Fast and Fun
by Jaye Haworth

Brian Armstrong, Scott Chisolm, James Smith, and myself set out from Markham at 6:05 AM, on quiet roads (day 2 on a long weekend seems to be prime cycling time), through mist shrouded fields, round sleepy Musselman's Lake (more mist here - very nice!), and then up through Barrie and Orillia, before heading back down towards civilization as we know it.

We stuck together as a group until the 80K point, then again, briefly rode as a foursome through Barrie, which was very festive around the lake (so that's where all the traffic had disappeared to!). Coming out of Barrie, Scott put the hammer down, and I followed suit, with Brian easing back now and then, before always effortlessy rolling up alongside.

I kept expecting Brian to rocket off, but he was pleased with our pace, so the three of us then took turns riding point, across the longer stretches through Sebright and Kirkfield. It was a real pleasure to ride with Brian! Our little paceline was pretty efficient - and we hit the 200K mark in 7:53 (personally, my fastest 200), including stops totalling about 35 - 40 minutes at the first two controls.

Traffic on Rama Road was surprisingly light. Again, Sunday on a long weekend, seems to be the time to ride!

Club President Graham Hallward surprised us with a secret control! That was cool - I'd never experienced one before. It was nice to see him - lookin' stylish in yellow, all tanned and relaxed after being on vacation, out there in the middle of nowhere!

At the 242K mark however, we finally watched Brian pull away ... quite a familiar sight to most of us! Scott and I were struggling a bit on the hills around Uxbridge, but still making progress against moderate headwinds.

Nicest building spotted award goes to the lovely old stone church, on CR23 (?) just before coming into Beaverton. Although the gorgeous, huge Gothic building in Oro Station, which is currently undergoing renovation (someone is going to have something absolutely stellar when done) is pretty impressive too.

Nicest farm award (I love riding in the country) goes to the one which is right on the corner of the T-junction where Ridge Road meets the 13th line. Nice white century farmhouse, set back from the road in a small forest of quiet, shady trees, with a really nice barn - stone foundation, and purple doors!

By the way, the osprey nest is still intact on Woodland Drive, just before Orillia. It's truly an impressive sight. And as Scott pointed out, there is a second one right across from it on the other side of the road. They're huge!

To anyone who is looking for a 300K brevet on which they can push for a really fast time, I recommend this one very highly. The only significant hills aren't reached until Uxbridge/Zephyr, and they're over before you know it!

The 60% chance of rain only amounted to a few scattered raindrops throughout the afternoon - we were lucky. There was lots of cloud cover, and the temperature was quite comfortable. It was a great day.