Sunday Aug 26th 2007 Meet @ 6:45 AM Tim Horton's Birchmount / Danforth Rd.

Hi everyone,

James Young (416.802.3177)
will once again be leading this Sunday's ride:

I Surfed The Webb!

When: 6:45am

Where: Tim Hortons (Birchmount/Danforth Rd)

Dst: 85/100km
100 km Route Map
85 km Route Map

I have been volunteered (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) once again to plan this Sunday's ride. I would have thought the results of Dan's "B sample" would have been known by now but I guess not. We will proceed sans Dan....C'est La Vie.

This weeks route will certainly put some meat on the bone for all you craving just a bit more although some may be biting off more than they can chew. This stage's menu opens with the usual appetizers of sunrises, smooth open roads and lots of green lights but iin a mere 19 kms into this trek we will be treated to a new part of the parcours...Rosebank Road. A friendly enough name but don't be duped by any frivolous appelations. Rosebanks is more than just a false flat through the monster house on small lots of Pickering and will be our first eye opener. The northern reaches of Rue Rosebank will remind us a bit of Paris Roubaix. If you are not familiar with that term it simply means extremely flat and smooth roads. It takes us once again to the familiar and relative comfort of Taunton Road and this week the fancied men of the peleton will be marked and not allowed to take liberties like last week.

A hard left onto Brock Road and once more into the breach as a northerly wind will likely buffet the group all the way through Claremont. Once through Claremont we have a couple of bumps to get over before we head west onto the beast known as Webb Road. This is 8 km of sequentially bigger rollers and I am sure there will be mutterings of "when is Dan coming back?. There will be major splits in the group here as alliances will form to survive this section of asphalt.

At long last Webb Road ends and a few turns later our butts will sitting on chairs that are more suitable for the human anatomy than a sadistically thin piece of material known as a bike saddle. I am hoping the fine china will be out for Jeff and he will not have to relive the indignity of a paper cup again! After shovelling in some caffeine and shovelling out some BS we continue west for another new twist on our already twisted Sunday morning adventure.

Ninth line is going to be fast as we plunge southward towards Markham. A quick left to avoid the town of technology and let the Reesor take us home. But there will be some nervousness in the group as there is more treachery ahead. Heading west on Sheppard and then South on Conlins we are surrounded by the city...easy home now, eh? We hit Military Trail and "we are in the army" now and there is only one way out...UP!! A cruel climb so near the end of the stage will surely dynamite the group to pieces. Everyone will be digging deep into their suitcase of courage (stolen from Paul Sherwen) to get their carcasses over this one!

Scar GC Road will be a welcomed respite and home to one of lead groupers Steve W.... watch for chalk messages on the road. A quick cruise along Kingston road will be our denouement of what I hope is a fun, safe and challenging ride.

James Young

Editor's note: Once again, James has come through with some brilliant narrative and what looks to be an excellent route. I won't be able to make it again this week, but wish you guys the best for an awesome Sunday ride.

Adam