The whole purpose of this pre-Tour dU Canada trip was to get a picture at the mile 0 sign on the south-side of Victoria and to dip our wheels in the pacific ocean. So, after a good breakfast this morning, we did just that (See pictures below). The trip back to Vancouver was slightly more difficult that yesterday's ride. We took a more scenic route along the coast to get out of Victoria. It was absolutely beautiful but a little hilly in places, no problems though. It was definitely worth the effort though as the size of the tree's were unlike anything I've ever seen. There's a picture below of the big Douglas firs that British Columbia is known for. Our stumpy little 200-year old evergreens back in Newfoundland good easy be a small branch on these things!
It may come as no surprise that I almost got lost on Vancouver Island! With about 20 km to go to the ferry dock, Bob Mac (a 63 year-young cycling machine) and I stopped for an ice cream. When Bob asked me did I have my map (he lost his earlier), I reply that I did and we sent the rest of the group on ahead of us. Well, after enjoying a triple thick strawberry milkshake, I come to realize that I must have lost my map earlier from my jersey pocket. So, here we were without a map and hardly a clue where to go. So, a local pointed us in the right general direction and be cycled hard to the town of Sydney, BC. Bob and I were zipping through the traffic when we heard a voice telling us to come back. Thankfully Bud, the TDC organizer, anticipated our mishap and he waited for us. Without him, we'd both be in Nanaimo right now!
I was so tired from the crappy sleep at the Victoria hostel that I decided to sleep on the ferry back to Vancouver. Now the ride to UBC was a little nerve wrecking to say the least. We averaged about 30km/h the whole way and changing lanes in a 10 lane Vancouver freeway by bicycle is a little different than the roads that I have been training on in Conception Bay! We made it back alright, and myself and Rudy took a detour to a bike shop downtown because I needed new gloves and chain oil. Tomorrow will be an orientation day and a day off so we all went to the grad pub at UBC for a BBQ and a few cold beers. Perfect.
Just a quick note about our group. These 13 people are all incredible and their sense of humor, love of the outdoors, and past experiences have made this mile 0 trip really fun. There will be 18 of us doing the TDC, which includes 4 women, 3 new university graduates, and about 10 retirees. I'd guess that the average age is early 40's and we have representation from 5 different countries. There is already a sense of community between us and I am excited to get started and face the camping, weather, mountains, wind, and any other challenge that may come our way.
