Hardly a Ramble 2 1/2/ (200)
Ride date: April 21, 2018
by Bob Goodison

We had a reasonable turnout of 11 riders for the Interior 200 in Penticton, including a few new faces. Despite reports of a road washout on Highway 3A which led to the hasty development of a "plan B" route, we were able to use the original "Hardly a Ramble 2 1/2 " route. Weather forecasts leading up to the ride were iffy, but the morning of the ride was dry, and the sky cleared for a beautiful, sunny day. Environment Canada forecast called for southwest winds, 30 kmh gusting to 50 kmh. OK, we thought. It will be a tough slog for the first half, but the second half will be a walk in the park. WRONG. They had the speed right, but not the direction. Result: strong, gusty headwinds for +- 80% of the ride. On the plus side, my concern that this "easy" route might not adequately prepare riders for the hillier 300km was unfounded. This ride was tough, and virtually all riders took at least an hour longer than expected. Fortunately, we had lots to look at while battling the wind: lakes, rivers, vineyards, wildlife (too many deer to count), spring blossoms and snow covered mountain peaks- if you like that sort of thing.

April 23, 2018