OBB-WHEELERS SATURDAY RIDE REPORT

[JonB]

OBB WHEELERS APRIL 13 2013 RIDE REPORT

MOST AGGRESSIVE RIDER: TOM SKINNER
KING OF PANORAMA: CRAIG RITCHEY
RIDE OF THE DAY: ANDY PITRE
MELTDOWN OF THE DAY: VEGAN DAVE (that's 2 weeks in a row now that Dave has imploded by the airport).

Description of today's ride in 15 words (in order of occurrence): Slow, wet, cold, miserable, moderate, cloudy, dry, near-deadly, pleasant, hot, sunny, dry, fast, faster, painful.
Description of today's ride in 1 word: epic.

If anyone took a look at Environment Canada's forecast for today it read something like this: 60% chance of showers turning to ice pellets and flurries over higher elevations. Wind gusting to 50km/hr. Chance of a thunderstorm. UV Index 10 or moderate. Only in Victoria is it possible for such weather to occur simultaneously in the same hr. Such conditions make for epic rides, and the April 13, 2013 OBB-Wheelers group ride was no exception.

As the peleton left OBB it looked like it was going to be a typical Saturday death march in the pouring rain out to Sidney. But by Mt Doug, the clouds parted to blue sky and turning onto the highway the roads started to dry out. The group maintained a steady pace until the lochside turn-off when a driver pulled out right in front of the lead riders and nearly sent a few people to the pavement. Luckily some quick evasive maneuvers and sidewalk hopping averted disaster. By Sidney the sun was out and the rain jackets were off. It didn't take long after leaving Swartz Bay that Tom made it apparent that he was going to make the ride uncomfortable by launching a series of attacks on lands end. What started out as a 15-rider peleton at Swartz Bay was quickly reduced to 12 by the Airport. Craig Ritchey decided he would join Tom and the two went to work turning the screws at the front. One by one, riders started to pop of the back and by the start of Panorama the group was reduced to ~9 riders. The big dude in the yellow jacket (name anyone??) took a flier off the front, but TSkin would have none of it and gradually started to claw him back. The group caught him on the steeper section of Panorama, at which point Ritchey took over the pacemaking at the front and yellow-jacket guy was instantly spat out the back. As I looked over I could see several riders saying their hail mary's in preparation for the hurt...but apparently Craig was feeling merciful today and eased up over the top after taking the KOM. Descending Panorama the group was down to 7: TSkin, Ritchey, JonB, Trev, Mick Bryson, Andy Pitre (who, incidentally, was killing it out there today and earned himself the ride of the day), and a rider from Daryl Evans (Vancouver). However, by central Saanich, dude in the yellow jacket bridged back up and re-joined the group. This would have earned him the ride of the day but when the pace ramped up on West Saanich he got dropped. Turning onto Interurban the group was joined by Alex Hui and leading into the sprint finish it was the Daryl Evans rider followed by JonB, Mick, Trev, Craig, Tom, and Alex. Jon B lead it out, followed by Mick, then Trev. It was a photo finish but the top 5 appear to be:

1. Craig Ritchey (Trek Red Truck)
2. TSkin (OBB-Wheelers)
3. Alex Hui (Pro City)
4. Trev (OBB-Wheelers)
5. Daryl Evans (Daryl Evans)

[trevor]

OBB WHEELERS APRIL 20 2013 RIDE REPORT

Numbers were large at the OBB parking lot on this mild day. With summer right around the corner more and more soft souls come out of the woodwork to join in on the pain train. 3 groups left the shop all meeting up uneventfully in Sidney. The forecast was for sun and wind and we were met with both throughout the ride.
A large peloton headed out to Lands End where things were kept relatively steady until its cruel last few kickers where Henry (TRT) and Joel (Vac/Pro City/ Drug Life/grade 10) went tete a tete feebly attempting to shatter the peloton. It wasn't until Birch Road with it's gentle rise to the stop sign that the group was dwindled down by Scotty (OBB/Wheelers) and Issac's (Pro City) pace. The group (albeit smaller) would temporarily come back together coming in to the airport until Panorama. This reporter and Chopper Dan were leading a gentle pace chatting about "to go or not to go" when I decided to up the ante. Vac/Pro City Joel put in his effort and strung the group out instantly to a lead pack of 5 or so riders followed close behind by Mick Bryson (OBB/Wheelers) and a few others. We would keep things rolling until just after the Saanichton 4-way where Scotty showed his inner anger and strung out the group of 10 riders with what was at first a winning combination of sneak and strength but then turned it to complete douche baggery as he caught the draft of an unkowing motorist. The group came back together yet again and kept things tame until the Wallace Drive 4-way where out of nowhere a chase group that was dropped at Panorama caught the leaders. It would be a short lived jubilation for this helpless pack as the Red Barn and Observatory kickers would be too much for most. Issac and Scotty soloed over Observatory with a chase group of 8 riders on their tail. A lack of organization along Interurban kept them away for most of the strip until Scotty relented and gave up Issac's wheel. This reporter lead the group out with Mick putting in a ferocious acceleration. It was not enough nevertheless as Issac would take the win followed by Scotty and a flurry of wheels. The final 5 appeared to be:

1. Issac Leblanc (Pro City)
2. Scotty Martin (OBB-Wheelers)
3. Mick Bryson (OBB-Wheelers)
4. Chopper Dan (OBB-Wheelers)
5. TSkin (OBB-Wheelers)

Reporter's note: I was nowhere near the finish line to see the top 5 therefore I will go with what my heart tells me which is that it was an almost clean sweep by the OBB-Wheelers crew.

[Tom]

Douche baggery... love the vocabulary from the English teacher. FYI I'm not being sarcastic.

[trevor]

OBB WHEELERS MAY 4 2013 RIDE REPORT

Summer made a bold statement as skin to win was the norm this morning. Exciting news as this reporter was chatting with TRT rider Craid Richey in the OBB parking lot who let me know he had several hard intervals planned for the second half of the ride. Great.
Things were social, friendly, and chatty all the way out to Sidney. A large group left the washroom stop in the A group. As soon as we hit Lands End Richey began interval #1. A small group bridged including Geordie Morrison (Pro City), Vegan Dave, Scott Martin (OBB Wheelers), myself and Henri De Boever (TRT). The chase group quickly rejoined the leaders and things remained paced until Richey went off the front again (#2) on the latter end of Lands End. Dangling off the front the peloton slowly pulled Craig back in before the Birch Road false flat. Here again things remained tame allowing the pack to rest and recharge until Panorama. Here Henry and Geoff Homer (Opus) kept a tempo going at the front that would hopefully insure no attacks. Of course Richey had another interval planned (#3) as he, Scotty and Geordie accelerated over the top leaving a small chase group of 8 or so to bridge the gap. A few stop signs kept the leaders away until Stellys where we regrouped and it became clear everyone was in the hurt locker. Things remained uneventful until Wallace Road where Scotty put in a solid solo effort and kept the group at bay for most of the farmland stretch. Henry controlled the front of the pack from the Red Barn to the Observatory - things were errily pedestrian - until Richey attacked again (#4). Scotty responded immediately and this report was left to bridge the gap pulling along a game group of 5 riders. The effort along Interurban remained high and I found myself leading the group out in to the sprint. Richey held everyone off for a big win considering his efforts throughout the ride.

1. Craig Richey (TRT)
2. Henri De Boever (TRT)
3. Scotty Martin (OBB-Wheelers)
4. Vegan Dave
5. Geoff Homer (Opus)

Reporter's note: Tom Skinner had rejoined the group at Wallace and jumped in the sprint. We all know UCI Rule 1.2.4: no rider shall join the group mid way and then contend the bunch sprint. Douche baggery.

[Vegan Dave]

"MELTDOWN OF THE DAY: VEGAN DAVE (that's 2 weeks in a row now that Dave has imploded by the airport)."

haha...nice. I just ain't got the watts to battle the crosswind and maintain that pace!!

I think i made up for it last week tho, good report.

It should be noted Henri and Joel were popped at the Ob, but chased like crazy and caught us at the sprint, then Henri got 2nd....! Pretty sick. He also did a MASSIVE pull when we crossed Stelly's, bridging up to Scott and Craig. I could barely hang onto his wheel, pushing like 700w...shudder to think what he was pushing in the wind...!

Will be keeping it chill this Sat, got the Gentleperson's Race on Sunday. =)

PS - where's my team?? (OrganicAthlete)

=)

[JonB]

Today is a truly momentous occasion as this thread just cracked 1000 views. This just shows how much people love the quality, honest, and unbiased reports that we bring to this forum. Not to mention the meaningful and thought provoking discussion.

[Tom]

Saturday May 11, 2013 -

The riders are pouring in and attaching themselves to the rear wheels of Wheeler club riders as they take the start of the weekly OBB ride. Leaving the shop with a modest 8-10 people, the group swelled to over thirty in the front group, so after a timid ride out through Mt Doug, Geordie and myself took it upon ourselves to crack the whip and split the group a little passed Mitchell's Farm. The pace remained solid as Bailey McKnight went to the front and made sure everyone had their uncomfortable faces on, and it was good to see fewer riders with hairy legs in the bunch.

After a leisurely stop in Sidney and way too much social time, Cody decided to join the ride and Craig and myself set the tone for the ride early by attacking up the opening climb on Lands End. Bailey eventually bridged up, and not soon after, the pack was back together. The group averaged 40-45 around Lands End, with hard pushes up most of the climbs. Coming around Panorama, the group had shed some fat and had been reduced to 10-15 riders. By this point, Gavin was mentally preparing himself to be spit out like a stale piece of gum, but instead, managed to grit his teeth and cling on to the back of the group. Up the steep pitch on Panorama, Megan's bum no longer motivated Kevin Ford strongly enough for him to remain on her wheel (chicked? wtf?), so yours truly had to come around to close the gap with Adam 'scarecrow' DeVos on my wheel. We had to work slightly to get onto the group of Craig, Bailey and Megan, but over the top of Panorama the group was fairly big with the pace remaining steady.

Through Saanichton and Bouchard the pace was fast but comfortable. Cody led a good motorpacing sesh as he maintained 45 just passed Stelly's, and just after the Shish joined our group through the front with Alicia Trass (sp?). Coming up to Red Barn, the group was working steadily with Chopper Dan, Bailey, Cody, Craig, Kevin Ford, Megan, Geordie, and Gavin.... YES GAVIN EATON... doing equal pulls. Gavin even led the pack up the hills by the observatory... most likely to keep riders from attacking. This ploy didn't work though, and after a couple weak surges (one of them being from myself), the string of riders ripped their way down interurban. Nothing materialized through this wheel suckers paradise, and after sitting on wheels like a champ, Cody took the chaotic sprint from Craig (whose Di2 battery died and couldn't shift to the big ring). Waiting at the light at Wilkinson, Gavin slumped over his bike and caught his breath, obviously showing the efforts of carrying 210lbs of flesh around the peninsula with him. It was a great day!

Panorama KOM: Craig, Bailey, Megan
Interurban Sprint: Cody 'earphones' Canning
Most Aggressive: Craig Richey
Ride of the Day: Gavin Eaton
Best looking rider: Tom Skinner

[JonB]

Bahahaha!!! Best post. Ever.

[Vegan Dave]

haha - very flattering.. =P

That would be Alycia Traas(Russ Hays). 3 races for the week meant backing off and aiming for more of a steady ride with a little kick at the end. We turned off onto Wain, did Tatlow, then the regular route. Kinda thought we'd get caught after Panorama, but made it nearly to Wallace before jumping back in!

That was just what i needed to keep me going for Sunday's big event... I posted my own details here, for any looking for more stories:

http://app.strava.com/activities/53885410

Turns out we were only 4mins behind Craig, Tom and Dan!! Stuckylife report: http://www.stuckylife.com/2013/05/race- ... -race.html

[Tom]

Friday May 24, 9:53pm: I receive a text from an anonymous Wheeler's rider who says "I would like to put people into the pain bin tomorrow and listen to them beg for mercy as they explode out the back"

.....Beautiful!

Saturday May 25, 9:00am:

After a little talk from Karl about how the OBB ride has been getting faster lately (sweet right?) the group took to the roads and rolled to Sidney nice and friendly-like. The group didn't swell too much on the way there which was nice, but once the group left Sidney it seemed like there were plenty of riders who wanted to hammer with the front group. John B-Ski attacked literally as soon as the light turned green on Landsend Rd, and planning to attack myself only meters later, Bailey McKnight and myself bridged up to him holding 600 watts on the opening climb. The pace stayed well above 40 through the first few rollers, until Craig bridged up and unleashed an attack that created an elite group behind. With Bailey on my wheel I bridged and countered Craig's move, but with the roads being flat and fast, the pack was on top of us pretty quickly. Toying with the competition, Craig and John Rogers led the group up the gradual climb to the gas station on West Saanich, and Geordie, Andy Pitre, Chopper Dan, Trevor, ADV, and even some old-timers rolled through a paceline down by the water. Craig noticed the usual crosswinds by the airport and found a fine opportunity to put it in the gutter, so myself and a few others had to fight our way through some shrapnel to get back on terms heading up Panorama.

Half way up the most selective climb on the route (can we mix up this route at all?) there were definitely some notable missing riders... Benski? Shish? Gavin? Mick? Pitre? Rathwell? Tubbs? After the stop sign I relieved Adam DeVee of his post at the front and held a hard pace up over the crest of Panorama. Bailey, Craig, Adam and Scottie passed me as they kept the pressure on, so I gritted my teeth and latched on to the back of the pain train.

Behind in the bunch, Chopper Dan and Trev weren't worried about getting back on and always kept us in sight, and the bunch regrouped just after the stop signs in Saanichton. The pace was less erratic heading towards Bouchard Gardens, but everyone rolled through and kept the pace steady. Heading up by the observatory, Geordie put in a hard seated effort, and after following his wheel and pulling through on the descent, I realized that it was only the two of us at the front. The group reattached itself in one long string coming down Interurban, and after Chopper Dan carefully marked one of Craig's early accelerations, I decided to lead the group out to keep things safe on the front. Craig managed to get on my wheel and hold off a few late challengers for the win, but afterwards I was disappointed with the motivation of some riders to do a little more riding.

Only Trevor, Scottie, Chopper Dan and Craig opted for the waterfront, but after going up to Ten Mile Point and coming back home to round off four hours, I saw Jon Benskin out on his bike TWO HOURS after I had gotten home! Apparently he said he was fed up with people riding as if they had something to prove and didn't like that people were out trying to "strut their asses". Obviously there are differences in training philosophies, even among riders on the same team, but if you don't believe me I managed to take a short video of his little rant:

http://youtu.be/CdKvZDQt96o?t=50s

Most Aggressive Rider: Jon Benskin and Bailey McKnight
King of Panorama: Tom Skinner
Interurban Sprint Champ: Craig Richey
Ride of the Day: 80 year old Tripleshot rider, although he was leaving gaps like a boss
Best looking rider: Scott Martin and Adam DeVos (for the socks)