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VanIsle Eau de
Hell Week Report  Scenic Ocean Boulevard on the 300 km, April 8 Vancouver Island Eau de Hell I am pleased to report that there were
plenty of spring blossoms … but unfortunately the pitter-patter
of spring showers got a little out of hand so it was hard to
detect the delectable scents of the spring blossoms. Also, many
“Eau de Hell’s” were exclaimed by most riders,
particularly during the hilly part of the Alive Are The Hills
300 which accounted for 11,500 feet (3500 metres) of the total
Eau de Hell climbing. Although Keith Fraser managed to add a
few bonus kms. and some extra climbing, Michel Richard and Ken
Carter demonstrated that they were real ‘keeners’ and
added Participation records were shattered for the Tour de Cowichan 200 (a record 70 registrants; the previous record was a little over 40 registrants set in 2006) and for the Alive Are The Hills 300 (25 participants). 17 folks registered for the Lost But Not Forgotten 400. This ride ended up with the highest number of dnf’s – 5. Two of the dnf’ers, Keith Fraser and Manfred Kuchenmuller found the dark back roads of the Cowichan Valley somewhat confounding and once they found themselves on the Trans Canada Hwy, they pedaled furiously back to the finish with eerie shadowy devils nipping at their heels! Manfred said he saw a cyclist go by without a head – it was bungeed to the rack pack:-). The Ride For Gold 600 was the crème
de la crème of all the Eau de Hell Week brevets. Terrific
scenery and fast times to the Gold River turnaround. All riders
checked in and left the Gold River Control within 15 hours of
the start. The predicted storm gave some hints of its arrival
with a brief, For the last 200 kms back to Chemainus,
riders were assailed by a constant heavy downpour of rain driven
into their faces by 70 kph gusting wind off the straits. Temperatures
were cool. At one point, Michel Richard reported he did not need
to drink from his water bottle, all he had to do was open his
mouth! Not unexpectedly, the return trip was cold and difficult.
Riders warmed up by making frequent visits to coffee shops along
the way. In spite of the fact that the 1st 2/3rds of the Ride
for Gold was fast and scenic, all riders agreed that the conditions
they experienced during the Seven, yes, …. SEVEN intrepid riders completed this ‘compact’ Super Randonneur series!! I received a note from John Hughes, Managing Director, Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) in which he states ”I hadn't realized that the Eau de Hell Week was, in fact, a full series of brevets. Some years ago I was talking with Lon and he brought up the idea of Brevet Week. I told him - politely - that I thought it would burn people out, there'd be a low percentage who qualified, etc., etc. I was wrong!” Official Eau de Hell Week 'Hellions' (Survivors): Cum. Time 200 300 400 600 76h53m Ken Carter (Seattle) 7:28 15:00 18:41 35:44 76h59m Alex Pope (Club Treasurer) 8:03 14:22 20:26 34:08 83h05m Gary Baker (Club President) 8:44 15:39 22:45 35:57 83h07m Jeff Mudrakoff 8:33 15:04 21:31 37:59 79h25m Eric Fergusson (Club Webmaster) 8:04 15:39 22:45 32:57 74h26m Michel Richard (Past President) 9:37 15:00 18:14 31:35 75h53m Ken Bonner (A) 8:58 13:50 19:05 34:00 In sum: Lots of wonderful scenery, blossoms, hills, rain and wind. It was HELL! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL EAU DE HELL WEEK
PARTICIPANTS AND PARTICULARLY TO THE SUCCESSFUL ‘HELLIONS’
– EACH OF YOU DEMONSTRATED NOT ONLY INCREDIBLE Thanks: A VERY LARGE ‘THANK-YOU’ TO THE VOLUNTEERS (Graeme Sheeley; Margot Bonner; Ray Parker); HELPFUL MERCHANTS (Chemainus Subway; Chemainus Dancing Bean Café; Gold River Chalet Motel; Campbell River Mohawk; Qualicum Shell; Petro-Can in Nanaimo & Colwood Corners; Sidney 7-11; Lake Cowichan Esso; Tim Hortons in Nanaimo, Mill Bay and Royal Oak (Saanich); and finally, but not least, the Sooke Cyclery. Also, A BIG THANK-YOU TO our hard-working Club Executive for supporting the Eau de Hell Week concept; and to Cheryl Lynch (Data Base person who manages all the control cards and other paperwork); Eric Fergusson (webmaster who posts all the brevet results); Karen Smith (director of medals); and, Alex Pope (Treasurer who collects all the money and pays all the bills). Special Mention and Thanks to the organizers of the traditional Tour de Cowichan 200k, Susan Allen and Doug Latornell for once again making this brevet a resounding success!! Also, it is very much appreciated that they graciously permitted the Tour de Cowichan to be linked with the other three brevets to complete the array of brevets comprising the Eau de Hell. Another group of folks that should have been mentioned are the riders. without the support of participating randonneurs there would be no event. Thank-you to all! And finally --- don’t forget the Hills Are Alive 300 (about 800 feet LESS climbing than the Alive Are the Hills 300) starting and finishing in Victoria this Saturday, April 21. For more info, see Vancouver Island schedule. Happy Riding! …. Ken  Michel Richard & Ken Carter on 400 km, April10 April 17, 2007 |