the first ride
photo credits to Jay Wallace Photography: website | Instagram | Facebook
On July 24th, 2020, we drove from Victoria to Port Hardy with the Oak Bay Bikes sprinter van, loaded up with wheels, bars, gels, and extra clothing. We arrived in Port Hardy, got changed, had some coffee, took some pictures and set off down the island.
Port Hardy -> Nanaimo (390 km)
The weather was perfect leaving Port Hardy (and stayed perfect the entire ride). We were treated to rolling hills and extremely quiet “highway” roads as we rode into the night. I remember feeling appreciative that all of our bikes sounded smooth and everyone’s bodies seemed to be working properly.
We met up with the van every 100km, where Emma and Chloe had water, bars, coffee, tubes, and extra clothes ready for us (they are the true unsung heroes). The only mechanical of the ride was Nick flatting on his tubeless setup in the middle of the night, with only one tube on hand that had a valve stem that fit his rims.
The temperatures were pleasant all night and fatigue was kept at bay with caffeinated sport drink. We rolled into Courtenay as the sun rose and, somewhat ironically (although maybe it’s just science), the temperatures dropped and we all struggled to stay awake on the bike. A lengthy stop at Tim Horton’s and a leisurely ride out of town towards Nanaimo got us back on track.
Nanaimo -> Cobble Hill (68 km)
Pacelining along the shoulder of the highway. Sunburns.
Cobble Hill -> Victoria (96 km)
We met up with a group of Victoria Wheelers, UVic Rowers, and UVic Rowing Alumni at Drumroaster coffee in Cobble Hill, who joined us for the remainder of the ride around Shawnigan Lake and back into Victoria. Riding along the waterfront with a sea of Shim’s Ride jerseys and arriving at Windsor Park for pizza and beer with even more supporters was the best part of the ride.
Looking forward to the ride for many years to come.
