By Steve Devantier

The weekend of January 9th and 10th saw the 2010 edition of Local Ride Racing get together for the first time. With temperatures just over 10 degrees and rain threatening but never really delivering it was a beautiful weekend to put in some good solid base miles in preparation for the up coming season. I am extremely pleased with how the team is shaping up this year. It’s amazing how the addition of a couple of riders can raise the hopes and ambitions of a team. With Zach and newcomer Rich showing immense potential to get to Cat 2 the men’s team is looking stronger than ever. The women’s team is also looking strong with Canada Summer Games Road Race Champion Gillian and 2 of her Team BC teammates Rachel and Chelsea ready to rip up the roads. But enough with the season outlook, what were we up to this weekend?

Local Ride Racing (l-r) Ryan, Ryan, Steve, Jenelle, Mike, Rachel, Paul, Brett, Andrew, Zach, Barry, Sandra, Jean Ann, Jeanine, Richard

The unofficial start of the camp was Friday night at Local Ride Bike Shop where many of us got together for some sushi and beer. I managed to keep my beer consumption to a minimum knowing that the rides coming up would be a challenge. Saturday morning started with a wonderfully breakfast for the team prepared by my wife Marie. Bacon, eggs, pancakes and “grape drink” would provide plenty of energy for the upcoming ride. Foreshadowing things to come, Rich won the eating competition, finishing off more pancakes then anyone else.

The camp officially started at the bike shop with a brief speech from team director Paul Craig. Our group of 17 riders then headed out on a steady ride around Pitt Meadows where we had the chance to scout out the course for Barry’s Roubaix. The flat roads allowed us to comfortably ride together making socializing and team bonding easy. The pace did pick up when we got onto the Race the Ridge Road Race course. We split up into 2 groups. The “fast” group was promptly “girl-ed” by guest rider Jasmine, who show some amazing strength on the climbs. The guys made up for it on the sprint to the finish where Brett and Zach took the early lead. Knowing the uphill sprint better than most gave me the advantage, and I got Zach at the line. I swear it had nothing to do with his skipping winter bike drivetrain. The ride finished at the bike shop where some fender extenders were tended to.

That night we had a team diner graciously hosted by Sandra. The safari themed party saw us eat our fill of pasta and meat balls. And in what has become a Local Ride tradition we had a “feats of strength” competition. What that entails is a team secret, but I can say the newest member Rich is now the hands down champ. I think it’s because he was the only really sober one there, but it’s hard to argue with the results.

Sunday’s ride promised to be more difficult than Saturday, with the planned route heading out past Mission, down the infamous Frog Hill. I love this hill as a descent and it did not disappoint. Everyone was grinning ear to ear; even Sandra who stopped half way down to pick up my pump that had fallen out of my pocket. Thanks Sandra. The ride turned epic from there as some riders started feeling the affects of 2 days of riding. The multiple flats and a broken chain combined with my lack of knowledge of the back roads of Mission made the ride almost feel like interval training. Not the best, I admit but spirits reamined high. In the end we all made it back safely to the coffee shop where Barry gave us brief outline of team goals and things to come. All in all, I had great weekend, and can’t wait to see what Local Ride Racing can do this year.