From a letter originally published inthe Queen Charlotte Observer a couple of years ago, written by Peter G.:
Hi. I'm sure you've seen me. I'm the guy in the yellow jacket bicycling between home at Sandspit airport
and work at South Moresby Air in the village of Queen Charlotte. My hats off to all of you eco- minded (or
just plain cheap like me) people cycling, rollerblading or walking, especially between QC and Skidegate. Just for fun I've kept stats on my bike commute during 2005 and I'd like to share them with you.
I bike the 20 km to work approximately twice to three times a week. It takes around 38 minutes from the airport to the ferry and 13 minutes from Skidegate landing to SMair at a moderate rate which burns 1,020 calories for the round trip. More ice cream please!
My truck is not fuel efficient. I'ts an older model Ford F-250 with a 400 cu in. engine. (sucking noise)
Its wonderful for transporting stuff and even better for providing incentive to bike instead. Biking in 2005 saved $1,156.54 in fuel plus maintenance costs. Environmentally the fuel that didn't burn saved 4,620 lbs of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere plus other gases.
The nearly antique 10-speed of mine was purchased for $450.00 in 1980 and went 4,505 km in 2005 or about Sandspit to mid- Labrador if the road was straight. Flats were a problem, around 10 I guess, mostly from sharp rocks (avoid!) or Alliford Bay road, which NEEDS WORK PLEASE! and can't be avoided.
I really never get wet or cold anymore once I learned how to dress for it and the slight back pain and knee problems I once had have disappeared. (for whatever reason) Hiking uphill is surprisingly easy now and the biking itself gets way easier after about 2 months or so. There you have it . I'm writing this on behalf of planet earth, I guess, and am hoping to entice a few more of you (who are able) to join the fun. Wishful thinking tells me that if we lessen the demand for fuel the prices may start to come down... good luck!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Club Clothing
I received these proofs today. David is preparing the revised price list and will send it out shortly with the request for orders. BTW David and Sandra (and Charlie) pulled into Winnipeg tonight on their x-country adventure.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Sunday June 15th ride
Leaving at 10 am from Peter's in QCC. RSVP to him directly if you plan to attend so they don't leave without you.
photo: by TM, 2007 Tour de North
photo: by TM, 2007 Tour de North
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Cycling BC Youth Team in Queen Charlotte Islands
By Dan Proulx, Cycling BC Youth Coach
The Queen Charlotte Recreation Commission recently hosted the 10th Cycling BC Youth Team event of the year. 95 riders took part in the program. An additional 30 students took part in classroom visits which emphasized the importance of active living. The clinic was coordinated through the efforts of Brenda Hanchard (Derailleurs in the Mist Cycling Club), Karen McMurray (Queen Charlotte Recreation Coordinator) and the generosity of the Hecate Inn's Robyn Boese.
Day 1 of the visit started at Tahayghen Elementary in Massett. This visit involved the standard Youth Team program along with two classroom visits focused on the topic of healthy living. This was a great opportunity to speak with students about the benefits that sport can bring to someone's life. In the cycling clinic, the students were very keen with one student excitedly telling me "this is the best day of my life". This school had never been exposed to cycling instruction at this level before. It was clear from their enthusiasm that there is a tremendous need for more programming like this in future.
In case you haven't been to Queen Charlotte, the first thing you notice is how many eagles patrol the sky above you. During the Masset visit I saw no less than 20 eagles. Now I know why several of the kids, when asked to look at the rear derailleur on their bicycles, had no idea what I was talking about. Up here, the kids call rear derailleurs "eagles" because the mechanism spread it's "wings" as it shifts.
The afternoon session on Day 1 tool place 45kms south of Massett. I spent the better part of lunch hour driving down to Port Clements where 40 students took part in a full afternoon of velodrome racing in their school yard. This clinic was notable because the teachers managed to include the entire school in the program. No one was left out of this one. It's important to mention that Port Clements, as with all Youth Team events, incorporated students with special needs into the mix. It was really cool to see the kids racing around the track and including students with different skills, talents and abilities. Cycling is definitely a sport with something to offer everyone. The smiles showed how important this level of inclusion was.
I travelled another 60km south to Queen Charlotte where I stayed at the Hecate Inn. When Robyn Boese heard that Cycling BC was coming to the islands, she offered to sponsor two nights worth of hotel. This is definitely a wonderful and friendly place to stay if any of you are thinking about exploring the pristine mountain biking or newly paved blacktop (over 140km worth between Charlotte and Masset) in the Queen Charlotte's.
Day 2 of the Youth Team clinics started at Sk'Aagdaa Naay Elementary where another 40 kids took part in a 3 hour grass velodrome racing clinic. The local RCMP detachment heard that Cycling BC was coming to town so they moved their cycling program ahead to match with our initiative. The RCMP provided the students with new helmets, locks and a stable of bicycles for the kids without bikes to ride. The best part was that each student got to keep the gear and the bike. To say that this community and the school support cycling would be a huge understatement. Look for some talented kids to come out of this school in the near future.
The program at Sk'Aagdaa Naay Elementary included the use of two large grass tracks at the same time. The group was energetic and eager to ride fast. Normally one track would be sufficient, but the energy level in this group demanded that everyone keep moving and riding hard. The class finished at noon and they kid's energy level only started to drop at 10 minutes to go. It was a fun and extremely busy clinic.
In the afternoon I visited the Living and Learning School in Charlotte. This was a smaller clinic than the others, but no less enthusiastic. Again, the kids were amazed with all the different skills, games and races that you could learn in a school field. As always, the game of "one-foot" was the most popular.
The clinic concluded with a sharing circle lead by one of the school's teachers where each student was asked to mention something that got them down ("a root") and something that made them soar ("an eagle"). The majority of kids mentioned some mechanical issue with their bikes as being their root. Almost all of them said the entire visit was their eagle.
The day ended with a two hour evening clinic for the local Cycling BC club – Derailleurs in the Mist. The clinic was attended by 10 of their adult members. While offering this clinic, based on road skills and group riding, I stressed the importance of creating an even bigger cycling community in the Charlotte's. We talked about the club taking over the school visit program and offering kids the chance to race their bikes in local events each year. Grass Velodrome racing would be a perfect fit for almost any club as the event gets lots of kids involved in racing and can be run with a minimal number (2 to 3) volunteers. It also offers all kids, regardless of ability level, a chance to race and be successful. I am confident that this club will extend their efforts to connect more kids from the region with the sport of bicycle racing in the future.
The next stop for the Cycling BC Youth Team will be the BC Summer Games in Kelowna (July 24-27th). Since January 2008, 465 riders have been taught racing and bike handling skills through the Youth Team Program. This initiative will grow the talent pool for competitive cycling in British Columbia by exposing as many kids as possible to racing in a fun and friendly environment. If you would like a Youth Team event in your community, please email Dan Proulx at youthcoach@cyclingbc.net
The Queen Charlotte Recreation Commission recently hosted the 10th Cycling BC Youth Team event of the year. 95 riders took part in the program. An additional 30 students took part in classroom visits which emphasized the importance of active living. The clinic was coordinated through the efforts of Brenda Hanchard (Derailleurs in the Mist Cycling Club), Karen McMurray (Queen Charlotte Recreation Coordinator) and the generosity of the Hecate Inn's Robyn Boese.
Day 1 of the visit started at Tahayghen Elementary in Massett. This visit involved the standard Youth Team program along with two classroom visits focused on the topic of healthy living. This was a great opportunity to speak with students about the benefits that sport can bring to someone's life. In the cycling clinic, the students were very keen with one student excitedly telling me "this is the best day of my life". This school had never been exposed to cycling instruction at this level before. It was clear from their enthusiasm that there is a tremendous need for more programming like this in future.
In case you haven't been to Queen Charlotte, the first thing you notice is how many eagles patrol the sky above you. During the Masset visit I saw no less than 20 eagles. Now I know why several of the kids, when asked to look at the rear derailleur on their bicycles, had no idea what I was talking about. Up here, the kids call rear derailleurs "eagles" because the mechanism spread it's "wings" as it shifts.
The afternoon session on Day 1 tool place 45kms south of Massett. I spent the better part of lunch hour driving down to Port Clements where 40 students took part in a full afternoon of velodrome racing in their school yard. This clinic was notable because the teachers managed to include the entire school in the program. No one was left out of this one. It's important to mention that Port Clements, as with all Youth Team events, incorporated students with special needs into the mix. It was really cool to see the kids racing around the track and including students with different skills, talents and abilities. Cycling is definitely a sport with something to offer everyone. The smiles showed how important this level of inclusion was.
I travelled another 60km south to Queen Charlotte where I stayed at the Hecate Inn. When Robyn Boese heard that Cycling BC was coming to the islands, she offered to sponsor two nights worth of hotel. This is definitely a wonderful and friendly place to stay if any of you are thinking about exploring the pristine mountain biking or newly paved blacktop (over 140km worth between Charlotte and Masset) in the Queen Charlotte's.
Day 2 of the Youth Team clinics started at Sk'Aagdaa Naay Elementary where another 40 kids took part in a 3 hour grass velodrome racing clinic. The local RCMP detachment heard that Cycling BC was coming to town so they moved their cycling program ahead to match with our initiative. The RCMP provided the students with new helmets, locks and a stable of bicycles for the kids without bikes to ride. The best part was that each student got to keep the gear and the bike. To say that this community and the school support cycling would be a huge understatement. Look for some talented kids to come out of this school in the near future.
The program at Sk'Aagdaa Naay Elementary included the use of two large grass tracks at the same time. The group was energetic and eager to ride fast. Normally one track would be sufficient, but the energy level in this group demanded that everyone keep moving and riding hard. The class finished at noon and they kid's energy level only started to drop at 10 minutes to go. It was a fun and extremely busy clinic.
In the afternoon I visited the Living and Learning School in Charlotte. This was a smaller clinic than the others, but no less enthusiastic. Again, the kids were amazed with all the different skills, games and races that you could learn in a school field. As always, the game of "one-foot" was the most popular.
The clinic concluded with a sharing circle lead by one of the school's teachers where each student was asked to mention something that got them down ("a root") and something that made them soar ("an eagle"). The majority of kids mentioned some mechanical issue with their bikes as being their root. Almost all of them said the entire visit was their eagle.
The day ended with a two hour evening clinic for the local Cycling BC club – Derailleurs in the Mist. The clinic was attended by 10 of their adult members. While offering this clinic, based on road skills and group riding, I stressed the importance of creating an even bigger cycling community in the Charlotte's. We talked about the club taking over the school visit program and offering kids the chance to race their bikes in local events each year. Grass Velodrome racing would be a perfect fit for almost any club as the event gets lots of kids involved in racing and can be run with a minimal number (2 to 3) volunteers. It also offers all kids, regardless of ability level, a chance to race and be successful. I am confident that this club will extend their efforts to connect more kids from the region with the sport of bicycle racing in the future.
The next stop for the Cycling BC Youth Team will be the BC Summer Games in Kelowna (July 24-27th). Since January 2008, 465 riders have been taught racing and bike handling skills through the Youth Team Program. This initiative will grow the talent pool for competitive cycling in British Columbia by exposing as many kids as possible to racing in a fun and friendly environment. If you would like a Youth Team event in your community, please email Dan Proulx at youthcoach@cyclingbc.net
Saturday, June 7, 2008
and more colours for the jerseys
Pantone colours:
Dark Blue - 282
Blue - Reflex Blue
Light Blue - 284
Gold - 116
Red - 186
Speak now or forever hold your cheeky comments until the next order.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Thursday evening inland Gwaii TT Championships
Scott and I rode the 19.1 km Tlell to Port Clements TT course tonite. I recorded a time of 31'39" to set a new course record and Scott's time was 35'29". My average speed was 36.2 km/h and Scott's average speed was 32.3 km/h. There wasn't any wind so I am sure that with a tailwind I can break 30'. It will also be interesting to see if aero enhancements can lower the times. Scott was on his P3 and rode most of the way in his aero bars. I was on a regular road frame without aero bars. The course is flat except for the start and finish so it should be possible to ride the middle 15km entirely in the aero bars and that should be worth 1-2 minutes of time savings.
2006 TdF prologue, Team Discovery bike
2006 TdF prologue, Team Discovery bike
Monday, June 2, 2008
Oh! that evil wind.
Scott and I rolled up to Port Clements after a day of sun at the Tlell soccer fields. We left my house around 5:15pm and enjoyed a brisk tempo ride at 40km/h+. I felt great until I headed back to Tlell and had trouble keeping my speed over 30km/h. I measured the distance from the flashing light in Port Clements to the Pesuta roundabout and it is 19.1 km. My time was 34'21" and I killed myself doing it. Scott later informed me that his best time was 33'25" so that makes him the world record holder for that course. He also holds the world record for the out and back at 1hr 13'27".
Sunday, June 1, 2008
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