RIDE REPORT BY KRISTINE MacLEOD

We met up at Grass Creek on a cool and cloud speckled Sunday morning. The weatherman said the outdoor temperature felt like a mere 2 degrees. Winds were expected to peak at 50kph. An optimist at heart, Mike wore his shorts anyway.

Five of us started out on the first leg of the ride heading up Joyceville Road leading us to 4th Concession where we flew, wind at our backs, all the way into Gan. While at the Socialist Pig, enjoying a tasty little bite to eat and a nice hot beverage, six more cyclists joined our group. By 10:45 we were riding along King Street headed for Rockport. Once again, wind at our back, we glided along the route and it felt that, in no time, we had arrived at our brunch destination.

The Islandview Restaurant was humming with tourists! We were happy to find shelter from the brisk winds. While not the best place to eat, the view of the St-Lawrence was pleasing to the eyes. We watched the whitecaps grow in size and knew we would soon have to head out and ride back to Gan.

Taking the trail that runs along the Parkway provided a little relief from the strong headwinds. We traveled in small groups and chatted as we pedaled. The sun came out and warmed our dark coloured cycling garments. I was glad to have put on sunscreen. One by one , we found ourselves back in Gan. Vicki, a guest cyclist, stopped for ice cream along the way; a cool yet well-deserved reward.

Andrew and I kept to the original plan which called for a couple of ferry rides to and from Howe Island. As we were about to board the first ferry, we were advised the one at the other end was out of order and so we took the very same route Mike, Robert T and Robert P had opted to take in the first place, Hwy 2 back to Grass Creek. The wind seemed to have increased in strength and without warning tried to blow us off the road a couple of times. What an exhilarating day! A challenging ride, not because of the set pace, but because of the wind.

A special thanks to Rosemary and Hal for their support. Great ride everyone!

Sunday's first ride of the season drew a bunch of riders, some of whom rode to the start. They travelled on pavement and on dirt, commemorating the legendary Paris-Roubaix race, the toughest one-day race on the Euro circuit.

Thirteen dedicated cyclists took to the roads east of town, in two groups. The "Easy Riders" handled an all-pavement route, while the more sportif-oriented KVCers crossed two ridgebacks on dirt roads, According to some, it turned a little dicey when their front wheels started to dig into the soft, wet surface.

The shorter-route riders arrived at the Husky truck stop an hour ahead of the others, and waited patiently. All the members had brunch together and enjoyed good conversation as they commented on the first ride of the season. Congrats go to Andrew,  Andy, Bob, Hal, Kristine, Larry, Margaret, Mary Jean, Mike, Paul, Real, Rosemary, and Suzanne, for making the first ride of 2013 a cycling success.

All signed in. Riders congregate at the start of the "Kingston-Roubaix" ride, the season-opener on the KVC calendar. Photo by Paul Rappell

He rode to the start from town - on a one speed! Larry Manuel arrived at Pierson Park on two wheels and one gear, and rode the ridgebacks with the club, and then rode home. Photo by Paul Rappell
 

WHAT A RIDE!

The KVC's annual Century ride was bigger than ever and blessed with blue skies and moderate temperatures this year. Early on Sunday morning riders and volunteers assembled for the first "open" century sponsored by the KVC. A cool morning gave way to warmer weather, but not too hot to make riders uncomfortable. The route headed east to Highway 15, to Kingston Mills, and then up to Unity Road through Elginburg. Rest stops were available there and at Odessa, Picton, and Bath.

This year a 100 km, or Metric Century, was also available for less ambitious (or less masochistic) cyclists. A total of riders headed out and all completed the route.

An enthisiastic group of volunteers staffed the checkpoints and assisted riders with water and food. Riders were even aided between checkpoints by mobile staff.

The cyclists were very, very thankful to the volunteers who helped make their day a success. Here's to an even bigger and better Century next year, with even better weather - if that's possible!

The annual KVC picnic was a roaring success. On Sunday, a horde of hungry cyclists descended on Grass Creek Park for a ride'n' lunch session.

The crowd gathered at 9:00 a.m. and split into four groups for rides of varying levels of speed and terrain. Some went toward Howe Island, while others headed west and north before turning back east and south.

After the rides, Hal and Paul set off in search of charcoal - the one item that didn't seem available in central or west-end Kingston on Saturday. Canex and Value Mart provided charcoal and lighter fluid, and soon we were in business. With enough volunteers to work two grills, and plenty of other food items to stuff our faces, we were soon pigging out and enjoying the friendly company.

A welcome surprise was the Fortieth Anniversary cake, complete with the new KVC logo in icing.

The weather co-operated (a little cooler might have been better) and everyone was in good spirits. Can't wait to do it again next year!

The KVC's "Truck Stop Breakfast" tour, on Sunday, 22 July, brought some surprises to the riders. Two of the surprises were welcome. The third surprise, however, was neither welcome nor convenient. We found out that the Husky Truck Stop was closed for renovations. That was the only restaurant stop in the area! What could we do. The decision was made to do the ride and then go south and west to the Driftwood, at the Treasure Island Marina, and see what they had to offer (or to see if they would be open at all).

The other surprises? First, we had our youngest ever rider (at least in recent KVC history, Ella, a fifteen month-old who rode in her own trailer. So, with nine riders and a trailer, we had our own version of an eighteen wheeler!

The other surprise was Jim's bicycle - a 1972 Dawes Galaxy. So we had a bicycle as old as the Kingston Velo Club!

With Bob Clooney riding sweep (Thanks, Bob!), we set off north on Joyceville Road, taking Fourth Concession, Hitchcock Road, Woodburn, Sixth Concession, and others, before heading back on Joyceville Road. The group stuck together (with the exception of a couple of riders who had to wait for a couple of trains at the level crossing). After a photo op at Pierson Park, some riders headed for the Driftwood for lunch.