Monthly Archive for May, 2011

2011 Ride To Conquer Cancer Route

Published on May 22, 2011 in 2011 and Chris. 0 Comments

2011 Ride To Conquer Cancer routes have been published… unlike in previous years. The route really makes no difference to me, but it has sparked quite a debate in some circles. Seems that many folks use this event as some sort of proving ground – them against others or them against themselves I don’t know – and are disappointed that it’s not more challenging.

Saturday Route

View Toronto Ride to Conquer Cancer – 200KM Route-Day 1 in a larger map

Sunday Route

View Toronto Ride to Conquer Cancer – 200KM Route-Day 2 in a larger map

Gran Fondo Niagara

Published on May 22, 2011 in 2011, Chris and cycling. 0 Comments

On Saturday I participated in the third annual Gran Fondo Niagara. It’s touted as a ride through the beautiful Niagara wine region. While it was a beautiful day, the route was not. We departed Rockway Glen and immediately climbed the escarpment… to the winery-free region of Niagara. This was a real disappointment for me. Had they published the route ahead of time I would not have participated.

Our ride guide was a very friendly, and seemingly fast, young rider from the Spidertech junior team. But friendly and fast are not a replacement for not knowing the route. We had to stop at many/most intersections to review the map, and even with the map we still got lost and had to back track a significant distance. Even with this additional backtracking we still only rode 78km – the route was advertised as being 80km. Toss in the fact that the ride cost $125 ($200 if you wanted the commemorative jersey) and this was a real bust!

This ride held such promise but really failed to deliver.

Here’s the route from my Garmin:

The highlight of the day was getting our 2011 Vitess team jerseys!

 

Guster: Live in Toronto at The Phoenix

Published on May 9, 2011 in 2011, Chris, Goin' Out and Music. 0 Comments

One of our favourite bands performed at The Phoenix last month. As usual I brought my recording gear – and this weekend I finally got around to editing and posting the results to Archive.org.

43rd Annual Springbank Road Race in London, Ontario

Published on May 1, 2011 in 2011, Chris and cycling. 0 Comments

It took three races but I finally show on the results page with a position instead of DNF! I wasn’t feeling 100% and I haven’t done any training since Good Friday so I’m pleased with the result. The time shows 24 seconds back but I think that’s a mistake as I thought I was a lap down to the leaders. Either way – I finished, and I felt good. Not particularly strong, but good nonetheless. I road my Vitess with Continental GP 4000 S on my Equinox wheels – it’s the right bike for this event, and the only bike I have that’s suitable! I was tempted to take the Specialized Armadillo All Condition tires on the Zipp 404SE wheels as they were calling for rain, but I forgot to put them in the car. In the end the rain held off until our race ended and I was happy with the tires/wheels combination I chose.

For the full race results click here to visit the OCA Race Results page.

Vitess were on site with their tent lounge – fully stocked with snacks and drinks, and a bunch of new chairs for the team and supporters. TwinPro Graphics (my company) are going to produce some wall panels to finish out the lounge and provide some shelter from the wind and rain.