FOG Farewell

Thank you for 16 wonderful years of FOG cycling on the roads north of Winnipeg, Waking up in Brandon at 5:30am on a Saturday morning each month, driving east 245km along the TCH into a rising sun, cycling for 97km through Birds Hill Park - all fine and good: but the loss in alertness of my 72-year brain on the 3 hour drive home has become problematic.

My FOG memories will include the Crash of 03Sep2006 (when several of us visited the Selkirk Hospital ER), a chilly November ride with Jurgen (about 2009), touching a rear wheel and falling at full speed (ouch!), and that one silly flat (about 2014).

When I first joined the FOG in 2004, René and I were known for our spontaneous sprints (they brought in rules to stop that sort of foolishness).  Now I’m happy to just keep up with the “C” Group, and a Big Thank You to both Big Dave and Marcel for their willingness and efforts to ease me back into the peleton whenever I got dropped at ‘high’ speeds or ‘steep’ grades.

Hope to see you again at this year’s FOG AGM and breakfast!

Alex’s WAVE Art Tour

Alex Reinhardt is opening his house again as part of the WAVE Art Tour this Saturday and Sunday, Sept 3 & 4, from 10am to 6pm each day.  Come out and have a look at what I do with my other full time hobby, photography, as if cycling is not enough!  Since many of you will be riding on Saturday, I’ll present a collection of my ‘cross pictures to help bring in ‘cross season on Sunday afternoon.  To get here, head out Hwy #8 towards Gimli.  At the corner of #8 and Hwy #67, there will be some white/blue WAVE signs to guide you.  Turn left on 67 (west), go one mile and turn right (north) on Earl Grey Rd and go 1.75 miles till you see the flags.  Alan and Angel are showing their pottery and glass work on the ride hand side of the road (worth a stop), and I’m ¼ mile farther up the road on the left side, 784 Earl Grey.  Hope to see some of you this time round!  You can check out my stuff at www.earlgreyphoto.com.  

Equipment For Sale

Chris Ashley is selling:
-2010 Cannondale Supersix 58
-Cannondale SRM 130BCD
-Mavic Ksyrium Exalith Campagnolo rims
Email him at camaroz28 at shaw dot ca for more information

I'll admit, I have way too much stuff

Selling:

-Reynolds 58 Aero clinchers. SOLD  Practically new. Shimano 9/10/11 speed. They are just gorgeous, but I don't need 3 sets of carbon clinchers.

They're made in the US and our dollar sucks. Retail is $2775 US ($3750) plus taxes. Competitive cyclist says: "testing performed at the A2 Wind Tunnel shows the Aero experiencing less drag in watts at 30.75mph, at every conceivable yaw angle (0-18 degrees), than any offerings from Zipp, Enve, HED, and Easton" Read more of their description here. They're on sale right now for $2497.50 US which sadly with exchange, shipping and taxes comes out to $3966. $2400.

Note: these are part of the new wider is more aero and more stable trend and are 26mm wide. You'll need a bike with newer model brake calipers that will open wide enough.

-Zipp 404 tubulars. Shimano 9/10 speed.  SOLD

Super light. In great shape with low miles. Brand new set of Vittoria Corsa tires. The front is non-dimpled, the rear is dimpled. The going price on EBay seems to be $1100-$1200C all in. If you've ever bought wheels on EBay you'll know "great shape" and "low miles" means looks like they've been ridden around the world during the rainy season. $900

Fall Rides

A small but valiant peloton set out on the road this Saturday despite initial temperatures around -5 degrees.  A certain amount of complaining at the start, but we were feeling good at this point in the ride.

Genoa

Details coming.

Gathering for the briefing on the first ride of 2015...

FOG Founders On The Water

Gary and Rene relaxing in sunny Arizona.

Any problems with bee stings while riding?

Are any of you having problems with getting stung by bees while riding? I seem to be a magnet for angry bees lately. I was stung on the thigh during the third lap of the provincial road race in Roseisle. I have been stung at least 3 times in the last 5 years, but I was never stung before that. I was stung once on the shin and twice on the thigh. One may have been a wasp, but the other two were definitely bees. It seems that they just sting once contacted. I have a "local" allergy so this is getting to be a pain. Any suggestions?

Burgundy region of France

town of Chateauneuf

Finally got around to documenting my self-guided trip from last September. Travel log and pix can be viewed here. This and several other trips are available from Randonnée Tours; they arrange transfer of your luggage between hotels so you can ride in comfort. This is my second trip using them and highly recommended. They did great job finding interesting sites and quiet routes.

For Sale

Adnan is returning to the UK where he won't have much use for a down parka and cross-country skis.


He is offering the following for sale, before he leaves in mid July.

1. Track pump $20

2. Also selling Canada goose Banff Parka in Black Size Small. RRP $795. Selling for $450. Condition as new

3. Cross Country Package:  Skis (atomic pro classic 195), poles (lazl 140), boots (Salamon Pro Combi Pilot US size 8.5). Cost over $600. Will accept $300. Condition as new.

If you're interested call or text him at Cell 204 881 8003 or email at adnan.saithna@gmail.com

First Ride of 2014

It was dry, cool, and nice to get out riding after a loooong winter, but was the wind against us all the way?

Back from Asia

We made it back to Canada just before Christmas, experiencing a 60 degree shift from +30 in Singapore to -30 in the prairies.
It was an amazing ride.  New sights, smells and sounds every day.
Here's a video to explain why people do rides like this:

Enjoy & pass the link on to friends who love their bikes and enjoy travelling.
Charle

Dave & Charles Half way

We are riding through Laos, along the Mekong River, at 4, 000 km, half way on the ride from Shanghai to Singapore.
Hotter and more humid than China was, so more incentive to ride faster in the morning to minimize the time on the road after 10, when the full heat hits.
We did some climbing getting into Laos, but now we are in flat country, following the Mekong river.  Some of the days are quite long; over 120 km, which would not be so long for a full day, but it feels long when we are trying to complete it in the cooler part of the day.

East Asia Ride

Dave Ford and Charles Feaver are three weeks into a ride from Shanghai to Singapore.
We have done about 20% of the 8,000 kilometers, having great luck with weather.   The big storms that hit this part of the world in late September and early October missed us completely.

We are now in Hong Kong, and able to connect with  Blogger, which is blocked in the rest of China, so we were not able to post this message soomer.

If you are interesed in reading daily reports on our experiences riding along, check out http://bambooroad.blog.com  and/or http://eastasiaride.feaver.ca .

Hot, sunny & humid here.  Over 30 degrees most days.  We rush to do the 100+ kilometers each day before it gets to the hottest part of the day!