June 5 Anticipation

As of 2:00 pm Friday the weather report for the Saturday ride looks encouraging. It looks like there will be a break in the rain between Firday night and Saturday afternoon; a low of 12C overnight, cloudy but dry in the morning, 60% chance of showers in the afternoon.

Although there's certainly something to be said about a leisurely weekend spent with the boys/girls, as a master's club time is always a precious commodity. We will continue working on keeping the ride tight and efficient; not rushed, but efficient and try to beat the rains. Although we've been somewhat lax about it the last while, riders are reminded that there is no washroom break at Lockport. It's only 35 minutes into the ride afterall! And Selkirk is only another 20 minutes away. Plan your pre-ride routine accordingly. Having a cup of coffee before the ride might not be the greatest bit of planning.

Intelligent riding on the part of everybody contributes to a more efficient ride and the ability to give a challenging ride to riders of various ability levels. It's a long ride. Think about the whole ride and judge you effort. Look at the rest of your group. If you are not clearly in the top half of the group, concentrate on drafting. Within groups pair up with a rider of similar ability so you are both prepared to come off at the same time. If you cannot maintain the pace at the front come off the front immediately. If you are in the lower half of your group strength wise you should always be one of the first to leave any stop. Stronger riders within a group should pull longer and/or ride on the windy side. They should not accelerate the pace suddenly.

Being properly prepared for the ride (both you and your bike) is every rider's responsibility. Bring adequate food and fluids. Be prepared for minor mechanical repairs such as flats. Always be prepared to ride back to the legion on your own.


The plan is to split into two groups in Lockport.
Regular Group Leader: Howard R
Fast Group Leader: Gary S

As a heads up, this is the plan for the FAST group:
The weather will be better earlier in the morning. To try take advantage of that, the FAST group will pause just long enough in Lockport to organize and will continue to just after the Big Bridge before stopping. The fast group will NOT make a pee stop at Lockport and will NOT stop in Selkirk. There will be a quick re-group at Hwy 44/Lockport on the way back to get everyone in the group safely across the road together. And a quick re-group at the east gate of BHP.

See you tomorrow.