Getting ready for the 140km with Observatory Hill Climb repeats

It’s not part of the Tour de Victoria, but it’s a pretty sweet view. And it’s a great way to pack in a lot of climbing in a short time frame. On Tuesday night I headed up to West Saanich to attack the Observatory Hill Climb on Little Saanich Mountain. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m…

Read More

Training rides making TdV seem less daunting

Happy Summer! I hope you’ve been enjoying the warmer summer weather as much as I have. It certainly has inspired me to get out on my bike more often. Over my previous two blogs, I outlined how I was looking ahead to the Tour de Victoria with an eye to training for the new 60-km…

Read More

Spin class to road bike in 7 weeks!

“August 18th is months away!” Yes it was, in April. It’s now the end of June and I’m realizing that I’d better get on my bike. Not just my beach cruiser either. That’s not say that I don’t do any riding at all – I do – on a spin bike. Most days I go…

Read More

Bike trip for 3 weeks in England adds training variety

Well … We are back from 3 weeks in England including 9 days of cycling in the Lake District and the Cotswolds.  The bikes were not quite what we are accustomed to (hybrids mostly) and the roads and paths were definitely not what we usually ride but there was lots of challenging terrain, even by…

Read More

Own Munn Rd, don’t let it own you

We need to talk about the Munn Road hill climb. Maybe you’ve ridden it before. Maybe you haven’t. If you don’t know Munn, it’s kind of a thing in Victoria. Tour de Victoria cyclists either have a relationship with Munn, or they’re about to have one. For starters, it’s serious enough that the fastest recorded…

Read More

Finding a training incentive can make all the difference

In my first blog last month I introduced myself as a beer writer and event producer who loves to go on bike rides for exercise. After completing the Tour de Victoria’s 45-km ride for the past few years, I am making the jump to the new Christie-Phoenix 60-km ride this summer — a challenge for…

Read More

Travis Paterson gets serious with the Harbour Air 140km

If you visit my street on a Saturday morning in May, you’re likely to find a four-year-old boy chasing a seven-year-old boy on their bikes screaming obscure references only a cycling fan would know. “It’s a breakaway, Nibali wins!,” “No I’m Nibali, your Froome.” “No, I don’t want to be Froome.” “Fine, you can be…

Read More

Joe Wiebe tackles the Christie Phoenix 60km

I am the author of the book, Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries. I am also the Producer of Victoria Beer Week, which takes place annually in early March, and the Director of Content for the BC Ale Trail. You might hear me talk about craft beer on CBC Radio or CFAX…

Read More