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Welcome 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.

The event is classed as intermediate as ride distances are all under 80 km. However, there are hills to climb, and rail trails (hard packed) may slow you down. This is a cycle-cultural event focused on discovering interesting places, drinking local wines and eating the best of local food.

Current BC and CCCTS Covid19 precautions will be followed at all social gatherings and during rides. Please read the most current version of the “CCCTS Staying Safe Guidelines”, posted on the Club website’s Publications page. These guidelines will be updated as the BC Covid situation changes. 

12 rooms have been blocked out at the Duncan Motel, 2552 Alexander Street, Duncan, 1-250-748-2177.  Air-conditioned and with recently renovated rooms, all with queen beds and some with kitchen facilities. Amenities in each room include microwave, coffee machine, flat screen TV, wifi. Bike storage in rooms is permitted and there’s a small patio outside for our happy hours. Prices range from $95 to $120 plus tax. No money down, you pay on arrival. Be sure to mention you’re here for a CCCTS event to get a discount from the above rates. Manager Tracy Hanson is very kind and helpful – please advise her ASAP if you have to cancel. Lots of good restaurants nearby.  Great Canadian Superstore, Save-on-Foods and London Drugs are just a few blocks to the south.

Alternative choices in Duncan include nearby Rosedale Manor, 2520 Alexander St. with prices by the week of $500 (single) and $700 (double), sounds good, but very limited capacity. Book early at 250-210-6663; and Best Western, about 5 kms north of Duncan on Hwy 1, $169 plus tax (250-748-2722).

There are, of course, many more choices for accommodation in the Duncan area (B&B’s, more distal motels, etc.).

The only recommended place for camping is at Country Maples RV Resort, about 14 kms north of Duncan and just south of Chemainus. Please be aware that some campsites and motels closer to Duncan serve a vulnerable population.

The “HUB”, where all rides will begin and end and happy hour begins (unless otherwise stated) is Duncan Motel at 2552 Alexander Street. 

Riding conditions will vary from quiet country roads with limited shoulders to hard-packed gravel rail trails. The latter will be encountered mainly between Duncan and Cowichan Lake (30 kms) and Kinsol Trestle down to Glenora trail head (15 kms). A few roads in the valley may be gravel. Super thin tire widths are not recommended.

Registration supplies, happy hour goodies at registration, map descriptions for all rides, all local road maps and a Monday pizza dinner. Any surplus funds will be deposited in the Victoria Chapter’s social expense fund.

Optional Friday night dinner at Merridale Cidery (each member pays his way), any other meals, drinks, accommodation, transportation.

Mon. May 30, 11:00 – 3:00: Registration and signup for rides, outside the Hodgson suite, Duncan Motel.                      

2:00 –“Meet & Greet” welcome and detailed review of rides and events.

2:30, 3:00, 3:30 – About town bike rides, departing Duncan Motel to explore all the key places in town: Cycle Therapy (the best bike store in town), the adjacent, funky Duncan Garage and Bakery (well worth a cup), where to buy and what to ignore, a grand in-town totem tour, all 44 of them, and a trip out of town to the tourist bureau for maps and the logging museum.

6:30 – Pizza dinner at Duncan Motel.

Tues. May 31 – Fri. June 03 – a choice of 4 rides each day, each with a ride leader and sweep ranging from 40 km to 80 km. All rides will begin at 9:00 AM.  The rides include:

• to Cowichan Lake on a rail trail, with a bonus swim in Cowichan Lake (70 kms).
• to Shawnigan Lake – Kinsol Trestle – then rail trail to Glenora and return on quiet country roads (.
• to Maple Bay – Crofton – Chemainus, where we’ll have lunch and go gaga over the murals. All pavement. (65 kms).
• we’ll ascend Cobble Hill to check out the fabled wineries. All pavement. (45 kms).
• Friday, June 03, 6:00-8:00 pm: Dinner event to be announced.

A more detailed description of all the rides with maps will be e-mailed to each ride member closer to the Hub & Spoke. 

Saturday, June 04: No cycling planned, but there’s lots of good non-cycling events in and around Duncan. We recommend an early morning visit to the acclaimed Farmer’s Market in downtown Duncan, morning bird spotting at nearby Somenos Marsh, the Raptor Centre about 8 kms northeast of Duncan (opens at noon), the BC Forest Discovery Centre and operating full gauge, steam railroad on the highway 5 kms north of Duncan (allow 3 hours for the choo choo ride) and to all those other wineries we never visited.  

Registration will open at 9:00 AM (PST) on February 10, 2022 on the CCCTS website and will close at 5:00 PM (PST) on February 14, 2022.  Registration is limited to 24 participants. A non-refundable $50 CDN payment is required at the time of registration.   If the initial 24 spaces are filled, any remaining registrants will be wait listed according to their lottery number to fill spaces that may become available at a later date.  

The selection process will consider the following criteria in evaluating candidates: 

• fitness and riding ability and experience required for the tour,
• a history of demonstrating safe riding practices,
• acceptable social behavior.

CCCTS Registration Fee Reimbursement: 

The $50 registration fee is non-refundable with these exceptions:

1. if COVID risks remain high the CCCTS Board will reimburse the registration fee ($50) only if the Ride Leader decides to cancel the ride.
2. wait list cyclists must remain on the wait list until after the ride has started to be eligible for registration fee refund.

“Stripe fees” are applied for CCCTS registration transactions. Stripe fees will be deducted when there is a refund of registration fees paid by a Club member if a ride is cancelled by the Ride Leader due to COVID or some other reason.

Currently the Stripe fee is 2.9% + 30 cents for a Club ride registration fee (Hub & Spoke or Tour) of any value. For a $50 H&S registration fee in 2022 the Stripe fee will be $1.75. Thus a CCCTS member’s registration fee refund would be $48.25 not $50 if there is a COVID related or other cancellation initiated by the Ride Leader.”