Mount St Helens in southern Washington is a place I have wanted to visit for 30 years. These days it is a 110,000 acre area called the 'Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument'.  Kind of a park area created by government out of respect.

Whatever they call it, I want to go there...and by bike.

Many Velo Vets will have a memory of the day in May 1980 when she blew her top.
I recall a big off in the distance whoomph sound that morning, didn't think much of it and then  saw the news coverage later of the blast. Can you imagine that a sound, of anything, can travel 400km to Vancouver?
Holy Crap.

So here it is 31 years later. We have had a stretch of 6 weeks of sunshine, it's mid September and I'm retired. I'm thinking, throw the bike and tent in the car, drive down one day, ride one day and drive back. 3 days total.
Very cool solo trip. Wait much longer and the weather will ruin it. So lets go.

I grab my Jan 1981 copy of National Geographic that is devoted to the volcano coverage. For about 25 years this magazine sat in a drawer at my desk at Vancouver City Hall. I remember telling the guys one day I'll visit this damn mountain. Then I brought the magazine home. It has maps and pictures of what the area looked like pre 1980. A gorgeous summer or winter vacation spot.
Pictures of Spirit Lake before and after and Harry Truman the Lodge character that wouldn't leave, and the huge blast zone that surprised the experts.

Spirit Lake was smaller, shallower and without oxygen and oh so poisonous now (1981). Harry Truman, his Lodge and crate of whiskey are somewhere (like a mile) under the new lake. The destruction zone was extensive, created by a volcano blast equal to 500 atom bombs and I get to ride my little 20lb bike straight into the face of the perpetrator at Johnston Ridge Observatory.

I'll ride 2 hours into an area that was a total destruction blast zone.
And in about 70 years or so it will blast again, heh heh.

Tuesday morning I fill the car up with my essentials for a three day camping trip. Not a lot of stuff just enough that it is comfortable and fun. Tent, bike, matt and sleeping bag, cooler. I'll buy things to eat at Castle Rock.
What a gypsies life.

Taking Highway I5 through Washington it is a 5 hour drive at 60 to 70mph.
Gas is $4 a US gallon and the Lexus gets amazing mileage.
I actually wonder if the gas gauge is correct?
Arrive to Exit 49 Castle Rock late afternoon and head over to the Government Campsite at Seaquest State Park. Why would anybody call it 'Seaquest' when the sea must be 40 miles away?  That's a quest alright.

It's around 4:30 in the afternoon and I drive up the little road to the office at the entrance of the camp. Nobody around, camping or otherwise. A posted note states 'pick a camp spot and put cash in the envelope provided'!
Stick the envelope in a little white mail box on a wood post at the door.
You got to be kidding?
I'm from the city. I'll pay later.
In fact, I'll go back to Castle Rock, get some grub and come back.

Castle Rock, man this town has not changed since the 60's. I like it.
The people are friendly in that small town kind of way.
Ask a question and they light up. The local grocery mart is well stocked. I pick up some really wholesome bread, fruit, peanut butter and what do we have here...good Chilean wine on sale for $4.99. 6 large cans of Rainier beer for $6.
I like this place.

On the way back to my campsite I pick up a pizza to go from 'Papa Petes', enthusiastically recommended by the grocery cashier.
Chilean wine, good pizza, chocolates just what a weary traveler needs.

Camping near Mount St Helens is very easy. There are many places to choose from.
I chose the Seaquest government site 'cause it appeared super clean and quiet.
It was.
The place is windless and silent in an eerie way. I find that a front bicycle light makes a good reading light!

Hardly any other campers out here although the place is huge.
An old couple with a Boston Terrier.
An occasional camper or tent lit up with a flashlight for reading.
It was empty.
No bears or raccoons, the garbage cans even have regular lids.
A couple (literally) of mosquitoes but nothing bad.
With a name like 'Seaquest' you would expect a view of the ocean or something but there is no view of anything. Just a nice peaceful ambiance. Total silence.

At 3 in the morning I did hear an owl making very strange sounds way off in the distance.
Wow, this place could be setting me up for a scene from a zombie movie.
It's also just across the highway from the Visitor Center that I want to check out and  they have an underground pedestrian tunnel from the campground to it.
Oh yeah, the name Seaquest, that came from the guy who donated the land.

Ride Day!

Plan is to leave 'Base Camp' and ride up Spirit Lake Highway 504 east from Castle Rock and approach the mountain from the blast side north.
Feels like an Everest quest.
I get up early, starved and ready for a big Canadian breakfast.
Hey, after breakfast at Castle Rock it will be smart to check out the Mount St Helens Visitor Center  across from the campsite.

At the Visitor Center I found out a ton of cool facts and see some real blast artefacts:
'A 5.1 magnitude earthquake from within Mount St. Helens triggered the collapse of the mountain’s north flank, releasing the largest landslide in recorded history and a volcanic eruption equal in power to 500 atom bombs.

As much as a cubic mile of volcanic material shot upward and sideways.
The lateral blast traveled at more than 300 miles per hour with temperatures in excess of 600 degrees Fahrenheit, destroying 230 square miles of forest.
Within seconds, the trunks of thousands of 150-foot-tall old-growth Douglas firs snapped like toothpicks. Rock, snow and ice roared down the mountain at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Ash rained down over 22,000 square miles, blew more than 12 miles into the atmosphere and circled the globe in 17 days.
When the ash finally cleared, the mountain was reduced by 1,313 feet.'
OK, that's what you learn at the Visitor Center!

The Center has a small theatre that shows an interesting 20 minute film.
There are geologist’s books that survived the 600 degree blast because there was no oxygen to burn them, and melted temperature recording devices.
Kind of creepy cause you know nobody made it out of that blast zone.

High noon and time to jump on the bike and spin.
The weather is good and I pack food into a small backpack. There are no grocery stores or gas stations on the way and I bring everything I need. Arm warmers and Campy jacket may come in handy too if the weather changes as I have heard it can here. Don't need a phone, who would I call?
Should be similar to my ride from Port Coquitlam to Whistler, which was 170km.
But I find a big difference is that there just isn't much traffic.

The destination is Johnston Lookout Observatory on Spirit Lake Highway 504 to the north side of the volcano.
The traffic speed is 55mph but it seems safer than the Whistler highway as the edge is really  clean and wide. You can actually ride on it! The pavement appears to be higher quality or maybe just less worn out. Whatever the reason it is a good surface to ride the hours away.

I start out with the intension of keeping the watts low. I'm talking 200 watts.
This not a race, I don't care how long it takes, I just don't want to bonk.
Weeks earlier I rode what I deemed 'The Three Titties'.
That's Cypress, Seymour and SFU mountain. Total distance was 160km from
Port Coquitlam and I rode hard, way too hard. I bonked rather properly around Mount Seymour  and found myself chatting with strange people. That's what I intend to avoid here on Spirit Highway.

It's a hundred mile ride from Seaquest Camp to Johnston Ridge Lookout Observatory and back. The Ridge is at elevation 4170' so it is not like Colorado. The ride profile is a bit up and down. I know there is 6200ft of climbing coming up.
High in the mountains I really appreciate the arm warmers and jacket, and I even long for booties! Then you ride down into where it is warm and need to take off the jacket to keep from overheating. Kind of strange as this happens a few times. A couple of spots in the mountains a cloud rolls in and you can't see 50ft in front of you. It is so thick that it is unsafe for drivers for the moment.

After a few hours riding I get to a lookout near an incredibly long recently built bridge. There an information sign that says I am entering the 'Total Destruction Blast Zone'. The map shows the massive extent of the blast, which makes me all the more stoked to get going.

So I start out on this long bridge. Anybody who knows me knows that I don't like heights. I get 50ft onto this bridge and realize this thing does not have guard rails! It has a 3ft concrete barrier that you ride beside and can look down hundreds of feet! The builders must of thought nobody would ever walk across this bridge.. Or ride. Cross this 500 meter long bridge? You do it in a F150 or Winnebago of course. Anything else is madness or maybe lunacy.
I choose lunacy, put my head down and hammer it. I hate heights.

On this ride everything you climb, you get to descend. The grades are reasonable as it is designed for motor homes. There are some long climbs though.
One is 13km long and is a blast on the way back. No brakes (zero watts) for 18 minutes straight according to my Powertap download. An hour to climb and 18 minutes to descend!
With a power meter download profile you can always tell the climbs and descents as climbs are high watts and low speeds.
Descents are zero watts and high speeds.
The ride profile download is full of peaks and valleys, just like the ride.

Along the way to Mount St Helens there is the occasional lookout and view spot.
Not much traffic and I will not see another bike.
I am the only one.

The scenery in the blast zone is scarred. There are not any animals but some birds. The place still seems hostile even after 30 years. You are not allowed to hike or leave the road as the area has been declared a monument to enable nature to grow back unaffected by man. I found it interesting to see the large tree stumps where a 4 ft in diameter tree was snapped over and little new trees are starting up around it. They have not been planted. There are some odd looking flowers here and there.
There is not any dark healthy soil like we are used to, it is grey and dead this close to the volcano.
The ash was 50cm thick here after the eruption. The riding is silent and spooky. Ok who/what is watching me?
Now and then the volcano comes into view and I'm getting closer. I do a final descent down into the valley near the start of the Toutle river and climb the steep 8km to Johnston Ridge Observatory.

Johnston Ridge Observatory is named after a young geologist David Johnston who gave his life while stationed close to where I am riding right now. The blast came at him 300 miles an hour ...with a wall of ice, ash, mud and avalanche flow travelling 100 mph not far behind. It has taken me 5 hours to get here. There is water at a fountain here and Park Rangers give talks about the volcano in front of us. We are about 5 miles from Mount St Helens blast face.

Mount St Helens is at elevation 8365' and pre blast height is 9677'.
There is a dome they call a 'whaleback' growing in the volcano at a rate of a dump truck load a second.
Scientists predict it will be at pre blast elevation in about 200 years. Soon as I heard this one, I'm thinking hey, the things blows about every 100 years. Who cares how high it will be in 200?  This mountain is a beast.

The ride back was fast, under 3 hours. I got caught by darkness so that slowed me a bit. I appreciated the food back at 'base camp'. The Rainier beer was a bit pathetic though, even after riding 8 hours. It's a ride that could be done in 5 hours total if one is motivated.

Anyone considering the journey to Mount St Helens should make sure the weather forecast is clear for a couple of days. Weather changes in a blink there. Sept is a good time to go but Oct may be too late. August is busy with tourists.
Spirit Lake Highway is closed winters. Castle Rock has everything you need but wifi and ...decent beer!

Cheers

I rendezvoused at 630 as I exited outside the Canada Line station at Vancouver City Centre, between Howe and Granville.  I was riding in my BC Lung Association 2010 jersey as I was riding the Gran Fondo in place of my annual 2-day BC Lung Ride in the valley.  It was truly amazing to be amongst all these cyclists lined up for blocks and seeing the mass of helmets down Georgia from my vantage point. 

No chef salad the day before, had a big bowl pasta that Anne had prepared.  Big breakfast and had a banana and a bar before the start.

My plan was to ride on my own so I could set my own pace and not burn out too early as I had no idea what to expect.

Finally after about an hour after I arrived, our corral was signaled to go and I crossed the start line at about 7:35.  The pace was casual and there wasn’t any organized group of riders that I could catch a wheel on.  Taylor Way was my first test and the grade more than I expected, yet the climb was short.  I had no takers from any of the spectators to give me a push.  Once on Upper Levels, many riders passing by.  I stayed as safe as possible to the right as this was not an area I felt comfortable with many of the riders if I tried to pass on the left.  I’ll wait till the lane is more open.  But not sure about this traffic zipping by on my right.

In the area of Cypress, I passed by a group of cyclists who had stopped and pulled over at the barrier to provide first aid to a downed cyclist.  He laid unconscious and I noticed blood on the pavement leaving from the left side of his face where he was laying down.  I did not like to see that and I hope his injury was not too serious. 

I made a quick stop at Horseshoe Bay Aid Station to load up with water.  I tagged along with a couple of gals who were doing a comfortable pace and were enjoying the ride.  Apparently I became their buddy.  ???  Grabbed an espresso at Galileo Coffee at Station #2 after that Furry Creek climb which I can’t remember how difficult it was.  The ride through Squamish was great, nice and flat.  Played tag with a couple of riders.  The temp was still cool but starting to warm up heading out of Squamish.

Lunch at Alice Lake.  Had a couple of small glasses of wine to go with my baguettes.  Looking back I should’ve eaten a powerbar in addition to the jellys.  There those 2 gals again.  Met up with a friend of mine, Bill, and we both headed off together.  Later became separated. 

By now the temperature was picking up and I slowly made up the climb into Salt Shed.  The sign said 1km and after 1.5k, the next sign was 500m to go and I said wha????  Finally the 250m to go sign and there was the station.  Drank a bottle of water and filled up.  I’ll need bigger water bottles next year.  Met up with Bill again and headed off.  Up till that point I still felt pretty good.  But still 34k to go.  And more climbing!!

Going up those climbs with the sun at my back, I swear that sun was burning a hole through my bibs.

From Station #4, the rest of the ride was more challenging.  Bill and I would ride close together right into Whistler.  I had no idea of what climbs were coming up so I kept my pace down and took advantage of every descent until into Whistler.  Knowing the finish was around the next two corners, my energy picked up and the last km went pretty easy.  And crap, it was amazing that the finish was here!!!

And discovered that Dave Parsons had my chocolate milk!!!

Ten minutes after I came through the finish, found Anne sitting in the shade past the finish.  And there were those 2 gals again, just came through the finish.  “Hey, there’s our buddy.”  Anne asked “Who?”  I replied, “oh, a couple of girls I met along the way.”     

No mechanicals or stops to care of anything, just kept riding from station to station.  One brief stop halfway from the last station into Whistler.  Just damn HOT!  My time on my cycle computer was 6:55 which records only when I’m riding, 7:56 on my Garmin and my official time was 7:54.  According to my Garmin, I used up 2,575 cal, total ascent was 1,963 M, total distance was 122KM and steepest grade was 548%. 

I have a short memory of how difficult I found of some of those climbs.  I do remember that as long as I keep turning the cranks, I’d be fine.  And thinking of how difficult it’d be for many folks who struggle with some sort of lung disease and how I could still breathe deep and carry on.  And thinking of how my brother had to stop walking midway through the parking lot for his next radiation treatment during his bout with lung cancer. 

I went for the ride, neat to meet people along the way, a little chitchat every now and then.  And amazing to see all the spectators along the way, the cow bells, awesome. 

And the scenery and views, spectacular. 

Was a real treat to be able to crash in my own hotel room in the village and get cleaned up.  And go out for a BIG chocolate milk and a double espresso.  The next treat was to meet up shortly with the other Velo Vets at Mark Gray’s place.  Chat about each other’s ride over dinner, wine and dessert. 

I feel compelled to do it again next year.  Might even chance to ride it back the next day.  We’ll see.

Here's a report on the ride back to Vancouver from Whistler made by  myself and Barney. 
Barney and I set off from the Southside Diner in Whistler at 10:08:38  for the return ride to Vancouver after having a hearty breakfast with  Tom, Patti, Ian, and Mike who elected to drive back to Vancouver.  Despite there being lots of riders on the road to Vancouver we soon  noticed the cheering crowds had thinned somewhat compared to Saturday.  There were a number of pace lines making good time, meaning they were  passing us, but our intent was to take it easy, stopping to look at the  scenery and rest the legs after climbs.  The ride became eventful as my bike had a very strange noise after  hitting small bumps. It sounded like brakes chattering but the noise  continued even after adjusting them as loose as the cables allowed. My  diagnosis switched to being front wheel bearings. On one 65kph run into  Squamish the noise got kind of scary but luckily at that moment the team  car driven by Tom came alongside carrying the rest of the gruppetto with  their bikes in the back and faster that you can say tour de France pit  stop Mike Tolhurst had a wheel from his bike on mine to get me home.  Unfortunately my diagnosis was wrong as the noise continued.  A flat after Britannia slowed us down a bit and then the afternoon heat  started to affect me as we approached Horseshoe Bay. I was suffering and  riding at a very slow pace. At the top of the Horseshoe Bay Hill, Barney  continued on the highway and I diverted to the slower and quieter low  road through West Van thinking the shade would revive me. It quickly did  and this decision meant I returned home at five minutes to six feeling  good rather than completely knackered. Alas, there was no cheering crowd  waiting as my wife had gone to work and the cat, well, he just doesn't care.  Top speed going up 65kph, coming back 68kph.  One thing I did notice on the way up. Starting with the 4 hour group was  a mistake as it meant that I had no one to work with on the ride. The  riders were too fast to stay with and when I was dropped riders behind  me would use me to bridge the gap and then after a little rest with me  in front blocking the wind, drop me and chase the group ahead. This  happened too many times to count. If I'd started with the five hour  group I think I might have finished under five hours.  John

What a spectacular day for a ride on the picturesque sea to sky highway with ~7,000 close friends. The VeloVets were well represented, although I don’t know the exact count. I didn’t see everyone but I’ll give a report on those that I did see.

There was a group of over a dozen of us that started the ride near the front at Burrard St, rendezvousing in the dark at 0600 h, while others were scattered at various locations down Georgia St. My apologies if I’ve missed someone at our location. Our group included Tom, Ian, Mike Tolhurst, Michel, Barney, Brian Buday, Brian Schindel, Mark, Dave Parsons, Bill Riley, John Denniston, John Joyce, George plus a friend of Tom’s from Colorado, Jack Gerstein. Jack bore a striking resemblance to Lindsay. Coincidentally, he finished the ride in the same time as Lindsay. It was great to have you join us Jack!

The temperature was pleasant even at the early hour and the sun rose to reveal an incredible mass of ready riders stretching far up Georgia St. While not all of us were planning on riding together, we did run into difficulties from the start. The route narrowed into two lanes on the west side of Burrard and in the large flux of riders, Mike got separated from the group and, unable to catch up, ended up doing the ride solo. I’m not sure where we lost Mark and Jack. Dave blew out a 2 month old tire by Taylor Way and thought he would be cabbing it home. However, he was eventually rescued by one of the Ride Ambassadors and was able to continue. Don’t feel too sorry for Dave. He found his new position in the pack rife with females and was seen to cross the finish line with a big smile on his face, surrounded by women. Good job Dave!  :)

There were ~ 7 of us that managed to stay together in the confusion. It was too crowded to do a good, rotating pace line but we managed to stay together for a short time before more trouble. Tom was struggling with a sore back and dropped back somewhere before Squamish. Ian was riding strong until he had to pull back with some bad stomach cramps just before Squamish. I was working hard to hang onto the wheels in front of me, especially on the longer climbs. The guys were fabulous to me and they made a point of keeping me in the group, slowing down for me on the hard climbs and waiting for me to tuck in behind before picking up speed after cresting the hill. Big Brian S and Michel were plowing along like freight trains, with Michel frequently calling my name out to ensure I was with the group and Brian falling back to let me tuck in behind him. Brian B and Barney did their share of pulling, as well as Tom and Ian before they fell back. We came upon Bill in the Cheakamus Canyon but he was unable to hang onto our wheels. Then there was the headwind. That was not supposed to happen! It was somewhere after the 100 k mark that Barney fell back after slowing to get a drink. Then, ever so close to Whistler Michel had a mechanical, lost his low gears and fell back. Brian S was also suffering from a sore back as well as a partially engaged rear brake! What a machine, he doesn’t know how long he rode with the brake engaged but he had to pull back and told me to go for it. Brian B was with me but suffering from a sore knee and dry water bottle so he also fell back. I finished the last 10 k without the team that sacrificed themselves for me. We missed our 4 hour goal but I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:13:02 and the guys were just minutes behind me. My time belongs to the groupetto, a real team effort. It was just as thrilling for me to be part of a group that worked together as a team as it was to finish the ride in the time I did. Thank you all so, so much. Every one of you is awesome!

I believe that Stuart Lynne was the fastest VeloVet, with a time of 3:50:03. Congratulations Stuart!

It was brutally hot by the end of the ride and a cold beer and real food – no gel or bloks – went down well. Mark hosted an after party featuring lasagna and salad, topped off with a delicious tiramisu made by his better half. It was a great, relaxing way to finish the day. Thanks Mark!

As far as I know, there were no VeloVets involved in any accidents, however, Tom did have a close call. A rider passing him on the left was surprised by one of the road cones, clipped it and instinctively grabbed Tom as he was starting to fall. Tom managed to grab him and hold him steady until he regained his balance, preventing them both from going down. Well done Tom!

It was a great day and a fun weekend. I love the ride, in spite of the crowds and plan on doing it again next year. Barney and John Denniston had so much fun that they decided to ride back to Vancouver on Sunday. Good effort boys!  I hope to see lots of VeloVets there again next year! Patti

Lindsay,

  Thank you for your detailed report which covered the ride very well. This was my third time riding this route (with John Joyce and others on previous occasions) and my first as a Velovet. I think this is my favourite ride of the year and at $50US  it both supports a cause (the boys and girls clubs of the various towns that we went through) and is still a bargain. The support at the local stops is phenomenal and I loved being brought home by the pom-pommed cheerleaders. I also like the variety of the countryside and the towns that we transit. We started out at Fairhaven which is cute as a button and then worked our way under cool conditions South and East through the Samish and  Lake Whatcom areas and then North through the South Nooksack River Valley. I was glad it was a bit foggy as the sun was coming soon. There is a different view of  Mount Baker on the right than what we get usually and the best part for me was knowing we would not have to climb it. Then our heading  took us in a Northwest fashion into the berry flat country surrounding Nooksack and Lynden. Riding a pace line with 6-8 others made the going fast and relatively easy. What other ride gives you mountain lakes, wild rivers, glaciated mountains flat rural countryside and finishes off along the seaside. I tried to stay with the fast boys (and one girl..... way to go Patti) on the first leg but then thought the better of it and relegated myself to the second group which was a wise move. We did hit all the stops and the group was kind enough to wait for me at Ferndale as ________ led me back from a flat tire 10 km. out. A great ride and a wonderful day.
Thank you fellow Velovets. 

Yours sincerely  Bill Markvoort

Well team, we made it!  Not only did we make it but we totally kicked ass on Day 2. 

Summary of the weekend:

-rain and more rain
-sardines under a heat lamp
-flat tires: Peter 1, Krista 2, Doug 4 - poor guy...kms walked to fix one flat tire=5.
-mud in eyes and on faces: all of us
-lost items: Terry - glasses, Krista - computer
-pit stop favorites: waffles (Krista and Jim), cookies (Peter, that`s all I saw him eat!), bagels with peanut butter and bananas (Duncan)
-favorite part of the route: the bike trail on day 2 (speaking for myself of course) and old Bellingham along the water on day 1, killing the hills on day 2
-a bit of squabbling amongst the team but overall we were definitely one big LOVE train
-killer hill climbers: Greg and Peter
-dependable pullers: all of you
-smiling all the time: Lindsay
-Happy & Friendly Duncan
-my inspiration: Greg
-my hero: Dad
-strong and gentle: Terry
-my friends: all of you
-Cornelius: support - thank you.
-leader: Brian
-Right hand man & our tool guy: Neil
-tougher & more capable than she knows: Cathy
-loud (I say that with love!) & motivational: Peter
-persistence pays off: Doug
-devoted daughter: Kristi

Favorite moments for me:

-arriving at the meeting place on Day 1 and seeing all of you huddled around in the rain waiting to go, tired but excited nonetheless.
-all the help with my flat tires...especially Peter, my dad and Cornelius (and Neil helping me find a spare tube)
-going up a hill on Day 2, hearing someone behind me, turning around and seeing Greg smiling with that look on his face, and then passing me like he tends to do.
-flying down the big hill on Day 2...you know which one I mean
-Peter yelling out under every overpass
-Duncan talking to random people as he passed them (Friendly Duncan!)
-Climbing up the hill before lunch on Day 1 with my dad
-Day 2: paceline - we rocked it out
-Day 2: paceline speeding up every time Greg took the lead, because he could
-Day 2: finish line...wonderful
-Day 1: going to bed
-the whole weekend: spending time with all of you and getting to know you a little bit better

Thanks for a great weekend!  I think our efforts will most definitely make a difference in our battle to kick cancer`s ass.
Krista

So Mike Tolhurst, Leo LeCoutour, John Patterson and myself were there from the Velo Vets. I was in a Harbour Air jersey to show the company flag since they were a sponsor of the event. Wow, what a great course! Unrelentingly up and down for the first 70kms. Total elevation change for the day actually about 4500 feet. The organizers set up two timed sections, one at 50kms for 3 kms, being the main hill climb in the Highlands, the other at 120kms, for 12kms or so, for those who still had gas in the tank. They didn't record total time, to encourage the mass participation concept. About 1500 riders, split between the 140km and 90km courses.

Us Velo Vets all started off together at the 7am 140km start time but split up after a few miles. Mike was feeling really good and pulled ahead, while Leo mentioned that he had a strategy to take it a bit easier at the beginning so he could give it a good effort at the timed sections. Amazing course through the Western Communities, up and down, scenic. Full credit to the organizers for the traffic control, especially the first few miles. They closed all the intersections until the riders where through, we never had to stop for traffic. The other amazing part, the local support. Hundreds of people out along the route, signs, cowbells, yelling encouragement at the toughest sections. Fabulous, great atmosphere. The highlight of the course of course was the trip through the Highlands - the main climb from 0 to 850 feet, in stages, including pitches up to 18% - then the incredible twisting downhill sections on the other side through the trees. We did hear of a few accidents at the sharper corners, including one rider who went right over a barrier and down down the slope on the other side. But again, great race management, volunteers out there warning riders to slow down on the most hazardous sections, preventing oncoming traffic...

But once out of the Highlands the rain came, and the rain stayed. We got drenched from 70kms right through to 110kms (Brentword Bay up to Sidney and back to Cordova Bay). Cold, really wishing we'd had booties or maybe a rain jacket. Leo came up behind me coming out of Sidney, said he'd been having a bit of trouble with cramp as a result. Luckily for Leo he was able to work it out with spinning and continued to the finish. We didn't see Mike at all after the beginning but he said he finished in 5 hours 14 mins, average 28kph. Great result. Leo wouldn't have been far behind. Mike said it was tough holding on for the last half after the taxing beginning, very little gas left in the tank. Of course the rain and cold didn't help.

In my own case, sad story. I had a great first 110kms, felt great going through the Western Communities, even strong through the Highlands, was loving the course and the atmosphere. Did everything right on the nutrition (thanks Patti!), ate and drank everything on the roll, only two 2 minute stops at 2 feed stations to refill my juice bottle. Went through 100kms in 3hrs 50mins, which is good for me given 4000 ft of climbing in that section. Then disaster. Coming out of the last feed station I caught a kerb edge in the wet and went down on the chain side. Was a bit scraped and banged but got up and hopped back on. I noticed the gears were a bit rough but didn't pay much attention, I was cold/wet and needed to get on. Then at the next steep pitch 113kms as I changed down to the last gear - crunch - dead stop. Lucky to get out of my clips this time. I looked down. Chain well and truly jammed behind the rear cluster, the derailleur a mangled mess. Worse, the hangar broken off, still attached to the derailleur. Out of the race. Leo was with me but there was no point in him stopping, nothing to be done, so he carried on fortunately.

I walked the bike back along the course, found an intersection volunteer. She called the roving bike mechanics. They were awesome, they came by, picked me and the bike up, dropped me at the last feed station. Put me in a room full of riders being treated for hypothermia! I was pretty shivery myself by this point. Put a dressing on my scrape from the first fall though it wasn't that bad. 40 minutes later, after we'd warmed up, a mini bus took us all back to the finish (where by now the sun was shining!). My bike they took to their bike shop (Trek Victoria), where I picked it up later in the afternoon. Absolutely first class organization here. Anyway this is very bad news that the Eddy Merckx is out of commission. My fault. I'm hoping there is a way to fix this, I've heard about a company in California that fixes carbon frames for bike shops here - Calfee Designs - I'll send them a photo of the frame and the damage, see what they think. But that's going to take time so it might be back to the rain bike for a spell! OK yes, it's a real bummer! Not finishing was a bit disappointing too given how well things had gone to this point.

The best part of the day for me though: Watching Cathy come in. Yes, she entered the event, the 140km, and did the whole thing. We'd talked about her doing the 90km course, or taking advantage of the authorized "bailout option" (Prospect Lake road) around the Highlands on the longer course, but on the day she just went for the whole thing. Substantially the longest and toughest ride she's ever done in her life. And add the rain. She was *completely* done in at the finish, 6.46 hours, but boy, what an achievement for her! She's tough though, really strong in the head. She's been riding for a year and she loves it.

This is a great ride! Let's get more Velo Vets over there next year. Here are a couple of photos of Velo Vets taken at the top of the big hill climb in the Highlands by a fellow who was standing there, and who posted them on Facebook...

Your humble scribe...

Lindsay

Glad you guys managed to get out today, cold notwithstanding!

A healthy contingent of Velo Vets turned out today for the Pacific Populaire. Lots of people showed up, no doubt they'd all been looking at the weather report, saw the rain was going to hold off. Duncan went crazy right out of the starting gate, never saw him again till the finish! Must have done a really good time, well done Duncan!

The rest of us got spread out a bit in the crowd but stopped at the top of the UBC hill to regroup. Then going along Railway Avenue in Richmond we were behind a large group. I happened to be at the front for a change and got ahead of that group but then (I could have the story wrong here) somebody ahead of the rest of the Vets hit one of those poles between the road and the cycle lane and went down, ultimately taking John Seckel down with him. I think he subsequently got a flat as well, crazy drama, slowed things down considerably for them. I only heard about all this later, being ahead of that large group.

I have to admit to my shame that I didn't wait for the Velo Vets at the halfway control checkpoint since I wanted to try to get a better time than last year and was worried about the time. Going down Westminster Highway I connected with a friendly group of folks down from Whistler who were keeping up a good rotating peloton and pace and rode the rest of the way with them. It was cold at the finish in the wind but stayed to watch the rest of the Velo Vets and Cathy come in. Neil was looking particularly comfortable coming in I thought and Cathy had a big smile on her face!

Here was my tale of the tape. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/77072172 . Pretty happy with my 3.39 hours moving time, 4.01 hours total elapsed time (per the Garmin). The results online will probably show a few more minutes due to the lineup to check in at the finish. For me a better actual time than last year but more importantly a LOT more comfortable. I was wearing a heart monitor and showed average heart rate 143 compared to last year 158, surprised I didn't have a heart attack last year! Of course still means I'm a long way from fit. Those training rides you have lined up for us Greg will be a big help!

Cathy did the 100kms as well, very proud of her today, a very creditable 24 km/hour moving time of 4.11 hours on her Garmin. She rode with a friend from our Sunday RTCC (Ride to Conquer Cancer meetup) group who'd never cycled more than 60kms before, so the 100 today was a big first for him, though he seems to have had a very tiny bladder. This is a group that Cathy is able to connect with more than me due to my occasional Sunday mountain biking habit. A number of that group found out about the Populaire from us last week, my idea I guess, we did a 50km "cut down Populaire" last Sunday that just went straight out to Richmond from Telus Scienceworld then came back via Marine Drive, 16th, Highbury, King Edward along the last 25kms of the Populaire course. Here is the link to that meetup group if anybody else is interested in their Sunday 9am from Telusworld rides: http://www.meetup.com/Ride-To-Conquer-Cancer-Downtown-Meetup/

Yeah, good day, lots of fun...
Lindsay