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| Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 770 MSL, ready to race |
Day
0 – Vancouver
Day 0 of the BC Bike Race is Safety Meeting
Day. We learn about course markings, race protocols, how to take care of
ourselves and each other and other important info. It’s also the first time
everyone is in the same room together.
I cabbed over while Mom, Dad and
Thunderbolt got packed up and ready to head over to Courtenay on the ferry.
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| BCBR Class of 2015 |
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| Ninja Spotting! Me and Benjamin |
Once our meeting was finished … details you
can catch in my Day 0 coverage of Safety Director Brooks for Bike Mag (be sure to click because those photos are way better than mine!) … we
loaded into the buses and headed to the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay. I rode
with Benjamin, a fellow Ninja from the Bay Area. We marveled at what “Drought”
looks like in BC vs California. Everything was still so green and lush compared
to home. It was also awesome to see the Sea to Sky from the perspective of
someone seeing it for the first time.
From online to real life! This is @_krisgross make sure to follow her stories I promise you wont regret #bcbr2015 pic.twitter.com/AF9JEzoCT0
— Norma Ibarra (@LaPir0) June 27, 2015
At the ferry terminal, we had a wait, so I
did some writing, sitting in the shade, and visiting. I met Mark, a fellow with
a cast, and I asked what happened – he’d had a crash preriding in North Van and
broken his wrist. He wouldn’t be starting the race. My heart broke for him and
I tried to offer some encouraging words to travel with the race, and come back
to do it again once he’d seen it all. I hope he does but I didn’t see him again
during the week.  |
| Hard at work. Clayton (Mountain Bike Action) and me (Bike Mag) |
On board the boat, Clayton and I made use
of the business cubbies and sat quietly together writing. We had a good laugh
at the interview I’d snagged with Brooks … the parts I can’t publish that is …
and before we knew it, we were in Nanaimo boarding the next set of school
buses.
I rode with another
social-media-turned-real friend Mike Sarnecki. And none other than Brett Tippie
sat down behind us. The trip to Naniamo included a Tarzan joke, and a long riff
about enemas.
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| Tippie and I en route to Cumberland |
Cumberland was the hottest I’d ever
experienced in BC when we arrived. The grass was crunchy, the heat oppressive,
and the splash park full of adults … including two guys in stars and barsspeedos. My first glimpse of some other Bike Mag profiles I did during theweek.
Gerhard and Reinholt picked me up and we
spent the evening in Cumberland celebrating Dad’s 60th birthday
together with Gerhard’s family and mine. I also put the final touches on race
preparation.
BC Bike Race had arrived.
A few more photos from Day 0:
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Good morning BCBR!
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| The happiest place in Cumberland: splash park |
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| Happy Birthday dinner at the Gross home in Courtenay |
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