After the first rainy day in a while the clouds had moved out just in time for a 6:00am start in Sidney. Fred sent us off with some advice and instructions – there were 8 of us (incl. Etienne on a fixie!) – and we made for the Brentwood Bay ferry where Fred waited with snacks for a final send-off.
The section from Mill Bay to Lake Cowichan was absolutely gorgeous and my favourite part of the ride – the rolling terrain and forest on a Saturday morning was the kind of riding I usually don’t get to enjoy.
James passed me in Lake Cowichan and I only saw him again long after he’d finished and was riding back to Victoria while I was going the other direction towards Sidney.
Port Renfrew to Sooke felt tough: a momentary lack of concentration caused me to veer off the road on a fast downhill and into the rough gravel. No harm done, I managed to stay upright but had to get off the bike for a few minutes as my knees and hands were shaking. Lesson learned, you dummy!
The road towards Sooke had some spicy up-and-downs and Sooke itself seemed a lot more laid back than I’d expected. One of the ride highlights was the Galloping Goose Trail – flat, fast hard-packed fine gravel for miles.
I was really running low on energy and couldn’t stomach another energy bar or gel so I stopped at a McDonald’s in Colwood for what was to me the best fast food meal ever made (incl. a Sundae and a latte). Right there, I saw Etienne riding by and waved to him but he was spinning so hard on the fixie that he didn’t even notice. I wolfed down the rest of the meal and tried to catch up but never managed to.
The last segment from Saanich back to Sidney was through nice farmland and by then the day had turned into a beautiful evening. Close before the finish, I saw Etienne again, having already finished and in his way to the ferry to head back to the Mainland.
And then I rolled up to Timmie Ho in Sidney, all tired and hungry but happy that I’d come over to the Island for this.
Many thanks to Fred for organizing this and picking such an awesome route.
