Week #7 is complete, and we're headed into our final week, with a very special treat of a trail!

Fairly low turn-out this week, not sure if it was the distance (still within about an hour of the Switch Bridge!), or the weather, but just 16 riders out this week! Only the hardest of the hardcore! 💪

I think they added a bunch of cedar chip cover to the 7B trail since I was there in November, don't remember it being so sluggish, but there was a couple fun jumps at the end to make up for it!

This week we've got a brand new trail and segment - how new is it? So new, there's only FOUR names on the segment so far!! We're headed to the new 'Olympia' trail in Royal Bay, it sounds like a dreamy gravel trail, can't wait to ride it myself!!

Another big thank you to the peeps who've chipped in this season, it was just a few people this time around, but I still really appreciate your support for the event, and the About The Ride project!! Plus I'll be sending a portion over to the Fur-Bearers. 🥰 If you didn't get my email or hadn't checked the box but are interested, just hit reply and I'll be happy to let you know how to chip in, thanks again!! 😊

There's actually some big stuff coming down the pipes, I might be able to share more next week, but for now book off March 1st, as the Scrabblethon will be back. It's a chance to have more fun on bikes, or if you're doing some gravel or MTB racing (which is coming up fast), push yourself a bit more and get the heartrate up! (Details should be posted on the site in the next day or two, we'll be returning to the Francis-King loop.)

RACING NEWS

Note: expect spoilers!

This weekend was the Cylocross World Championships, and wow, so much awesome racing!!

Very cool to see Brand's hard work for the season pay off, and claim the rainbow stripes, can't wait to see her race in them next year! Of course Matthieu van der Poel crushed it, 4mins into the race there were three, and then he dispatched Nys and Del Grosso, and solo'd to victory!

For the Canadian squad, Alexa Haviland was the top finisher, with 9th in the Junior race. I was very surprised Rafaelle Carrier finished 16th in the U23 race. A reminder she's 18, but she handily defeated Zoe Backsteadt in a race a few weeks ago, and Zoe was actually the winner of this race the last two years.....but I guess it wasn't her day!

Sidney McGill was also 16th in the Elite race, 4min down on Brand, Rochette 26th, and Cody Scott finished near the back of the field in the Men's race. We need more Canadians racing CX!!

More exciting road racing this week too, Victoria pro Sarah Van Dam sprinted to another Top 10 finish in Australia in the Cadel Evans one-day race, Remco Evenepoel is off to a killer start winning all three stages in Spain so far, and another Victoria rider, Riley Pickrell, now on the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team from the US, was at the AlUla Tour, and sprinted to 9th on the 4th stage, one of his top career finishes!!

THIS WEEK IN RIDES

For those new to the series, results are tabulated each week, and the event page has all the results updated each Sunday night! To see the weekly results, hit the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

Scores were shaken up a bit this week, and with just one week left, it's looking like Bicycle Dave might have it wrapped up, I don't think even a full one-of-each will get anyone to an even score..! But lots of battles within each category to go!

Cougars & Raccoons

The Raccoons were out in force with four riders, vs two Cougars.

Anne got 3 seals, and Curtis collected 3 orcas this week, adding to their scores!

Bicycle Dave hold a nearly unassailable lead!

Bears & Otters

Two Bears and six River Otters, our most dedicated critter team!

Jolene's three Owls this week has her with her third set of triples!

Seals & Wolves

No Seals this week, again, too wet for them?! Three Wolves tho!

Dan C now has three Oyster Catchers, same with Greg G, and Jon B got three bears! And that moves Dan C into 1st, and Greg moves up from 4th to 2nd!

BONUSES & CURSES

See the Scoring section of the Event Page for more details - note that there aren't any curses for the GravelQuest!

No KOM or QOM points this week.

• Early Bird (or should we call this 'Oyster Catcher'?) was Bicycle Dave
• Secret time doesn't apply this week
• Socialite points go to B Dave, and you can watch him catch some air on the ramp!
  (Post a shot of your ride on IG or FB and tag @AboutTheRideCA for a chance for 5pts each week! If you've posted, but I haven't given you credit, or liked or commented on your post, please DM me directly, IG has been a bit finicky.)

HOUSEKEEPING

Notes for the week:

Some updates from last week:

• Prizes are now listed on the site! A big thanks to Goldstream Bicycles, Fairfield Bicycles and Vegan Supply for contributing some goodies!

Reminder if your time didn't record (this week or any), please either tag me in your ride, comment on the Strava group post, or send me an email -- if you rode it, I can usually figure out a 'manual' time for you, but you need to let me know!

7 <- THIS MANY WEEKS WITHOUT AN ERROR 🤣

If there are any errors, omissions, issues, concerns, or anything else, feel free to hit reply!

SPONSORS AD

Promotional consideration this week provided by Tracker on CBS.

Tracker - he tracks things!

SOUNDTRACK NOTES

Note: 'back in my day' people talked about music, albums, etc.. Doesn't really seem to happen much these days, so I'm carrying on the tradition here! 😊

....and we now present the Dutch National Anthem!

haha - if you watched all the CX races, you heard that a LOT!

Beck released a little surprise for Valentines day, a small collection of 'love songs', including some originals and covers. Not the most thrilling thing, but something new-ish! 🎶

PRIZES!

We've always got some sweet draw prizes every week! Watch our socials (Insta & Facebook) to see what we'll be giving away each week!

Draw prizes are listed on the site, we've got three event supporters this series, plus there'll be a fourth bonus prize for the finale!

Once again, since it's been all guys, this week I hit 'randomise' in the list until a female rider came out on top, and this week's winner is Anne E! I'll follow up later this week, congrats!

(There'll be one name drawn each week, and they can select from the items, and there'll be a few extra draws for the finale as well!)

Week #8: Feb 2nd - 8th - A Royally Fine New Trail!

It's our final week, and we're headed out to Royal Bay for a real treat! 😊 First up is another little cross-over connector, from Royal Roads over to the beach, then a brand new trail up in the Royal Bay area, the Olympia trail (not sure if it's got a name, but seems to be it!) Great to see more trail cycling options opening up! And we'll see the QOM change over a few times I'm sure, as no female riders have completed this segment yet!

And be sure to check the Suggested Routing this week, LOTS of riding options out that way, this is my favourite area of town for gravel.

Segment 8A Name: Enough school for today, let's go to the beach!
Deets: 1.99km, 6m elevation gain.
This is a new segment, QOM is Claire Townsend with a 5:16 & KOM is D H with a 5:20, and the LL is none! (Reminder these really don't matter.)
Link: https://www.strava.com/segments/40865966

Nothing too crazy here - we exit onto Heatherbell from the lower south side of RRU (lots of fun options to get to this point, see the Suggested Routing). You'll work your way across to Pit House Park with some trails there to pass through, and end up at the beach at the end of Ocean Blvd.

If out this way another time, you can also head up the road and come down that steep gravel road, but this is a bit more accessible this time of the year. This also avoids the beach hike if lots of climbing is preferable to a walk on the beach. 😉

Segment 8B Name: Green room pass thru
Deets: 1.70km, 46m elevation gain.
This is an existing segment, QOM is none! & KOM is Mike Wulder with an 8:09, and the LL is Randy Cairns with 1 effort!
Link: https://www.strava.com/segments/40722666

It's a new trail, and new segment! So new, there's only FOUR riders on it so far!! I haven't ridden it myself, but am told by a reliable source it's perfect for gravel bikes, so here we go! 🚵‍♀️

After the 8A segment, you'll want to cruise up Latoria, and there's a few ways in, but you'll need to get onto Bezanton Way. Appears the trail begins there, and crosses Olympia Way, and comes out on Gendolynn Drive - we've all ridden there, right? 😂

Looks like there's a little up and down and a few twisty bits, should be a fun surprise for all! (Literally, as no one in the group is listed as having ridden it!) I hear the trail is machine built, so should be a real treat and amazing wrap to the season!

Happy riding!! 🚵‍♀️

Updated on the site - as always Suggested Routing for this week: https://abouttheride.ca/gravelquest/

ISLAND WILDLIFE CORNER

Each week we'll feature a little highlight about island wildlife, thanks to The Fur-Bearers! Consider becoming a member and supporting their work, and check out their socials for lots of great posts about wildlife, advocacy and peaceful co-existence.

Week 8 - Three Ways to Help Vancouver Island Wildlife

More coexistence tips, which allow our communities to live more peacefully with their communities!

1 - Secure Attractants

Keep garbage, compost, bird seed, pet food, and fruit trees managed. Research shows that unsecured attractants are a leading - and preventable cause - of problems for wildlife like black bears and raccoons.

2 - Give Wildlife Space and Stop Feeding

Do not feed wild animals and keep dogs leashed in natural areas. Feeding changes animal behaviour, increases disease transmission, and often leads to animals being labeled as dangerous. Giving space allows animals to forage naturally and reduces stress, especially for seals, deer, and bears.

3 - Support Habitat Protection and Coexistence Programs

Volunteer, donate, or advocate for land protection, wildlife corridors, and local coexistence programs. Also, please support the island's wildlife rehabilitation centres including Wild Arc, North Island Wildlife Centre, and MARS wildlife rescue.

Photo credit: WildARC

THE SEGMENTS IN PHOTOS

Here's a few snapshots of the segments this week!

A neat, hidden trail! If you ride road, you've
probably ridden by here a million times,
did you even know it existed? 😁

Bring on the cedar chips!
Another little gem that
hides in plain sight!

TRAILEND

There ya have it! We're just about done the series, hope you can make it out for the final week, even if you've missed the previous ones! This new trail looks fantastic and should be a real delight.

Plus we've got our final batch of draw prizes!

Take a look at the scores as well, let me know if I missed any three-of-a-kind, or if you've got one of each, and I missed it!

We'll be back with more gravel segments in September, if you're new here, we've got lots of road series coming up in the spring and summer! Plus there's other fun events, like the Scrabblethon on March 1st.

That's it for this week, safe and speedy riding all! 🚲

- Dave

Join the @AboutTheRideCA social media accounts
for an informative range of local cycling updates!

If you ever have any questions,
feel free to simply hit reply!