For three years, the FR Fuggitivi has pulled the curtain down on its summer riding season with a climactic, epic ride. We call it the Fondon’t.
It has all the perks of a Fondo – camaraderie, timed intervals, snacks, beer, big mileage – but none of the expense.
The first Fondon’t was the Tour de Huit Ponts.
Last year we climbed Mt. Baker, the biggest rideable mountain in the Pacific Northwest.
This year our ride patron took us on some familiar roads but with fresh and fun new twists, not the least of which was a gravel climb that forced more than a few riders to unclip and portage the loose stones and rocks.
Since last year’s smokey ride up Baker, the Fuggitivi has evolved into a proper, official group. We’re registered, we have directors, sponsors and pro kit. We have numbers; 17 riders took the start although one quickly abandoned because of a recurred leg injury.
Of course, big numbers bring bigger aspirations; we can no longer just slap the Fondon’t label on a long year-end ride and call it an epic day. Sunday, the epic bar reached a new level.
The day started with a national anthem singer and only got better.
The 140 km route traversed seven gravel sectors, including the 800 metre 11 per cent gravel climb.
It included three fast and flowing descents, one of which had never been ridden by most of the FRF, two sprint and four tough King of the Mountain competitions marked by signs, a lunch stop with reservations, a close encounter with a family of deer and even a champagne surprise.
It also included one total tire blowout, a couple of flats, and a shower of rain.
Most cyclists know what to expect on a long ride. It’s the unexpected that can turn a familiar route into an epic day out.
Anticipation keeps the gathering Fuggitive warm as an air of mystery surrounds the planned route for Sunday’s third annual Fondon”t
No this isn’t the south of France in July; it’s Pitt Meadows in August.
Good food and good company also contribute to the epic vibe.
The Fondon’t has all the trappings of a Fondo, including an anthem singer, but none of the expense.
Familiar countryside takes on a new colour when riding amidst the peloton.
Grey skies above, grey gravel below for Sunday’s third annual Fondon’t.
The FR Fuggitivi has grown to a proper peloton as the group prepares to ride its third annual Fondon’t.
To the King, or Queen, of the Mountain go the rewards.
Climbing 800 metres of loose gravel at 11 per cent can challenge even the most seasoned roadie.
An epic day out deserves an epic reward; champagne secreted away in a farmer’s field along the road.
The reward is even sweeter at the top of a difficult climb.
A long ride doesn’t achieve epic lore without a few mechanical challenges along the way.
It’s good to have goals; even better to achieve them.
For the past 12 years, my July’s have been defined by my goal to ride 1,000 kilometres in the month.
I came up short in 2009, a sweltering July, and in 2014, for some unknown reason.
But otherwise, it’s been pretty achievable.
Especially as I tend to take two weeks off to get up early to watch the Tour de France then, suitably inspired, spend the rest of the day riding my own bike.
In 2008 I must have been particularly inspired, as I achieved 1,600 km, including 608 in one incredible week!
Eight days ago, my beloved 1,000 seemed out of reach.
The demise of my newspaper meant I’d seen the last of my six weeks’ annual vacation that I’d toiled 20 years to attain. In fact, the beginning of a new job meant no vacation at all.
But two unexpected gift rides last week, and a favourable calendar with a long weekend to close the month, opened the door to the possibility of reaching that 1,000. Good legs, recovered from the gruelling Triple Crown, put me over the top.
To ride those 1,095 km took me 44 hours and 53 minutes; that’s like a full work week plus half a day of overtime!
Beware the dismay of a Fuggitivi denied his first Lunch Doctor experience!
A handy bit of cycling infrastructure at Port Moody’s Rocky Point Park; a bike repair stand with tools and an excellent air pump. Not that there was anything wrong with Lapierre.
Saluting the goat, any the achievement of my annual July riding goal.
Saturday’s bonus ride was into a strong headwind.
Fuel for a busy long weekend riding included this tasty Mexican dish of roasted pepper stuffed with quinoa, beans, roasted corn and green onions.
Of course in the Strava universe, 1,000 km in a month is but a molehill. The month’s distance champion was a woman from Florida, who clocked more than 11,000 km! That means she rode more than 370 km a day, 12 hours of every day of the month!
My legs wilt just at the thought.
As does my brain. Because she did her rides covering laps of the same 20 km circuit, over and over and over again. I can only imagine the mental fatigue and boredom of watching the same countryside roll past hour after hour, day after day, week after week.
Her Strava profile says she has a goal to set a new record for ultra marathon cycling. To achieve that, she’ll have to ride more than 122,432 km by next July 1. Because this was the first month of her challenge.
When Princess of Pavement asked me two days running, “aren’t you going for a ride?” the nature of her enquiry and the way she asked it implied encouragement.
I hadn’t planned to ride.
On Sunday I was scheduled to work on a special project so I was resigned to missing the weekly FRF ride. Instead I went for a solo roll on Friday. When I reminded PofP after her ride query Saturday night, she suggested I could head out early, before I had to work.
Hmmmmmm, free kilometres!? Yes please!
Morning roll-out by dawn’s early light.
Living in an open loft presents challenges for any early or late activities. There’s no door to close to muffle the noise. And while Little Ring has a separate room with a doorway, his senses seem to roust at first light and await any cue that the day is set to begin, especially if that cue indicates breakfast is being prepared.
“Is it morning yet?” he’ll cry out. “I’m hungry.”
So an early-morning ride requires meticulous preparation the night before. That means placing the bike by the door, hanging kit in the bathroom for changing, placing shoes, helmet, gloves and emergency kit somewhere clear of creaking floor boards, honing muscle memory to avoid those noisy floor boards, putting out breakfast utensils and dishes to minimize drawer and cupboard opening, rounding up breakfast ingredients to limit the number of times the fridge has to be opened and closed.
Free kilometres usually mean flat kilometres to maximize their impact on my mileage goals.
The pressure is enormous. One false step, one moment’s inattention could disturb the pre-dawn silence.
The unexpected evening ride, however, usually comes with a peace dividend. It seems Little Ring is more amenable to sticking to his bedtime script when there’s only one of us around; it’s as if he has an innate sense there’s no “good cop” around who will accede to his various nighttime stalling games just to keep the peace.
So when Princess of Pavement asked again on Monday whether I was going for a ride, I was gifted another great big mozza ball of free kilometres.
The sun begins to set at Iona Beach
And while they’ll help get me a little closer to my usual July goal of 1,000 kilometres for the month, I’m resigned that I likely won’t attain it this year. Working at a new job and not having my traditional two weeks holiday during the Tour de France to pile on the rides has been the Yoko Ono to my Strava goals.
Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix transformed Port Coquitlam’s historic downtown into a high speed circuit of lythe, powerful cyclists, carbon fibre, lycra and a whole lot of excitement.
The inaugural Grand Prix is part of BC Superweek, a week-long festival of bike racing in communities around Metro Vancouver that attracts top female and male pro cyclists from across North America and as far away as Australia. In Port Coquitlam, they raced a twisting 1.3 km circuit that circumnavigated the downtown and City Hall.
But the event was more than just a bike race. It was a day-long celebration of cycling with live entertainment, a beer garden, a kids zone, business and cycling expo as well a support races for kids, junior racers, amateurs and corporate teams.
I was hired by the Tri-City News to cover the evening’s feature races as well as capture some of the collateral fun.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The men’s peloton is strung along Shaugnessy Street.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Justin Williams celebrates his win in the men’s race.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The Sean Michael Trio performs on the Phoenix Entertainment Stage at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Heidi Ujfalusi rings the bell to signal a “Prime” lap in which riders race to the finish line to claim a cash prize.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The men’s race speeds on McAllister Avenue at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Gary Mauris, the president of Dominion Lending Centres, fires the starters pistol to start the men’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The women’s race speeds along Elgin Avenue.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Wheels are lined up for the start of the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The PoCo Grand Prix kids zone provides future racers a chance to hone their skills.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The women’s race speeds past the historic railroad mural on Elgin Avenue.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The men’s peloton prepares to turn onto Shaughnessy Street.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Sara Bergen speeds down the main stretch at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO American Justin Williams celebrates his win in the men’s race with fans along Shaugnessy Street.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Spectators along the barriers on Shaugnessy Street cheer on the riders in the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The women’s peloton speeds along McAllister Avenue towards the PoCo Court House in Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The men’s race lines up on Shaunessy Street.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Women’s race winner Kendelle Jackson celebrates on the podium.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO A racer reflects on the start of the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Aaron Paddon, 6, concentrates as he negotiates the trials course in the Kids Zone at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Doreen Speers cheers on the riders in the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The bowlers seem to have lost their exclusive parking privileges during Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO The women’s race is underway at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix, part of the Superweek series of races around Metro Vancouver that attracts top pro riders from around North America and as far away as Australia.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO A rider’s elaborate nails prior to the start of the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Riders speed through the corner of Donald Street and McAllister Avenue during the women’s race at the PoCo Grand Prix on Friday.
MARIO BARTEL PHOTO Kendelle Hodges celebrates her win in the women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
After every ride, I dutifully download the data from my Garmin GPS to the social site that connects riders from around the world who break down their routes into bite-sized segments. Comparing my performance with previous rides can give me an idea of improvements in my own fitness, as well as affirm the sensations in my legs; feeling strong during a climb up Burnaby Mountain isn’t just in my imagination when Strava awards me a Personal Best trophy icon.
Enjoying a baguette and brie on the annual FRF Bastille Day ride.
Earning those little trophies is addictive.
Strava has more than 1.5 million active users. They include cyclists and runners. Logging their activities into the site provides real-time tracking of their performance improvements over segments created by fellow users.
Those segments are also the measure upon which cyclists and runners can compare their performance with others, a sort of giant ongoing virtual race.
Sometimes those virtual competitions can get pretty intense. Setting a new KOM can be conversation fodder in the FRF peloton, a throw-down to other riders.
What’s a celebration of French cycling without baguette and brie?
Not that I ever have to worry about setting or regaining a coveted KOM.
In the Strava world I am famously mediocre. My modest achievements are neither great nor terrible. Inevitably a personal best that I worked hard to attain will end up ranked solidly somewhere in the middle of the pack of all riders who’ve ridden the same segment.
Except for descents. Apparently I can be pretty decent at those; I’ve even managed to crack the top 10 on some, even if briefly.
This Saturday I’ve signed on for the Triple Crown, a challenging ride up Vancouver’s three major mountains, Seymour, Grouse and Cypress. I’ve done all three separately, never on the same day. The route covers 75km with around 2000 metres of climbing.
I’m confident I’ll be able to do it. I’m certain I’ll be slow. I’m scared of the effort it’s going to take.
So instead, I’m going to think of it as three fast and fun descents. Because what goes up, has to come down. Before it can go up again…
Photo by Mario Bartel Coun. Bill Harper, the co-chair of the City of New Westminster’s Intelligent City Advisory Committee, examines a section of plastic conduit that will house high-speed fibre optic cable to be installed throughout the city over the next two years. The city will operate its new BridgeNet network as a utility, leasing capacity to private Innternet Service Providers which will then sell connections to business and residential customers.
New Westminster is getting a new highway.
But this one won’t pour even more vehicles off and on the ageing Pattullo Bridge.
This highway moves data.
And, it’s hoped, move British Columbia’s oldest city well into the future.
Tuesday, the City of New Westminster launched its new BridgeNet fibre optic network. When it’s completed in five years, the network of fibre optic cable encased in bright orange plastic conduits buried in the ground will bring gigabit internet to businesses, agencies, industries and residents from Queensborough to Sapperton.
The initiative is the backbone of New Westminster’s “intelligent city” strategy to drive its economic growth over the next 20 years, said Bill Harper, the co-chair of the task force that developed the program in consultation with business, industry and residents.
“You’re going to have to have an intelligent city if you’re going to survive in the modern world,” said Harper.
Gigabit internet capability over fibre optic cable means data can be downloaded at speeds up to 940 megabits per second; conventional internet speeds over existing copper cables range from 10-50 Mbps.
That means more than being able to watch Orange is the New Black on Netflix without pixellating or participating in a multi-player video game without buffering, said Harper. “It’s a process of getting to the next stage of economic development.”
That development will bring new knowledge-based jobs to the city in health care, high tech, innovation and even the film industry.
Nicholas Boughen has been champing at the gigabit since he opened his CG Masters School of 3D Animation and VFX in the Shops at Westminster Station four years ago. Creating digital effects for film, television and games takes a lot of computer power; a single frame of an explosion can take 1,000 gigabytes of data. Moving that amount of data over existing copper cables to massive “rendering farms” where stacks of thousands of powerful computers transform digital ones and zeros into orange balls of flame and roiling smoke is impractical. So Boughen built his own rendering hobby garden of 80 computers in house. Still, rendering a student project can take days.
Having a high-speed connection to the remote rendering farms will “mean our training program becomes more capable,” said Boughen. And that’s attractive to VFX giants like Sony Pictures, Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic, who he foresees could one day occupy the empty floors of the Anvil Centre’s office tower.
That’s not just fanciful thinking said Alvin Chok, BridgeNet’s Chief Information Officer.
As young workers that drive the technology industries get priced out of the Vancouver housing market, they’re looking to more affordable cities like New West that also offer the big city amenities they value like access to transit and walkability. So are their employers.
“They want to stay connected to the world,” said Chok. “Their big motivators are rents and affordable real estate compared to Yaletown.”
The City will build and operate BridgeNet as a utility. It will install, maintain and own the network, leasing capacity to private Internet Service Providers that will then provide access to business and residential customers; to date four ISPs have signed on.
The network’s backbone will be completed in two phases; the first will connect Uptown, Downtown and Sapperton and next year’s second phase will extend to the West End and Queensborough. The ISPs will then connect businesses and multi-family residential complexes to the backbone. The ISP’s at Tuesday’s launch event, like UrbanFibre, were advertising Gigabit internet connections for residential customers for $79 a month.
But it’s in the business sector the city hopes BridgeNet will really connect. High speed fibre will be an allure for upcoming developments at Sapperton Green, the Brewery District and Queensborough, as well as existing office space Downtown and Uptown, said Chok.
“We’ll have enough capacity so we can scale up,” said Chok. “We can accommodate future needs.”
Including the demands of a redeveloped and expanded Royal Columbian Hospital which will rely on high speed internet to move vast amounts of data like hi-res X-Rays, MRIs and even remote robotic operations.
“Jobs are being created in technology,” said Harper. “The innovation curve is huge; it’s going straight up.”
For more information about BridgeNet, including an interactive map of where and when it will be available, go to www.bridgenetnw.ca
I was recently commissioned to shoot some product photos for Steel & Oak Brewing Co., to be used on their various social media feeds. They’re a small craft brewery located about 400 meters from our condo. Needless to say, I’m fairly familiar with their products…
With apologies to the Eagles, there’s a new kit in town.
Actually, the Fraser River Fuggitivi road bike group has been rolling up and down the hills of New Westminster and beyond for about five years. But this spring the squadron has achieved a milestone coveted by every collective of roadie riders; they’ve got kit.
That’s cycling speak for fancy custom-designed jerseys and shorts emblazoned with the team’s name as well as the logos of various local sponsors. They’re not just riders anymore; they’re rolling billboards for an elite selection of supportive businesses. They’re also ambassadors for the city (minus the talent competition or commitment to wave from a parade float).
The Fuggitivi was formed by New Westminster roadie and New Zealand expat Guy Wilson-Roberts. He lives along the Quay and he got tired of trudging up the city’s interminable hills and rolling all the way into Vancouver to join a peloton of like-minded weekend athletes. By the time he got there, he was already pooped and of a mind to head back home.
So he put out a call on social media for fellow riders to come to him.
A few did. Those early pelotons were pretty modest; sometimes Wilson-Roberts’ group ride was just him.
But his persistence paid off; the group is growing.
This year there are about about 20 Fuggitivi (it’s the Italian word for fugitive) escaping the responsibility of their everyday lives twice a week for a few hours of freedom on the road; the group does a long ride of about 80-100 km every Sunday morning and a shorter, more intense climbing ride on Tuesday evenings.
There’s plenty of advantages to riding with a collegial group:
1. Camaraderie
In a group, you never ride alone. Unless you’re off the back early on a major ascent like Mt. Seymour. Then you’re left to the bears.
Actually, a good group ride will often splinter into smaller pelotons to accommodate different paces. And confuse the bears by giving them too many options.
In the Tour de France, the last rider in the pelton is known as the Laterne Rouge. On an FRF group ride up Mt. Seymour, he’s called bear kibble.
2. Beer
The FRF’s official hashtag is #moremilesmorebeer. And more refreshing than the Wayans’ brothers’ movie Mo’ Money.
Beer!
3. Mechanical assistance
See how the group pitches in to help a fellow cyclist who’s flatted get back on the road as quickly and cleanly as possible. Face it, best to leave the complicated repairs to the expert wrenches at The Original Bike Shop (shameless sponsor plug #1)
It’s all hands on handlebars when an FRF rider has to repair a flat.
4. Beer
Yes, some FRF rides make pitstops at craft breweries. Heck one of the group’s sponsors is a brewery! It’s in our DNA.
Beer.
5. Aerodynamics
Riding into a cool headwind, it’s actually an advantage to be off the back. Because that’s where you’ll be able to take advantage of the rest of the group slicing a path for you through the breeze. You can conserve about 30 per cent of your energy that way, giving you more endurance to bend your elbows for no. 6. Some group’s call such opportunists a “wheel suck;” in the FRF, that’s just smart riding.
This is how to stay out of the wind and conserve energy on a group ride.
6. Beer
Really, it’s just a four-letter word for carbo-loading.
Beer!
7. Sightseeing
Every week a new captain is responsible for the ride’s route. That means discovering new ways to reach familiar destinations. And sometimes subjecting your lithe road bike to knee-rattling gravel. That’s called channeling your inner Flandrian.
Channeling our inner Paris-Roubaix on a stretch of gravel in Richmond.
8. Um, beer
A traditional post-ride beverage favoured by cyclists is a radler. It’s a refreshing mix of beer and fizzy lemonade. It originated in Bavaria, where the drink was called a radlermass, which means “cyclist mass.” Lore has it an innkeeper just outside Munich was running low on beer during a cycling party, so he extended his dwindling kegs by mixing in lemon soda. BTW, Steel & Oak mixes a killer radler (shameless sponsor plug #2).
Radler!
9. Food
Cycling burns calories. We know this because our Garmin computers tell us so. Ride 100 km with your buddies and eat whatever you want the rest of the day. Especially if you crave delicious tacos at El Santo (shameless sponsor plug #3).
The lunch break or snack stop is a key highlight of the group ride.
10. Yup, beer
According to Bicycling Magazine, beer is an excellent natural source of folic acid, which helps reduce the chances of developing a cramp as you ride. If you stay cramp free, you’re less likely to try to ride through it and risk injury because your suffering body wasn’t up to the challenge. Unfortunately that means you won’t need to be taking advantage of the excellent rehab care at Trailside Physio anytime soon (shameless sponsor plug #4).
Beer!
11. Cool swag
Cyclists were wearing cycling caps long before it was cool to wear cycling caps. FRF’s cycling caps are amongst the coolest around. They’re even made by one of the group’s own members, Richard Lee of Red Dots Cycling (shameless sponsor plug #5). Richard also designed the FRF’s stylish new kit.
Oh yeah, you’ll also likely appear in cool photos like this at some point.
12. Navigation
When you ride with the FRF, you never get lost. Especially in Delta, the Bermuda Triangle of Cycling. Nobody gets lost in Delta. Ever.
To cyclists, Delta is the Bermuda Triangle that swallows whole groups whole and never releases them.
13. Beer
You’ve read this far; you’ve earned a beer. Then, oil the chain on your road bike, join the FRF and enjoy more beer.
And….beer!
To learn more about the Fraser River Fuggitivi, check their website or follow their Twitter feed @frfuggitivi. Cap’s The Original Bike Shop also conducts group rides on various days.
Not even a week off the bike and Strava has already forgotten about me.
The following article was first published on The Big Ring
Strava has forgotten who I am.
It’s six days into June and I’ve yet to throw a leg over the Lapierre. And already my mileage barometer has forsaken me.
I’m working again. That means trying rediscover a balance between working, riding and life.
A new job means adjusting to new routines that have a ripple effect on other aspects of our busy lives, like getting Little Ring to and from daycare, when to get groceries, managing household chores, finding time to binge-watch Silicon Valley. Too frequently in the past few weeks, it’s been the riding that’s been left behind.
My mileage on the bike is taking a hit.
In the months after my newspaper closed, I settled into a pretty simple routine; I still got up at 5:30 a.m. to shower and prepare breakfast for the family, get the household going. Once their days were established, I put time into scanning job sites, targeting possibilities, preparing resumés, drafting cover letters as well as crafted stories for my various blogs and freelance accounts to maintain my writing and social media chops. If there weren’t any other pressing errands, I was then free to ride.
Minus the niggling little problem of no income to replenish a dwindling bank account, it was a good routine that kept the household in order, my spirits up, my legs fit and my Strava account active.
While searching for new employment, I kept an eye out for opportunities that might allow me to commute by bike. As a journalist, I’d been denied that chance my entire career because we’re pretty much on the job once we step out the door, and during the drives around town or on the way home. That meant packing along the camera gear in case I was diverted to some sort of breaking news story or last-minute assignment. Or just scheduled to cover something on my way in or from the office because it was convenient.
A number of FRF members are regular bike commuters. I look at their Strava accounts with envy; those 20 km pedals to and from work really add up. And inevitably they’re the guys off the front during our weekly recreational rides.
I did manage to join one of the Tuesday climbing rides. But I thought that meant pedaling up and down hills, not riding elevators!
My new gig is a 400 metre walk from home! Which is awesome! But doesn’t afford me the chance to join the bike commuting culture.
I’m four weeks into the new position and I’m still getting my legs under me. Now I just have to figure out how to get those legs pedalling more frequently.
MARIO BARTEL 