PRESIDENT’S REPORT — John Pringle

The deadline for this, the President’s address, to be in the hands of our very excellent Newsbrief Editor is fast approaching. It is now 1:30 pm, December 27 th . Hans will “go to press” by tomorrow evening with or without the Presidents message. No excuses. I know, having had to meet his deadline the past few years with the Club’s tour proposals. Why tardy in this important topic (how many of you think it is important?)? I do have a valid excuse. The festive season. All my family; three sons and their respectiv e wives and children (7 grandchildren) have been/are with me over Xmas. We shopped. We cooked. We skated. We swam. We hiked. We consumed Xmas cheer. We ate sukiyaki, turkey, and lasagne dinners. We vacuumed. We washed towels, table cloths, etc. We hauled wood. We even had beyond – family guests for dinner (19 in toto on two consecutive nights). Why just this morning had me out to Langford to watch a Pee Wee hockey game. Is this not enough for one 75 year old? But other Presidents, no doubt, have had similar seasonal loads. Maybe they too missed an issue or two? No. A quick look suggests not. Messages a little shorter maybe, but always there. Nuts. Well Roka, I’ll likely miss your hockey game this evening. So sorry Love. You can blame it on my old friends at CCCTS.

A solution? I can “pull a Margaret Wente” and just do a little cut and paste with Allan Buium’s 2014 January column. Not a crime surely, if one admits to a little plagiarism. Here goes:

A sincere THANKS to the outgoing Board members: Doug McIntyre , current Past President, resigned the Board as Allan Buium becomes Past President; Jean MacDonald resigned as both Vice President and H&S Director; Jean’s respective duties will be performed by Ed Fudge and Charlene Dorward. Jenni Lynnea accompanies Charlene as new Board members; Jenni will be our only Member – at – Large. With the exception of Tours Director all other positions remain the same: Bruce McLean (longest serving Board member) will be both Office Manager and Treasurer ( Holly Evans will be Assistant Treasurer); Bruce Daykin is the new Tours Director with Wayne Hanscom’s assisting (tour auditor ); Max McClanahan will keep track of and promote Membership (more on Max below); Al McLean will be in charge of equipment and equipment storage; and Clark Woodland will remain as Secretary. And though not a Board member, Ken Levine will now represent US members. An accomplished Board, would you not agree?

There are two newish thrusts that the Board will concentrate on in 2016. First, we have in Max McClanahan, a specialist in Information Technology (taught at the university level) with emphasis on software design and development. He convinced the Board in 2015 that he’s willing and able to “… develop a complete and integrated web – site that encompasses all of the Club’s non-financial records.” It will include the following features; a”… website, the Club database, E – mail list server, and membership and event registration.” The transition to the new system will be orderly, and take place over two years. If you’ re a spe- cialist in this area, and interested in assisting with this project, do not hesitate to contact Max (250 – 661 – 8199 or max@mcclanahan.ca ). Secondly, we are considering a proposal to develop/adapt methodology to train potential tour leaders. If you consider this an important project, and/or have ideas on an app roach, please contact a Board member.

On behalf of the CCCTS Board I wish each of you and your respective families a wonderful 2016.
John Pringle, CCCTS President.

Sea – to – Sea 2000 – In Retrospect – by Dennis Flewelling

Somehow or other fifteen years have slipped by since we several cyclists struck off from Victoria that bright May morning in 2000, bound for the other side of the continent. Over the years I’ve often thought about “The Ride” as it ’s come to be known in our f amily. My wife Janice quilted a wall hanging map of Canada that lives on our kitchen wall. A braided cord marks our route, and there I am represented by a small lapel pin of a person on a bicycle on the road somewhere in Manitoba.

While the ride officially ended in Halifax, my cycling partner Bud Skinner and I elected to finish at Cape Speare Newfoundland, the most easterly point in North American. There, on the 25^th of August we congratulated each other and I poured a small bottle of Pacific Ocean water, which had accompanied me across Canada, into the Atlantic. Just to keep us grounded we were joined shortly later by two other cyclists who had also crossed the continent and the park ranger at Cape Speare, in a monumental let – down for all of us, pointed out that long distance cyclists turn up quite regularly.

Since that heady day I’ve handled all the usual questions. How long did it take? (90 days give or take) Where did you sleep? (Mostly on the ground in a tent unless it rained for more than three days in a row and then I’d opt for a motel if one was nearby) Were the mountains the worst? (No, Saskatchewan is – long hills and the wind – always the wind) At that point people usually gaze at me with what I like to think is envy in their eyes, but I suspect is bewilderment. The unasked question is “Why.” So far I haven’t found a complete and satisfying answer.

Anyone contemplating a long ride with a large group needs four things. First, and perhaps most important is a steady dependable bicycle. Bikes in the “sports car” family don’t do well. Choose a bike from the “pick – up truck” family. Sooner or later you will be forced into the ditch by some “wandering” driver and fixing broken spokes and flat tires gets old – very fast. Secondly one needs time and patience. Canada is a big country so cycling across it will take most of a summer. Additionally, living and riding with other cyclists day in and day out at times took all the personal skills I could muster. Amusing little quirks in others become major aggravations somewhere beyond day fifty. Third, it helps to have no firm idea how big Canada is. If we were armed with a thorough knowledge of geography, we’d never leave home. Finally, your life partner, if you have one, must be supportive and courageous. I can’t imagine the anxiety Janice must have felt as I cycled over the horizon on this most dangerous journey.

I wasn’t in particularly great shape when we left but could comfortably ride 70 kilometers in a day. During Sea – to – Sea 2000 that would be a fairly minimal day and we exceeded 160 clicks on several occasions. (If you’re not sure, be aware that your knees will hav e to flex about 2.7 million times to get to there from here.) Back home after the ride home I went to see my cardiologist and when he put the s tethoscope to my chest his eyes got a far away look and he sighed, “Ah, the heart of an athlete.” He assured me it wouldn’t last and he was right but to this day he still calls me his star patient. In other words, capacity can be built on the road, but there will be days.

Which brings us to the “Why.” Mallory’s flippant answer when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest (“Because it’s there!”) goes some way in explaining this urge to leave hearth and home for what is at best a very long bicycle ride and at worst a deadl y adventure. I think that undergoing an angioplasty in 1994 reminded me that long life is never a given and that I may have a broken heart. Th e ride proved that there is life after heart disease, which was an assurance I craved. Besides that there was the challenge to do something truly remarkable. I now bask in the company of the few thousand people who had cycled across Canada. But the answer to all life’s bigger questions is not out there on the road. I didn’t arrive at Cape Speare with all wisdom engraved on two tablets in my panniers. Instead, I arrived there with a deeper knowledge of myself and the thresholds of my endurance. These boundaries are well beyond where I thought I’d find them, and that knowledge alone is worth the trip.

Rarely I’m asked if I’d do it all again and the answer is always “No”. Even after all those hours i n the saddle though, I still enjoy cycling, which is a pleasure I thought the ride might grind out of me. Then again, if someone suggested a jaunt to, say Winnipeg, I’d probably start getting my things together. I mean, how hard can a ride like that be?

Upcoming Tours

• 2016 Tanzania Surf to Summit
• 2016 Tanzania Zanzibar to Moshi
• Italy – Apennines to Adriatic Tour
• 2016 Southern Rockies Tour

Upcoming Hub and Spokes

• Southern California Hub and Spoke
• Glaciers & Grasslands: a double Hub & Spoke Tour of BC’s Southwest Interior
• Okanagan Hub and Spoke (Vernon Hub)
• Vancouver Hub & Spoke
• Snohomish, WA Hub and Spoke
• Victoriaville, Quebec Hub and Spoke

John Pringle’s AGM slide presentation of the 2015 tours and hub and spokes can be found here.