it and beating my time of last year helps erase the bad memories on course.
Also, last year I beat the family to the finish line but this year everyone was there and it was pretty cool to see the kids there when I crossed!
For those of you who like to look at data, Dad I am looking at you, I have embedded my Garmin data above the pictures below. If you are wondering about the time difference, the Garmin data does not include my stops for water where as the "official" Gran Fondo time is from when I cross the start line to when I cross the finish line aka "chip time"
Up next I have planned to do Ryder Hesjedals Tour de Victoria in September but will see how much I ride in the next month and see how my head is before I officially sign up for that, stay tuned...But for now, I have posted some pictures of the family from Sundays ride below. Enjoy...
Monday, July 22, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Third Annual Tuc-el-nuit lake Trip
This week is our families third annual trip to Tuc-El-Nuit Lake. Just to provide you all with a re-cap, we stay at The Lakeside Resort in Oliver and it is the same place Chelsey went to as a kid and the same place her Mum went as a kid, now we are taking our kids and they LOVE IT...so do Chelsey and I!
Historically I would do a blog post everyday but I have not done that this year as we spend most of the time hanging out at the lake and there is only so much I can write about that. When we first started coming here we would take day trips and stuff but we found that the kids, and us, had so much fun at the lake we didnt really need to go anywhere else; I didnt even take my golf clubs this year as I dont want to miss an afternoon at the lake.
On the Sunday morning Kyah and I went to watch the lead groups of riders in the Axel Merckx Gran Fondo ride by, then we hung out at the lake and went to Tickelberries for ice cream after dinner. Monday we hung out at the lake and today we hung out at the lake. Today though was the sand castle competition and the kids and I made an awesome canoe. Below are some pictures of the past couple of days and I am sure Chelsey will have more on her Facebook. I will try and take some more pictures over the next couple of days but for now this is all you get! Enjoy...
Historically I would do a blog post everyday but I have not done that this year as we spend most of the time hanging out at the lake and there is only so much I can write about that. When we first started coming here we would take day trips and stuff but we found that the kids, and us, had so much fun at the lake we didnt really need to go anywhere else; I didnt even take my golf clubs this year as I dont want to miss an afternoon at the lake.
On the Sunday morning Kyah and I went to watch the lead groups of riders in the Axel Merckx Gran Fondo ride by, then we hung out at the lake and went to Tickelberries for ice cream after dinner. Monday we hung out at the lake and today we hung out at the lake. Today though was the sand castle competition and the kids and I made an awesome canoe. Below are some pictures of the past couple of days and I am sure Chelsey will have more on her Facebook. I will try and take some more pictures over the next couple of days but for now this is all you get! Enjoy...
Monday, June 17, 2013
Ride to Conquer Cancer 2013- Check!
First of all thanks to everyone who donated to my fundraising efforts as without you I would not have been able to participate in this awesome event. Also, big thank you to Chelsey for driving all the way down to Seattle to pick me up and I even made you stay in an awesome hotel, thanks for letting me ride my bike so much and thanks for "letting me" get all the equipment and gadgets I "needed" to ensure a safe journey.
While I did the 160km Valley Gran Fondo last year I have never ridden back to back 120km days so I was not sure what to expect on that front. I must say the length was no issue as about 25 members of our team rode together both days and shared the workload, you could almost say it was easy. I was lucky enough to be a part of the Wedgewood Cycling Team for this event and their organization and experience made the riding very enjoyable and most of all safe for the team and everyone around them, it was awesome.
The event organizers did a great job of feeding the 2600 participants and ensuring we had clean showers and bathrooms. As we were the first team over the finish line both days, and amongst the first people to cross, the bathrooms and everything else were in even better condition for us; a case of where speed does pay! There was more than enough food and fluids to keep everyone happy and for the most part the food was damn tasty. The event raised $10.4 million (i think that was the total) for the BC Cancer Foundation and the Wedgewood Team powered by Odlum Brown and Friends raised over $450,000 of that total.
To cap the weekend off Chelsey and I spent the night at Willows Lodge and I must say it was rather nice and relaxing. We enjoyed a brewery tour at the Red Hook Brewery and then sat down for our team wrap up dinner. As the Wedgewood Team is already committed to the event for 2014 Chelsey and I are contemplating joining them also, more so after hearing some of the cancer related stories and the support provided by the BC Cancer Foundation. In the perfect world I would be in good enough shape to do the challenge route which is 160km both days and at a faster pace, fingers crossed!
I have posted a few random pictures of the starting lines and the campground below but I did not take many pictures so that is the best I can do. Also, for you tech geeks out there I have also include some of the info on the ride and you can click in to get more details, I did not wear my heart rate monitor so you will not get any of that data.
While I did the 160km Valley Gran Fondo last year I have never ridden back to back 120km days so I was not sure what to expect on that front. I must say the length was no issue as about 25 members of our team rode together both days and shared the workload, you could almost say it was easy. I was lucky enough to be a part of the Wedgewood Cycling Team for this event and their organization and experience made the riding very enjoyable and most of all safe for the team and everyone around them, it was awesome.
The event organizers did a great job of feeding the 2600 participants and ensuring we had clean showers and bathrooms. As we were the first team over the finish line both days, and amongst the first people to cross, the bathrooms and everything else were in even better condition for us; a case of where speed does pay! There was more than enough food and fluids to keep everyone happy and for the most part the food was damn tasty. The event raised $10.4 million (i think that was the total) for the BC Cancer Foundation and the Wedgewood Team powered by Odlum Brown and Friends raised over $450,000 of that total.
To cap the weekend off Chelsey and I spent the night at Willows Lodge and I must say it was rather nice and relaxing. We enjoyed a brewery tour at the Red Hook Brewery and then sat down for our team wrap up dinner. As the Wedgewood Team is already committed to the event for 2014 Chelsey and I are contemplating joining them also, more so after hearing some of the cancer related stories and the support provided by the BC Cancer Foundation. In the perfect world I would be in good enough shape to do the challenge route which is 160km both days and at a faster pace, fingers crossed!
I have posted a few random pictures of the starting lines and the campground below but I did not take many pictures so that is the best I can do. Also, for you tech geeks out there I have also include some of the info on the ride and you can click in to get more details, I did not wear my heart rate monitor so you will not get any of that data.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
RTCC Update and First Cypress Climb
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| First riders to make it up, I am the fat stupid looking one on the left and was the last of this bunch to make it up |
Anyways, the other cool part is this past Sunday our training ride took us up Cypress Mountain. Since I started road riding last year I have always wanted to grind my way up Cypress and Seymour so I was stoked at the opportunity. I just stuck in my easiest gear and spun my way up, it was easier than I thought so after a couple more recon rides I can try and put in a better time which should be fun; hopefully by then my chest will finally be clear! Other than thanks again to all my donors and fundraiser attendees that is all I have to say.
Monday, May 20, 2013
May Long Weekend 2013 Camping Night
With not much planned for last night Chelsey and I decided we would take the kids camping; I also figured some fresh air would be good for my chest. We settled on Hope Valley Campground & RV Park as Chelsey had heard from someone at work that it is a good spot for families and I would have to say she was right. We got there around lunch time and the kids rode their bikes while we set up the tent. It was a super good campground for the kids to ride their bikes as it was big enough to explore but small enough not to get lost. One of Chelsey's friends from work came up for a couple of hours and when they arrived everyone went down to the pool and the kids went for a swim. It had a pretty Old Skool park with some dodgy spinny things that I am pretty sure are banned from any school park now but it was pretty cool watching the kids rip it up on those things.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
April Victoria Trip
Chelsey was flicking through the blog the other night and gave me shit because I never update it anymore; I promised her I would make more of an effort so here we go...
A couple of weeks ago Chelsey was super busy with volunteer stuff and the kids had a Pro-D day so I decided to take the Friday off work also and take the kiddies to Victoria to visit Nana and Papa Woods. We actually left the Thursday night so we could have more time on Friday to do stuff.
While we did some geocaching over there one of the highlights included our trip to the bug zoo. It was pretty cool in there even though I hate spiders. They had a tarantula bigger than my head and that thing was bloody disgusting. They had other cool bugs there and a neat ant farm that was the biggest in Canada, or something like that. Cohen was totally into it and was stoked to see all the bugs, Kyah had fun but was not as stoked as Cohen.
A couple of weeks ago Chelsey was super busy with volunteer stuff and the kids had a Pro-D day so I decided to take the Friday off work also and take the kiddies to Victoria to visit Nana and Papa Woods. We actually left the Thursday night so we could have more time on Friday to do stuff.
While we did some geocaching over there one of the highlights included our trip to the bug zoo. It was pretty cool in there even though I hate spiders. They had a tarantula bigger than my head and that thing was bloody disgusting. They had other cool bugs there and a neat ant farm that was the biggest in Canada, or something like that. Cohen was totally into it and was stoked to see all the bugs, Kyah had fun but was not as stoked as Cohen.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
Today I decided to go check out the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge with the kids and our Rotary Exchange student. The day got off to a late start because we didn't get back from Cohen's hockey till almost 9:00 last night so the kids slept in till 9:30. I don't think they have ever done that but I enjoyed every last minute of my sleep in. The funny thing is Chelsey was in Campbell River with no kids and I think I am the one who got more sleep!
It was a pretty fun day as the kids really enjoyed the hike around the park as well as checking out the bridge. Kyah has a major rock fetish and they spent a good twenty minutes picking up rocks from a gravel road. We even found a geocache which was fun as we have not been geocaching for a while as we "misplaced" the GPS for a couple of months. Once we were done walking we checked out the ecology center they have in the park and it is cool to see the kids show more interest in that stuff as they get older. All in it was a pretty nice day outside even though the weather was hit and miss. A few pictures below, enjoy...
It was a pretty fun day as the kids really enjoyed the hike around the park as well as checking out the bridge. Kyah has a major rock fetish and they spent a good twenty minutes picking up rocks from a gravel road. We even found a geocache which was fun as we have not been geocaching for a while as we "misplaced" the GPS for a couple of months. Once we were done walking we checked out the ecology center they have in the park and it is cool to see the kids show more interest in that stuff as they get older. All in it was a pretty nice day outside even though the weather was hit and miss. A few pictures below, enjoy...
Monday, February 11, 2013
Family Day Woods Style
Today for the first official Family Day holiday in BC we asked the kids if they wanted to go have a camp fire and roast marshmallows and have hot dogs and obviously they were all over it. I started the morning off by puttering around and Chelsey did some yummy baking with the kids.
When it came time to leave I was thinking of going to either Jones Lake or Foley Lake and chose Foley Lake as I figured there would be too much snow up at Jones Lake. With that in mind I was pretty surprised with the amount of snow that was at Foley Lake; the good part was all that snow covered the garbage that is always scattered around our back roads. We could not do any geocaching though as, obviously, the snow covered everything so it wasn't even worth looking.
Anyways we all had lots of fun, even the exchange student, and ate tons of crappy food. The kids thought it was pretty cool to throw the marshmallows in the fire to watch them expand. We even got to pull some redneck kids out of the snow with our truck as theirs was stuck, proving the superiority of Dodge Rams.
Pictures below, enjoy...
When it came time to leave I was thinking of going to either Jones Lake or Foley Lake and chose Foley Lake as I figured there would be too much snow up at Jones Lake. With that in mind I was pretty surprised with the amount of snow that was at Foley Lake; the good part was all that snow covered the garbage that is always scattered around our back roads. We could not do any geocaching though as, obviously, the snow covered everything so it wasn't even worth looking.
Anyways we all had lots of fun, even the exchange student, and ate tons of crappy food. The kids thought it was pretty cool to throw the marshmallows in the fire to watch them expand. We even got to pull some redneck kids out of the snow with our truck as theirs was stuck, proving the superiority of Dodge Rams.
Pictures below, enjoy...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Family Fun at the Farm
Last Saturday morning a dude from my Rotary Club invited the kids and our Rotary Exchange student to his farm to see some of the baby sheep! Obviously I jumped on the opportunity as I figured the kids would love to see the farm animals. I must say I was surprised just how cute the lambs were. Cohen was a keener and was not scared to hold the baby sheeps at all and when we were looking at the horses Cohen had no problems letting them eat from his hands. Kyah was a little shy and had as much interest in collecting rocks from the driveway as she did the farm animals. The kids were pretty excited and were saying how cool it was when we left. As per usual I have more photos than words which you can see below, the kids took most of the pictures so I am sure you will enjoy them...
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Manning Park Tubing
Today we took the kids snow tubing at Manning Park and Grandpa Darcy and Chiara, our Rotary Exchange Student from Italy, came along also. Other than plain old fun we had other reasons for taking the kids tubing and that was to get them to want to ski. They keep saying it looks too scary so they don't want to try but I really want them to learn so I can start snowboarding again and we can spend more time in the mountains during the winter. The snowshoeing was fun but we needed something that would be more entertaining to the kids and I think tubing did the job pretty well.
When we first go there they were a little hesitant and did not want to go down alone but after one slide down they were asking to go faster and they kept wanting to go faster the whole day. Kyah even decided that she wants to try skiing so I would say the day was a success on that front as if she does it I am sure Cohen will. Personally, I was a little bummed as I was hoping the tube runs were going to be a bit longer and go way faster but when they are family focused I guess you can't have them go too fast. All in all it was a pretty solid day and no body got hurt; enjoy the few pictures we took below!
When we first go there they were a little hesitant and did not want to go down alone but after one slide down they were asking to go faster and they kept wanting to go faster the whole day. Kyah even decided that she wants to try skiing so I would say the day was a success on that front as if she does it I am sure Cohen will. Personally, I was a little bummed as I was hoping the tube runs were going to be a bit longer and go way faster but when they are family focused I guess you can't have them go too fast. All in all it was a pretty solid day and no body got hurt; enjoy the few pictures we took below!
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