Riding Updates

I haven't got around to posting ride reports lately. Where to start?
I didn't do the 12 Hours of Cumberland, because of the rib issue.
June 20th was Summer Solstice, which I wanted to celebrate. Hilary had suggested doing a loop on the ferry to Saltspring, ride to the ferry to Sidney, ride to the ferry to Mill Bay, and ride home sometime. I was going to do it by myself if she didn't want to come, but I ended up riding down to Esquimalt, where they were having the market for the last day of the "Fiber Fest", and rode home with Hilary and Dave in their car.
(or in black & white here)


The ride over the Malahat was a lot easier than I'd expected. I'll have to stop listening to other people when they warn me against things. The Malahat isn't a big, steep, or long hill, nor is the traffic that bad. I had no trouble making it over with the double on my bike.
Only ended up doing about 60 km.

Last Saturday I rode to Nanaimo to get a new backpack. The weather when I left (at about 8am) was nice and sunny, no wind. I stopped at Tim Horton's when I got there, and made my way through town, stopping here and there, and then to the Woodgrove Mall (my favourite shop in Nanaimo is the House of Knives). I walked around in there for a bit, and decided to make my way home. It was absolutely pissing it down. I couldn't see to the edge of the parking lot. So I went back inside to kill time, hoping it would pass. It did slow a bit, and was not raining full-on when I got tired of waiting and left at 7pm. I had a tiny fold up jacket, but appart from that just shorts and a t-shirt. I got very wet, but it was quite warm, except for when it got windy. I got home at about 9, covered in road grit.
Total distance: 138km

Wednesday was Canada Day, so I had the day off. I didn't do much all day, but went for a ride to Lake Cowichan. I rode on the new highway both there and back. A couple of people have told me how that road is horrible for cyclists and that I should ride the Old Highway instead, but I liked the long smooth highway much better than all the potholes, rough roads and momentum-robbing short ups and downs of the other road. I rode straight through the town, and turn around and came back somewhere between Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay, when I realized that enen though I had a spare battery for my lights, I had taken the light off my bike the day before. I got back at about 9:15, just as it was starting to get dark.
Total Distance: 77km

I'm going to have to do something saddle-wise soon. After 50 km it becomes increasingly uncomfortable, and causes my back to ache aswell. I've tried a whole load of saddles (7 now I think), and none of them have solved the issue.

I haven't been doing a lot of mountain biking lately. I'd really like to do more. I've been invited on the SIMS women's ride on Sunday mornings at Hartland, which I'm looking forward to.
Mount Washington opened last weekend. Anyone want to go and rent big bikes with me?