The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society       December 2021,  Volume 38, Issue #12

A CCCTS Late Spring 2022, 3-ride Days, Fraser River Canyons & Grasslands tent camping, RV or Hotel / Motel double Hub & Spoke?

Interested in three beautiful day-rides on gravel / ranch roads, riding mountain bikes or gravel bikes next late Spring in the Clinton – Lillooet region?

Maximum 10 CCCTS members experienced with bike riding gravel back roads. Share driving and bike riding. If interested, please contact George Zorn at gjzorn@shaw.ca  250-832-9335. Event subject to CCCTS Board approval.
Thanks to Club member, Richard Mathias for the nudge!

Planned Itinerary:

First Night: Arrive in Clinton the afternoon before the first ride day. Clinton Pines RV Park Campground. Dinner in Camp. If Covid restrictions allow…, the group shares in preparing Supper and Breakfast meals etc. -planned in advance. Make your own lunch to carry with you.

First Ride Day: west of Clinton along the Fraser River (High Bar – Big Bar ranch roads), Pavilion Mountain – Diamond S Ranch. See October 2021 photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVnyqzEM2T2E4xz39 (top 5 photos: Pavilion Mt, bottom 3 photos: Fraser River north of Lillooet. 2021 McKay Creek Wildfire (45,000 hectares).

Second Night: Clinton Pines RV Park Campground. Dinner in Camp
Second Ride Day: Hat Creek – Oregon – Jack Creek then move camp to Lillooet

Third Night: Lillooet’s Seton Lake, B.C. Hydro campsite. Dinner in Camp
Third Ride Day: Lillooet to Lytton on west side of Fraser River gravel road. Shuttle back to Lillooet on Hwy 12

Fourth Night: Lillooet’s Seton Lake B.C. Hydro campsite. Dinner at “The Kitchen” at Fort Berens Estate Winery
Fourth Day: Depart for home

“Eye Candy”: Three short YouTube videos of the ride along the High Bar Road – Big Bar Ferry Road west of Clinton:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Mf49djG-Q (59 sec) , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zniqEGWfHxU (35 sec) , https://www.tuttigravelinn.com/media  –  the opening scenes and from 2:40 to 4:12 feature this beautiful country! Bring your camera!

Photo: Fraser River Grasslands in the High Bar Road region, north of Pavilion, B.C.

A History of the Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society.  Part 1 Chapter 2

Often we set off on a tour with near perfect weather but within a day or two
nature decides to introduce a bit of “reality” into our adventure. For the
next few days our physical and mental fitness is tested by the wind in our
face and the cold rain pelting down as we manoeuvre the large puddles on
the sides of the road. Of course the slick roads send a signal to be more
cautious in our riding. But, how does one prepare for the gust of wind and
rather heavy shower of road spray as the large “semi” passes? You’re now
getting a bit cold and the water is slowly seeping through the supposed
waterproof clothing and only 37 km to the campsite. That’s only two hours
down the road but maybe a cafe is ahead to ward off the chills by
consuming a hot drink. If not, maybe a fellow cyclist keeps you company with

words of encouragement or you now offer the encouragement to
someone and the ride becomes much easier. The support vehicle is
nowhere to be seen and you just assume it’s at the campsite. With your
odometer telling you it’s only one km to camp, the truck’s location isn’t too
important and a reprieve from the cold is at hand. You arrive to a fanfare
from the handful of speedsters and who have already started to unload the
truck of its luggage and camping equipment. Fortunately, the rain has
subsided and chores are a bit easier to do before you pick up your tent bag
and seek out a spot that has the prospect of staying relatively dry if the
precipitation decides to return. No one wants the experience of a mini river
flowing through their tent at 1:00AM ‘cause I left the ground sheet out to act
as a catch basin. Or, another version of this experience was awakening in
the middle of the night and asking yourself if you had an accident! It’s just
the heavy rain that has decided to share your tent — damn that ineffective
ground sheet or tent fly!
Now it’s time to clean up, partake in happy hour and decide to help the
cook team prepare a hearty meal, remembering the additional help my
team had a few days ago. Gourmet dining may not be the fare for today’s
meal but we know that it will be tasty, nutritious and most importantly, there
will be generous portions. The evening breeze has a slight chill but no rain
and we may have worried, for nothing, about a midnight flood.

Next morning the sun and a wind quickly dry the the tents to make for an
easier “packing up”. Lunches are made and the traditional CCCTS
breakfast debate is echoing through the campsite — “I want raisins cooked
with the oatmeal; no, leave the raisins out!” Yet, a few bemoan the fact that
too few cook teams prepare a pot of Red River cereal. Fortunately, all
palates are satisfied with a selection of dry cereal for the few remaining
riders. There are some days that a cook team goes the “extra mile” and
prepares pancakes with bacon and sausages and maybe eggs; but that’s
often on a rest day.

Can all members relate to these experiences? Unfortunately not. Our
motel/hotel tours offer a different experience and to say which is the
preferred or the better one is still being adjudicated by the cycling jury. But
there is one thing for certain, the treasure trove of stories and anecdotes
that have filled the pages of the CCCTS Newsbriefs are from the camping tours.

This is not to say that the motel/hotel hosted tour is any less
enjoyable — it is just a different cycling experience. 

Today’s ride starts off with warmth from the friendly sun rising in the east
and there seems to be a lighter attitude among the cyclists. Day after day
of riding in the rain certainly wears one down and a few of the lengthier
tours, including the cross-Canada ones, were often plagued with excessive
moisture. But there was no turning back and you just hoped that the 40
days and 40 nights would never materialize. Such a gloomy picture does
not materialize and the warmth of the sun returns to make the tour most
pleasurable.

Some years a tour would be leaving for the Yukon or Alaska before the
summer solstice and you ask, “why so early”? To avoid the companionship
of black flies, mosquitoes and maybe a few horseflies. Some may recall a
tour when a reservation was paid for and the group decided to spend
additional funds to sleep in a motel simply to avoid being eaten alive by
those pesky creatures.

Maybe the best story was during the 1990 cross Canada tour when the group

was cycling through Quebec and happened to
come across a police roadblock (probably the standoff at Oka – action by
the Mohawk Nation). Police asked why are cyclists carrying fly swatters –
you guessed it – not a concealed weapon but a weapon to deal with those
pesky mosquitoes and black flies.

The old adage of the mail must go through was not always the case for
some tours. Maybe the postal service never considered such bravery but
we would want to survive the elements and there were occasions when a
bus was chartered to get through exceptionally heavy winds and rain to the
the next lay over. Or, the snow had covered the roads, the tour was aborted
and a bus transported bikes and riders to their vehicles to return home.

Sometime the unforeseen overtakes a tour and road construction means a
portage with a few trucks for the next 12km. A few bemoan the fact that EFI
can’t be accomplished because of the road conditions, so be it for most but
a few diehards have trouble with this inconvenience and will dwell on such
a petty abuse of their ego that we hear the mumbling for a few days.
What is worse – a long 6%-8% hill or a steady head wind for a good part of
a day? There’s probably no general consensus on these conditions but
suffice to say that with the former you know that the summit is fixed and the
latter is a moving target regardless of the grade.

The traditional CCCTS tour – camping with a support vehicle – seems to
have carved a special niche in the Club’s archives. Whereas the motel/
hotel tours have been good cycling experiences but often lacked the
numerous anecdotes you’d find in a close group setting. The happy hour at
the motel was a good time to capture the day’s highlights but then there’s a
breaking away for the evening meal and a return to one’s room, a T.V. and
hopefully a compatible room mate.

The non-North American tours were, and still are, often hostels and hotels
with many experiences that were/can be “culture shocks” for more than a
few — be it the food, sleeping accommodations or unique washroom
fixtures. Often it has been the sheer number of people that makes these
tours an experience to never forget. Documentaries and travel diaries may
give our members a vicarious experience but those that experienced the
real thing have memories that only they can really appreciate. Different
road conditions, traffic congestion and coping with different driving
practices have left some riders saying how much they appreciate the
relatively quiet and debris laden shoulders of Highways 1, 3, 5 or 97 within
B.C. Even the dreaded rumble strips are more easily manoeuvred than the
din of trucks and cars as you grind up the hills in some strange land.

This is not to say that the camping experience is the better alternative but
anecdotes can fill many a page. Just the stories about wildlife are
entertaining in themselves. Bear stories abound and it’s nice to know that
these camping partners not only enjoy sharing our food but also our
toothpaste and other sundry items. Thanks to the invention of the bear
proof containers and the locked down support vehicle we were somewhat
selfish in not sharing our “goodies”. But such precautions are overlooked
when the smaller animals visit us – chipmunks and squirrels devouring
many an item. Or the ever vigilant crows/jackdaws/magpies who are just
waiting for you to leave your plate of food unattended or the cooking team
forgot to put some food away.

More next month…

Stay Tuned for the Further Adventures of The Originals

CCCTS Ride Leader Development

Zoom Conversation – Wednesday, November 17, 2021

SUMMARY – Nov. 26, 2021

Objective: To identify sustainable, practicable and doable actions that can increase the club’s ride leader capacity.

Process: All CCCTS members were invited via the Club’s November 2021 Newsbrief and a Nov. 2/21

all-members email to participate in a Nov. 17/21 Zoom conversation by registering online for the event. Twenty-four of ~ 500 members registered. See the List of Participants on page 3 below.

Registered members were emailed pre-conversation reading references. See the list on page 3 below of CCCTS Ride Leader background and context references. George Zorn, CCCTS Hub & Spoke Director, briefly reviewed these references using Zoom screen share prior to our breakout group conversations. Conversation Participants were assigned to five virtual breakout rooms to discuss the question: “How can CCCTS members help to grow and to support our Club’s Ride Leader capacity?” for about 20 minutes. Once all were back in the main room, a spokesperson for each group provided a summary of the main points and ideas from that group. We also considered the question, “Which of these shared ideas do you consider to be sustainable and practical by our Club?” Paul Hough, CCCTS Secretary, co-hosted the Zoom conversations. Paul summarized each breakout group’s report to the whole group using Zoom’s recording feature. Several members who were not available on Nov. 17 shared their thoughts by email. These thoughts are reflected in this Summary. See page 3 for a list of names of emailed responders.

Overarching Comments:

1. The club has experienced ride leaders who are willing to mentor new ride leaders who would like to lead a tour or hub & spoke but who are unsure of how to do it well. Thanks to
   Nel Ahmed, Allan Buium, Dick Carpenter, Holly Evans and Ken Levine!
2. Well over half of the Club’s members signed up for tours or hub & spokes in each of the three non-Covid affected years (2017, 2018, 2019). Members also join CCCTS to be able to participate in weekly Chapter rides in their area.
3. Hub & Spoke events appear to be gaining in popularity. Over the past three non-Covid affected years (2017, 2018, 2019) there were a total of 17 Tours and 13 Hub & Spoke events offered. An average of 67% of all member registrations in those three years were for Hub & Spoke events. Total Member Registrations for the 17 Tours over the 3-year period dropped from 43% in 2017, to 32% in 2018, to 24% in 2019. Total Member Registrations for the 13 Hub & Spoke events over the 3-year period increased from 57% in 2017, to 68% in 2018 to 76% in 2019. Some Chapters have had large hub & spokes involving over 100 members.
4. Age 71: that is the average age of both the 500+ CCCTS members and the ~55 members who have served as Ride Leaders since 2013. 61% of the Club’s Ride Leaders are age 66 to 75 years, while 80% of the Club’s membership is 65 years and better. We need to consider and initiate effective ways to invite younger cyclists to join CCCTS. What is our story that will engage younger cyclists? One participant suggested posting Club invitations in bike shops;
5. As an incentive, the club has a policy, invoked in November 2017, that Tour Ride Leaders are exempt from paying all fees that apply for a given tour. Hub & Spoke Ride Leaders and co-Leaders do not need to pay the typical $25 Hub & Spoke registration fee. This policy may benefit from some revision to recognize the work involved in planning a large Chapter hub & spoke event. Since the 2017 policy was invoked there has not been an increase in the number of Tours offered.
6. How does the Board of Directors, which represents all Members, intentionally thank both new and experienced Ride Leaders each year for their time, dedication and effort to host safe, affordable and fun cycling adventures?

Specific Comments:

• Encourage the Chapters to use the Meetup program to make CCCTS better known and to attract people to try it out by doing day rides with a view to some becoming members and eventual ride leaders;
• Encourage people to consider developing tours or hub & spokes in their own local area or personally encourage members to take on the planning of an event that they are keen to see take place. Instilling confidence that there is support and assistance available to undertake such a new role is important;
• Having smaller numbers participate in tours or hub & spokes may be less intimidating to new leaders, but the size of group needs to be large enough to make it worthwhile. It has also been found that having several people involved in the planning to share the load makes the process much more enjoyable;
• Holding one or more Zoom seminars on leading a Tour or Hub & Spoke event could help as people would see what is involved in the planning process, and be made aware of the resources that are available (e.g., routes, accommodations, useful tips, etc.) and the mentorship or advice from experienced members that can be tapped into;
• Asking members where they would really like to go, locally, nationally or internationally, could highlight new areas that would appeal to members, some of whom could be encouraged to be ride leaders to ensure the event(s) take place. See the pie chart of CCCTS Tour and Hub & Spoke locations since 1983 posted on the Club’s website here
• Individual Chapters could organize trips open to members in their region. The National Capital Region Chapter has held a few of these and they have been very popular with 16 to 20 cyclists and motel accommodation;
• Incorporating themes or activities such as hiking, visiting historical sites or cultural experiences into a tour or hub & spoke could attract people who would otherwise not sign up some of whom might be encouraged to be involved in the planning;
• Having several people working on an event not only spreads the load, but also increases the confidence of those involved, but the best way to create such teams is to personally approach individuals to suggest that they bring their skills to the planning process. Any member could initiate such discussions, not just Board members;

The saying goes, “None of us are as smart as all of us!” Based on your experience as a CCCTS Member and after considering the above Summary of Members’ comments, what are your sustainable, practical ideas on how WE can help to grow our Club’s Ride Leader capacity?
Please share your ideas via the online form HERE between Dec. 1, 2021 and Jan. 4 , 2022.

Zoom Conversation 21 Participants

Marg Hurley, Donna Kerkhoven, Dawn Minett, Maureen Weston, Allan Buium, John Stephenson, Pat Hutchins, Jean MacDonald, Ed Weymouth, Ed Dillon, Barbara Wilson, Lawrence Vea,
Dick Carpenter, Jenni Lynnea, Holly Evans, Ken Levine, Bill Bourne, Sam Ludmer, Chris Hodgson, Michael Bonnor, Neil McNeil. Some members who registered were not able to attend.

Comments received from CCCTS Members not available for the Nov. 17/21 Zoom Conversation:
Linda Graupner, Jim Belair, Terry Chalmers and Cal Bergenstein

CCCTS Ride Leader background and context references (6) presented prior to the conversations:

• A list of 354 CCCTS Rides 1983 – 2021
• A graph of the number of CCCTS Tours and Hub & Spokes by Year 1983 – 2021
• A CCCTS Ride Leaders Review 2013 – 2021, Nov. 3, 2021
• CCCTS Member Demographics Report, Nov. 2021: by Tom Gibson and Jenni Lynnea – will be posted on Club’s website under Publications / Club Reports
• 2016 Member Survey: Ride Leader related questions and responses by Jenni Lynnea

An Oct. 12, 2017 Board discussion paper by John Pringle titled, “Possible Strategies to attract new Tour Leaders and More” –– will be posted on the Club’s website.

Proposed Next Steps: 1. Club Member comment period:(Dec. 1, 20211 to Jan. 4, 2022.
2. Board review of Club Member comments in January 2022 – key actions identified.
3. CCCTS Ride Leader Capacity Working Group initiated by Board in January 2022?

 Buy And Sell

A lot of pent up interest in the buy and sell this month.  Or maybe its impending Christmas.

Wheels

– Custom-built racing rims with Chris King hubs, 160 mm disc rotors and bladed spokes.  Edge Clincher rims built by Cycle Monkey in 2009.  

DI2 Liv Avail Pro for Sale:

 

Just in time for Xmas. Top of the line women’s specific endurance bike with Ultegra DI2, hydraulic disc brakes, 700c carbon, Shimano Ultegra 11-32 paired with 34/50 tooth chaining, D-Fuse seat post. This bike includes a brand new bottom bracket along with 2 stems for different heights/reach, brand new Continental 5000 tires, Shimano top of the line pedals and all the regular accoutrements for a bike. Has been lovingly taken care of and regularly cleaned. Brand new, this bike would cost $7,100 plus tax if they were even available. Asking $5,500. Would be suitable for a short woman (I’m 5’).

 

Selling because I’m trying to afford a new bike that can do everything – touring, gravel and road.

 Contact Bonnie Evoy

evoybonnie@gmail.com

Located in Ottawa

 

Shimano CLICK”R PEDALS  PD-T400

Cleats are not included.

$25  OBO per set 

Pedals have 8 adjustable release settings.  Release is quick and easy. 

Pedals designed for cyclists who want their shoe held in the best position for cycling,

want easy release to minimize risk of a fall. 

Used Shimano SPD PD – M959 Pedals

New in Bag Cleats for Shoes with Screws

Asking $60 for all

 

Contact Sarah Gallazin

crazycatgrrl@gmail.com

Vancouver Island Area.

A Classic Dutch City Bike

 Jude Loukras
jloukras@gmail.com

Not Cycling Stuff But still Useful

Deborah Bray

deborahjo.bray@gmail.com

Kelowna Area

 

Thule Rooftop Bike Rack

 

(I think it is a ProRide XT).

  It has been used only a few times.  I would like $100.00 for it. 

 

And now for a few stupid jokes.

The Vicar

A vicar was stopped by the police at night for not having a back light.
The vicar says, “I don’t need a back light, the Lord is with me.”
The policeman says, “Two on a bike as well, that’s another offence.”

Bags of Sand

A man on a bike, carrying two sacks on his shoulders, was stopped by a guard while crossing the US-Mexican border. “What’s in the bags?” asked the guard. “Sand,” the cyclist replied. “Get them off. We need to take a look.” The guard emptied the bags and found out they contained nothing but sand. The man reloaded his bags and continued across the border. A week later, the same man was crossing again with two more bags. The guard demanded to see them, and again they contained nothing but sand. This continued every week for six months, until one day the cyclist failed to appear. A few days later, that same guard ran into the cyclist in the city. “Hey, where have you been?” the guard asked. “You sure had us wondering! We knew you were smuggling something across the border. So tell me and I won’t say a word. What was it?” The man smiled and told him the truth. “Bicycles!”

videos

Who knows?  It could happen.

Tours

Nothing so far but plans are in the works.

Hub and Spokes

Save the dates!

Coming soon.
Comox Valley Hub & Spoke 2022
June 20 – 24
More info to follow and signup in January!

A look ahead to some CCCTS 2022 Hub & Spoke Rides
being planned as of December 2021

1. Late May Bromont, PQ led by Nel Ahmed – Covid postponed from 2020
2. May 30 – June 3 Duncan, B.C. led by Chris Hodgson and Diane Swindell
3. Early June Clinton – Lillooet B.C. gravel roads, small grp photography adventure,
   led by George Zorn
4. June 20 – 24 Comox Valley, B.C. Chapter, led by Lawrence Vea and Chapter Volunteers (Board approved Nov. 15, 2021)
5. ~ June 27 – July 2 Sorrento, B.C. based, led by Charlotte and Bill Eberlein
6. Dates to be confirmed Fraser Valley, B.C. Chapter, led by Annemeike Quinn, Janet Whitehead and Chapter Volunteers
7. November 2022 Florida Gulf Coast led by Linda Graupner and friends – Covid postponed from 2020

Some 2022 Hub & Spoke Ride Leader Opportunities:

Sorrento Centre has soft booked May 6-13 and September 5–14 for possible H&S.

Interested? Please contact the H&S Dir. for details.

New Members

Published at least ten times a year by The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society, a non – profit organization for retired people and others who enjoy recreational cycling. 

Items for the NEWSBRIEF must be received by the 28th of the month. The Editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity and suitability of publication. The views expressed in the “NEWSBRIEF” are not necessarily those of the CCCTS or the Editor.

Submissions for NEWSBRIEF should be emailed to alaird212@gmail.com