Vancouver Safari Report
by Dug Andrusiek

Good ride yesterday. The route is fairly complicated with lots of cues/directions. As a result there were a few folks who got a little lost. They all managed to make their way back on course, with all riders who started, managing to complete.

There were 8 riders who started from Bean Around the World at the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. The riders generally liked the early morning ride out to Whytecliffe Park. A few folks reported getting confused in Hume Park, but all managed to make their way through the Coquitlam, Port Moody, and back into Burnaby.

There were two first time riders. One first time-ever rider: Ron Stewart. And one first time Super Randonneur: Silvia Lee. Ron stated that this was the first time he ventured beyond 150 km in one ride. He and Silvia teamed up at Iona to keep each other company and managed to make it back to the Bean at 20:19.

Interestingly one of the riders noted that Vancouver Safari is a tough route. It certainly doesn't have much elevation gain (under 1800 m). It is close to lots of services. So some of the usual metrics of a ride are not what makes it tough. What makes it tough is the navigating, which comes late in the ride when the rider is generally tired and losing the ability to concentrate. Once you ride it once or twice, the ride is pretty straight forward. But the first time, with the new terrain, means you need to pay attention. For those looking to test their resilience/concentration at the end of the ride, this is a good test. For someone looking to test themselves in preparation for a multi-day event, this would be a good choice, especially if one were to start the ride in the evening and ride through the night.

Sylvia and Ron

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July 15, 2012