Jun 8thHummingbirds make a strong showing at OWTU!

Sheldon managed a 4th place finish in the Elite Men category, being in the break from early in the race.
Peter H was 3rd in the 60-69 Men.
Joey was 1st in the 70+ Men.

Jun 8thRideau Lakes Cycling Tour 2015

On June 6 and 7 a group of Hummingbirds went to Ottawa to take on the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour.  This tour starts in Ottawa and heads south to Kingston, covering 172 kms and returns the next day to Ottawa.

The tour started with a leisurely drive up to Ottawa with lots of laughter and conversation in the van.  We were met in Ottawa by Killy, who every year performs the role of support for us, from pressuring tyres, helping with mechanicals, refilling bottles to dishing out sandwiches.  No task is too large or too small for Killey.

The group of five, including Steve, Vernon, Peter S, Danny and Peter A kicked off our ride on Saturday at 7:30 am.  The weather was pretty cool, at a chilly 9C. But thankfully the wind was at our backs, giving us an assisted ride towards Kingston.  We started off with an easy roll for the first 20kms and slowly pick up the pace and set our sights on Perth some 70kms away. As we cruise along we meet people from many different clubs and people of all ages. This is a very large tour with some 3,000 cyclists taking part. We were greeted by Killy in Perth and take on water and gels and have a sandwich. We continued on our last 100km leg towards Kingston, planning one more short stop. Shorter stops are helpful as they minimize the time to warm up again, especially in the cooler temperatures.  We cruised into Kingston 6:22 feeling good. We have covered the route in a moving time of 5:50, with an average of 29.8kph. We are quite happy with the result.

After getting checked in and enjoying a short rest it was time to go to dinner.  We enjoyed the university’s cafeteria food.  There was a lot of it and a great variety as well.  We sat for a team dinner talking loudly to overcome the din that is so typical of so many people talking about the day’s events.

Sunday morning came early.  We were back at the cafeteria for breakfast before 6:00.  There was something for everyone, from traditional hot breakfast to cereals and fruit of every type.

We rolled out of Kingston at 7:30 in cool temperatures again, slightly warmer than Saturday.  Again we rolled slowly, watching some folks moving along very quickly in the brisk morning air. Some are in shorts and short sleeves … Really people??!!

We latched on to quick moving packs when we could, but much of the ride we were on our own. Going north was a bit more challenging as we rode into a cross wind.  We pull into Ottawa after 6:25hours on the road, with a moving time of 5:45 hours and an average of 29.6kph.  Another great result!

After a quick sho wer and snack at the college, we were on the road, saying goodbye to Ottawa and thinking about what will be in 2016.