New Digs

I was sick of constantly driving back and forth from The Shore to go riding AND it takes too long so a 2 hour ride becomes a 4 hour mission. There was only one solution: Move!

I'm now living in the heart of North Vancouver just a stone's throw from the best riding in the world :D Check out the satellite photo (courtesy of Google) - I live at the blue blob :) You can see Stanley Park on the left with Lion's Gate Bridge spanning the inlet and Ironworkers Memorial bridge on the far right


...or check out the map version












It's a pretty sweet place with a pretty sweet view of the city. Rich was homeless at the same time I moved and we were both looking for a place in the same area so we decided to share a place and get the most of our money :)

This is the view from our 3rd floor balcony. Its a fancy balcony as it goes round the corner :)







Mist on the water













The night view












It's a great neighbourhood. We have the SeaBus and all the shops we could ever need just a short walk away at Lonsdale Avenue - the main drag in this town. Of course the trails are close - prob not riding distance in practical terms as it takes 30-40mins to ride UP to them but it's do-able for sure.

This is the view from Lonsdale Quay just down the street




A wider view. I think I'm going to like living here. We also have Jenn, Danice, Monica, Arthur, Danielle and Aja all in walking distance so should be pretty sociable too :D

Club season wind up ride - Boogieman

The final club ride of the summer season is usually a hot dusty affair. Not this year! The rains have come a little early this winter and today was no exception. I was very impressed by the turn out though - about 50-60 riders turned up in the pouring rain.

I was leading the faster of the shuttle groups and quickly frightened off most people with my choice of trail - Boogieman. The B-man does have some hairy bits but it's not as hairy as its reputation. Riders that don't know it are often frightened away but I managed to persuade a few that it was well within their capability.

The Shore is beautiful in the rain. The way a rainforest should be. All misty and smelling of earth and tree. Gorgeous. You'll notice a strange sight in this pic - Jon riding in the rain! And - wait for this - he actually really enjoyed it!! An epiphany for Jon for sure.

Everyone enjoyed it so much we all went for another lap - still pouring with rain - crazy - but sooo much fun.

I heart Boogieman :D

Newest Addition to the Family

My poor long suffering Brodie has served me well for three seasons now but it was time to retire her. Last winter I found myself wanting a little more travel to allow me to more comfortably ie confidently throw myself down stuff. Many of my friends ride 6 and a bit inch bikes so it seemed like time to trade up and join them.

One of my friends was selling this '08 Norco Six frame so I snapped it up and swapped all the components over from the Brodie. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the fork to the latest Fox 36 Float.

Today was (Peppermint) Patty's maiden voyage and The Colonel was her perfect companion for the ride with D along as pilot.




Part time World Cup racer, full time hottie, Danice gets ready for battle











Patty was brilliant. Is brilliant in fact. Enough travel (6.3in) to cope with most things on the trail, small enough to maneuver on the tight Shore trails and light enough to pedal up the climbs. Sweet!

Patty and will be clocking up many many miles together over the coming months and years so stay tuned for more adventures!


Thanks to D for a great ride :)