We had planned our pre-ride date some time ago, and were elated to have favourable weather. Hopefully this will repeat on April 16th. The route rivals ‘The Flatlander’ for lack of elevation gain, which led to the decision to dust off my tandem. Nigel and I had our own issues, but managed to finish by lubricating the bottom bracket with a Gatorade/ water mix.

There are 5 controls, 3 of them staffed. -The first 'info' control is at the top of Spanish Banks hill @ UBC, don’t speed past. -Ian Fingler will set up the next one at Diplomat Bakery. Mmmm. -The Tswwassen control will be staffed by Nigel Press at the approximate half way point. It's 500m away from a Gas Station that has M/F washrooms and a store. -We have a special volunteer at the Tim Hortons on 96th Ave to stamp your Control Card, Allison Voth daughter of Larry Voth. She’d like to honour her Dad by giving back to the sport that gave him so much enjoyment.

The course was generally in good shape. River Rd in Ladner has some holes. Also, the pavement on 96th Ave after the Timmy’s control was very bad. With much less industrial traffic on Saturday and two lanes, I would recommend taking one of them. The railway tracks in this stretch demand careful attention. 2km from the finish there is a left hand turn across Barnet Hwy @ a pedestrian crossing. Riders will be tired and strongly recommended to trigger the signal. The finish is about 3km from the start along the Burnaby Mountain Urban Trail, it’s downhill if you need to collect your car or use Skytrain.The Hop & Vine Taphouse will be expecting us. CP