Deep Cove Road Race 31st May 2009

Deep Cove Road Race 31st May 2009.
58 k. 9 laps. 49 riders. 2 DNF.

Beautiful weather. 20 degrees, no wind. Gorgeous scenery. Good to see Micheline Ouimet (Victoria) racing again and partner Brock Russell doing another sterling job at the finish line. Most welcome was encouragement from Murray Drew (Victoria) strategically placed halfway up the killer hill. Uplifting to have shouts of support and clapping from the many stalwart, highly visible marshals and some spectators.

Ray Wagner (Courtney) time-trialled away from his 50’s group seemingly without much effort to team up with David Mercer (60s) with about 2 and ¼ laps to go. David was no match for Ray in the finishing burst. 15 seconds down on Mercer was compact, hammering Mike Korb followed 4 seconds later by race companion Steve Bachop. The 40s duo had left their age group behind early on.

An impressive performance from chic Rhonda Callender (Victoria) 10th overall and only 1’ 28’’ down on the winner. Unluckiest rider : Ray Morrison (Kelowna) who broke his chain when he had been relaying nicely with Mercer. This pair had shot away from their 60s group from the gun.

Mightiest sprint of the day : Bill Yearwood (Vancouver) taking 7th place in front of John Guthrie. As striking as any pro- Classic elbow to elbow finish. Check out that flat back and powerful shoulders style in Duane Martindale photos #120 – 124. Most festive photos : Roland Buehler #178 – 180. Guitars Plus proprietor and former Edmonton track star Roland is beginning to reactivate his racing legs with encouragement from jazz musician Casey Ryder and hack guitarist/vocalist David Mercer. This trio might put some up beat tempo into the race scene. Also worth a look : the sprint for 11th place between Aaron Dusseault, Steve Munro, and Larry Wilson – photos # 131 – 135.

Great to see lawyer Gerry Loster pounding up the hill making up for lost track time. Also glad to find Wayne Walker and Vaughn Marshall out as cycling supporters – but next time we’ll rope you into the race! Oldest rider, in the 75 – 79 category, Robert Dumalanede lent Continental flair to the event.

An attractive feature of this short circuit with strenuous hill is that after a few laps there are colourful riders all over the course. So there is always someone to ride with. A pity so many riders left before the end of the awards. Personally I find the post-race socializing the best part. Maybe we need a post-race barbecue/beer/coffee meeting place with large draw prize (must be there to claim) to encourage riders to stick around and get to know one another and families more.

Another suggestion : special prize/recognition/incentive (own table?) for non-elite riders in each age category – those who are over 26 minutes for a 10 mile tt say.

Reduced starting gaps (so that the fast 60s would not get mingled with the 30s) worked very well though perhaps 8 laps might have been fairer than 9 had some of the fast 40s and 50s not been absent. But still you can’t please everyone and age standards and handicaps can never be precise.

A discordant note in the event was one community member getting steamed up because his parking at the Deep Cove Store was inconvenienced. Perhaps we could enlist the support of the store by renting their picturesque garden patio for a post-race party. Once again thanks to Sidney Velo and especially Larry Pommen for keeping vibrant this noble, multifaceted, challenging sport.