The Tour de Victoria is here, no turning back now

Deadlines approach, no turning back now. The last month has been interesting, not a recipe for event training but it is what it was. One month to go: After some extended rest periods, courtesy of Hannah, my physiotherapist, and some common sense, I got the green light to get back on my bike for some…

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New 60-km Ride Seems Less Daunting After Longer Training Rides

Happy (almost) BC Day! If you’re like me, the arrival of August is especially exciting because it means the Tour de Victoria is finally here. August 18 is the big day. I’ve spent the past few months getting on my bike as often as I can to help prepare for the jump from the 45-km…

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When injury slows down your training

(Sandy) I’m going to have to leave the interesting part of this blog to Kim.  Last year I was not in top condition to ride the TDV due to a major coming together with a concrete highway barrier during a spring group ride (injury included broken ribs, orbital bone, stitches etc.) and I had to…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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