April 23/08 4:46 am - Road Scene Alive and Well in Nanaimo

Posted by Editoress on 04/23/08
 

Nanaimo's Road Cycling Scene
Courtesy Peter McCaffery


Photos

Although Nanaimo is best known as a great mountain biking centre, with some of the best trails in Canada, road racing is alive and well here. Nanaimo Cycling Club's Mike Sevcov has for several years organised a weekly evening training run in Cedar, just a few kilometres south east of the city centre.

Every Tuesday, around 6.30pm, from twenty to thirty riders assemble at North Cedar Intermediate School to do two or three laps of an undulating, sheltered twenty kilometer circuit, offering frequent glimpses of the mainland and coastal mountains,. Usually, there are two groups, with the fitter and more serious riders leaving first, followed ten minutes later by the youth, the old farts and the less experienced.

All the local clubs are represented including Oak Bay /Wheelers C.C., Arrowsmith, Frontrunners, Nanaimo C.C. and Everti from Duncan. In addition, there are a number of independent participants and the occasional visitors from Victoria, Courtney and a couple of the Gulf Islands.

Having spent time in a number of more urban locations where similar training rides have to contend with high traffic volume, irate motorists, and unsympathetic local government agencies, I can really appreciate these regular training sessions on safe, well-surfaced roads wandering through magnificent scenery, with what traffic there is treating us with courtesy.

Any roadies visiting the Harbour City should plan to take in these Tuesday training sessions and the weekly time trials put on by Oak Bay/Wheelers CC In addition, there is a huge variety of spectacular hilly and not-so-hilly routes to occupy you during the rest of the week.