Building a Team for the 2019 Tour de Victoria

Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour De Victoria 2018 was a blast! Would I do it again? Absolutely! Only next time I’ll train on the road a bit more.  Fast forward ten months: my road bike is back in the garage, blocked in by other sports equipment, tools, and unnecessary junk that should have been thrown out long ago.  But I will do it again!

This time I have already rallied three more riders. Yup! Three. One of them might be my husband. Another my brother-in-law. But the winner for me was the one friend who was inspired to get back on his bike and has actually done it. He has been riding his bike to work and training on the road. Way to go, Graham Smith!

So my next goal is to rally some of the troops at work. There are lots of “realtor riders”.  Mike Garman spent a decade riding competitively in Europe – I want to get him on board.  Chris Margetts volunteered for the event last year, because he was riding in the “Ride to Conquer Cancer”, so whether he rides or volunteers again this year – I’ll count that as a win, too.  This year’s goal is to get 10 more riders involved. I’ve said it, now that means I really do have to get the word out.

I know that with no real training, 30 km is possible. I also know that there are some long hills once the route gets longer, so if I plan go further this year, I really do have to dig out the bike.

As of June 5, 2019, I have a team of four riders. And I have the intention of setting up a team ride once or twice a week out of the Engel & Völkers Oak Bay office.  Let’s see how many more I can add to my list of riders for this event!

Sandi Piercy is a Real Estate Advisor with Engel & Volkers Vancouver Island.  She is a member of SPINCO Victoria and is looking forward to seeing if her hours on the spin bike translate well to the road bike in August.