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Six volunteers left the James Bay Athletic Association (Simcoe and Montreal) at 8 AM for the VicPop 100 pre-ride. A cool ride along the waterfront was rewarded with sunshine from Martindale to Sidney. Cloud cover kept the riders cool around the Peninsula. One rider had some navigational issues that they recovered well from. A couple of route sheet corrections will be forwarded to our data guru.

1st - No right turn on red at Helmcken due to the 5 way intersection.
2nd - The right turn at Watkiss way is on new bike lane infrastructure that is protected from the vehicle lane by a small curb - be very aware when entering the intersection.
3rd - E&N Rail Trail crosses a few busy roads - stay alert.
4th - Once across the Blue Bridge the roads will be busy.

The E&N rail trail is well marked though it has a section that shares a lane-way before returning to bike path. Note there is an extension of the E&N RT past Wilson Street, however it is not on the route as it is incomplete.

At 10 AM the Croy family was on the road along with Steve to pre-ride the VicPop 50. Traffic along the waterfront was light, rain was threatening but short in duration. A typical spring day. The bike path at the end of Falaise drive drops quickly alongside the highway and once at Haliburton watching traffic is a must. Beaver lake road is windy, potholed and has multiple speed bumps in the parking area but is well worth the effort. Remember West Saanich road is heavily travelled when you cross it. The same concern at Interurban. Still Quayle road makes up for the extra caution required. VicPop 50 riders need to be aware of the two alerts above as well as the E&N RT signs.

We definitely used up the cool weather, and with March coming in like a Lion, it should leave as a lamb. Looking forward to a warm spring day for April 2nd.

See you there.
Steve and Melissa

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March 22, 2016