The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society May 2022, Volume 39, Issue #4
From the Tour Director’s Desk – May 2022
The 2022 tours registration is in full swing and our first tour will be starting soon. There are a few openings on some tours that have already run their lotteries so you can still sign up for those. The lottery opens for the Sunshine Coast tour on May 2nd so sign up right away if you want to go. Please check out the CCCTS website for all the details on our current offerings. Unfortunately, we decided to put the 2022 Sri Lanka tour on hold for now due to serious financial and political instability the country is undergoing. We will offer it in a future year. For purposes of your advance travel planning, here are some tours we are expecting to offer in 2023:
- Thailand – Bangkok to Phuket (January)
- X-C Ski in Washington State (February)
- Arizona (March)
- Portugal (April)
- Japan (May)
- Washington State tour – TBD location (Summer or early fall)
- Slovenia and Croatia (late August thru September)
- PEI and Isle de Madelaine (September)
Of course, we hope and expect that there will be more tours forthcoming and more with locations closer to home for our club members. We want and welcome more tours in North America, and especially for destinations throughout Canada. We are up for anywhere you want to lead a tour, provided it is safe for travel. Please contact me about any cycling or winter ski tours you might like to lead for the club. (robincooksandsews@gmail.com, 206.899.7255)
Happy spring cycling!
Robin Howe
Tours
- 2022 Laurentian Pannier Tour
Status: 1 slots are available.
Dates: Mon, 25 Jul 2022 ‐‐ Sun, 31 Jul 2022Six-day tour of the Laurentian area of Quebec between the towns of Mont Laurier and Saint Jérôme. This region of Quebec is known for it’s scenic beauty. Accommodations are motels and cyclists will carry their own gear and make their own accommodations. Our route will follow the trajectory of the cycling trail, Le P’tit Train du Nord, using this trail as backbone where necessary. To add variety, optional routes using local roads will be proposed where possible. Longer and shorter ride options will be offered for each day with distances ranging between 50 and 90 kms. There will be 6 days of cycling with 6 nights of accommodation in local motels. Overnight stops will be in Mont Laurier, Nominingue, Mont Tremblant, Sainte Adèle and Saint Jérôme.
- 2022 Sunshine Coast, B.C.
Status: Registration opens Mon, 2 May 2022 5:00 PM
Dates: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 23 Sep 2022Lovely, coastal ride on the Sunshine Coast of B.C. and the east side of Vancouver Island.
- 2022 Southern Rockies
Status: 4 slots are available.
Dates: Mon, 25 Jul 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 5 Aug 2022Come join us on the most popular ride through the Southern Rockies. Be prepared to see wildlife and witness spectacular views of the Southern Rockies, lakes and rivers. Enjoy a relaxing time in the Radium Hot Springs, trek the boardwalk in Johnston Canyon, experience the bicycle trails connecting Cranbrook to Kimberley and Bow Valley Parkway to Banff which continues on to Canmore. Relax on your day off in Cochrane, AB. Experience the comradery of fellow riders on the road, in the campground and around the firepit.
- TOUR Cancelled/Delayed – 2022 Sri Lanka
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Fri, 16 Sep 2022 ‐‐ Sat, 8 Oct 2022See the entire island of of Sri Lanka on this 23-day van-supported cycling tour. Visit many cultural sights, stay in lovely accommodations, and enjoy the fantastic local cuisine.
- 2022 Niagara/Erie Pannier Ride – Group 2
Status: 4 slots are available.
Dates: Fri, 10 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 17 Jun 2022Join us for a week of self-supported touring in the Niagara and Lake Erie region of southern Ontario. Our tour will begin in Brantford and follow paved and unpaved bike paths including the Waterfront Trail, with opportunities to visit beaches and wineries along the way.
- 2022 Niagara/Erie Pannier Ride – Group 1
Status: 1 slots are available.
Dates: Sun, 12 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Sun, 19 Jun 2022Join us for a week of self-supported touring in the Niagara and Lake Erie region of southern Ontario. Our tour will begin in Brantford and follow paved and unpaved bike paths including the Waterfront Trail, with opportunities to visit beaches and wineries along the way.
- 2022 Washington Wheatlands
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Sun, 15 May 2022 ‐‐ Thu, 26 May 2022A gentle cycling season opener through quiet and beautiful wheat farming countryside in eastern Washington.
Hub and Spokes
- 2022 Duncan Hub & Spoke #2
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Mon, 6 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Sat, 11 Jun 2022Welcome to Duncan, the “City of Totems”, an attractive town near the mouth of the Cowichan River. You’ll get to visit Cowichan Lake, Chemainus and its world class murals, Cobble Hill wineries and a cidery, ancient railroad routes and the famous Kinsol Trestle, while enjoying five days of riding around the beautiful Cowichan valley. Leads & sweeps for all rides.
- 2022 Duncan Hub & Spoke #1
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Mon, 30 May 2022 ‐‐ Sat, 4 Jun 2022Welcome to Duncan, the “City of Totems”, an attractive town near the mouth of the Cowichan River. You’ll get to visit Cowichan Lake, Chemainus and its world class murals, Cobble Hill wineries and a cidery, ancient railroad routes and the famous Kinsol Trestle, while enjoying five days of riding around the beautiful Cowichan valley. Leads & sweeps for all rides.
- 2022 Florida Gulf Coast Hub and Spoke
Status: Ride is full, wait list only.
Dates: Thu, 10 Nov 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 18 Nov 2022Extend your 2022 biking season with a week of cycling on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast! This hub and spoke will take place in November and will be based out of St. Pete Beach, known for its sunshine, soft sand beaches and dedicated bike trails. We will explore the Pinellas Trail and other bike trails and roads in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, with stops along the way to explore the sites and sample the seafood.
- 2022 Fraser Valley Chapter Hub and Spoke – April 4, 2022: Ride CANCELLED due to low registration. Refunds will be processed by Jurgen Harding, Club Treasurer.
Status: 49 slots are available.
Dates: Thu, 7 Jul 2022 ‐‐ Mon, 11 Jul 2022Daily ride options to choose from – quiet country roads in the Fraser Valley and south of the border, to more urban rides along a network of bike paths and designated routes in Richmond, Vancouver and beyond. Special interest rides may include gardens, public art and/or historical sites. Start locations of the routes will vary.
- 2022 Fraser River Canyons, Benches & Grasslands Hub & Spoke
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 17 Jun 2022Explore four scenic ranch roads less travelled on the dry side of B.C.’s Coast Mountains. A group supported camping and three ride days Hub & Spoke based from Clinton and Lillooet. Bring your camera, binoculars and mountain bike or gravel bike!
- 2022 Shuswap – North Okanagan Hub & Spoke
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Sat, 2 Jul 2022Welcome to the beautiful and diverse landscapes of the Shuswap – North Okanagan region. Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of nature as you cycle some of the 1500+ km of paved back roads in the area.
- 2022 Comox Valley Hub and Spoke
Status: Registration closed
Dates: Mon, 20 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 24 Jun 2022Visit Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland while enjoying five days of riding in the beautiful Comox Valley and surrounding islands including Denman, Hornby and Quadra as well as a challenging 18 km ride up Mt. Washington.
- 2022 Comox Valley Hub and Spoke – for CV VOLUNTEERS ONLY
Status: Registration opens Sun, 1 May 2022 7:00 AM
Dates: Mon, 20 Jun 2022 ‐‐ Fri, 24 Jun 2022This link is only to be used by Comox Valley CCCTS volunteers.
A Message From the Safety Director Maureen Weston
Coronavirus……the path forward
We are now well used to living under the pandemic umbrella, adapting to the fact that the Coronavirus may be with us for some time yet. Current public health orders in BC and Ontario reflect this reality: continuing to advise caution but not requiring masks or vaccination passports to enter restaurants, businesses, etc.
Since the beginning of the pandemic our club has followed the public health orders in each province, creating a National COVID Safety Plan that was adapted several times over the past two years, adhering to the changing rules, regulations, and recommendations.
As it is now up to individual choice regarding how one navigates the risk of getting COVID, we can ask the question: how does this impact continued club safety during weekly rides, hub and spoke events, and tours? Your board of directors discussed this issue at a recent meeting and the consensus was that we will keep our National COVID Safety Plan in place for now and we will continue to require all participants in club activities to be fully vaccinated and to receive their booster when eligible. The board also encourages members to continue to wear masks in indoor settings when physical distancing is not possible, especially during this sixth wave.
These COVID safety protocols align nicely with our CCCTS Code of Conduct which reads in part:
Our goal is for all members to have an enjoyable and safe experience while participating in any club activity.
- Every member has a role in treating others with respect, courtesy, fairness, and equality.
- Every member contributes to the well-being and functioning of the group as a whole: on and off the bike.
- Every member takes responsibility for their actions and if we choose not to follow the Code of Conduct, we may be asked to leave a ride, a tour, or the club.
Safe cycling everyone!
Maureen Weston
Safety Director
Really Old Newsbrief Issues
Thanks to Allan Buium for digitizing all the paper Newsbrief copies he had in his storage. You can find them on the website under publications or follow this link.
https://cccts.org/really-old-newsprint-newsbriefs-1983-to-2004/
They go all the way back to the first one published in 1983!
How many bicyclists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Ten.
One to change it, and nine others to argue about the aerodynamics, weight, lumens, and most importantly, color.
Videos
Sadly the Sri Lanka tour was cancelled. Here is a look at what it might look like when we get around to organizing it (and when I say we, I mean Robin) I have been there and it is a beautiful place.
Marketplace
Saris Bones Bike Rack.
Adjustable to fit any car or van. Good condition. Hold’s two bikes. We have had 30 kilos on it but I don’t know what its weight rating is.
$30.00
Contact Carmen Burnay in the Victoria Area.
cfburnay@gmail.com 250-415-8116
Shoe Covers
Click the Facebook Link to Facebook Marketplace to see some nice Shoe Covers.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/716167199405978/
Hybrid Bike Wanted
Specialized Tarmac Expert 54cm. w/Di2 electronic shifting
Ridley Aura X50 Road Bike: for sale
Size: XS This is my wife’s bike. She is 5 feet 5 ½ inches tall.
Frame: Carbon; very light
Wheels: Mavic Aksium Elite
Chain Ring: changed to Shimano GRX 48/30. The original 50/34 Gossamer 386 included.
Cassette: Shimano 105 R7000 11-speed 11-32T. Swapped 11-28 at purchase.
Condition: Excellent
Weight: very light
Seat: upgraded to ADAMO Road Full Gel
Tires: Continental GatorSkin; 28c
Weight: very light
Pedals: included Shimano PDR 550
This is my wife’s bike; she has only ridden it 1,498 km since purchased in September 2018 from MEC. She records her rides on a spread sheet. Unfortunately, arthritis has prevented her from riding.
Photos available.
$1900
Reasonable offers only. Prefer local Victoria pickup.
kenstengler@hotmail.com
Manufacturer details at https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5056-178/Aura-X50.
– Swagman two bike cover ( seldom used)
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