The editor (and event Organiser) spent some time on Wednesday morning looking for safe start, turn-around and finish locations. Since it's New Year's and most participants will have put on a few kilos over the holidays, it was decided to have a downhill start so the added weight will aid in much-needed momentum, a turn round at traffic lights so that no-one has any excuse for missing it and riding on into the Georgia Strait, and a finish before the steep climb up to the overpass. Course details as follows: Start will be at the short lay-by just before the overpass at beginning of Duke Point Highway, turn at end of median and just before the entrance to the long term car park (Coned), finish just after the Cedar Road bridge. Distance is almost exactly 15 kilometres.

Registration is just by the start at 10.40am and first rider off at 11.01am  (no tent as we don't want to attract undue attention). Suggest that participants park at Chase River Shopping Centre by Tim Hortons.

If anyone whom you suspect to be in official capacity - RCMP, Transportation BC, papal delegate, etc. - apprehends a participant, the rider should simply claim to be  inspecting the road for debris, weeds, garbage, etc. as the club is considering looking after the Duke Point Highway as a part of the "Adopt a Highway" progamme.

By the Way, MIVA male Best All Rounder for last season, Don Gillmore, is riding so there should be a pretty fast time for the other riders to aim at.

Course map here

The Duke Point Highway (DPH) in Nanaimo, leading from the Trans Canada Highway just south of Chase River to the ferry terminal is a beautiful stretch of divided highway, ideal for cycling. Unfortunately, when a ferry is arriving or departing, there is a large amount of fast-moving traffic on this well-paved road. Trying to fit in any competitive events between the scheduled ferry times is not a good idea.

However, a few days ago, one of the ferries hit the Duke Point ramp pretty hard and, as a result, the terminal is closed for the next three weeks and there will be no surges of traffic on the connecting route. This presents a wonderful opportunity for holding a time trial on the DPH.

MIVA is measuring a 15km out-and back course and will hold a time trial on New Year's Day. Start time will be 11am, with registration at 10.40am just a few hundred metres past where the road goes over the Trans Canada Highway. All who are interested in riding on this beautiful course should take the opportunity to do so on January 1st. a this may be the only time that this will be possible.

If there is sufficient interest,  MIVA will organise a 15km time trial on New Year's Day, possibly on the Duke Point Highway (yeah baby!) as the ferry terminal is closed for repairs but more probably on the regular Nanaimo River Road course.  All interested riders please email pakamanc@gmail.com asap. If there are six or more responses, the event is a go,  followed by a visit to a local Starbucks.

Please accept our wishes for a great festive season and safe riding during the holiday. We hope that you receive presents that will enhance your cycling experience. Make sure that you eat and drink in moderation or you may end up like this!   Get out on your bike during the holiday but take a brief rest from that insane training schedule!.

Most of our readers live within cycling distance of a really steep hill, usually not more than a few hundred metres long. We are not talking here about the awesome climbs in the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Rockies, that drag on for many kilometres at average grades of seven to n9ne percent or the short killers in Belgium that kick up to twenty percent plus, or even local hills in Nanaimo (Calder Road has a maximum gradient of twenty-six percent ) or the English Lake District Passes (Hardknott Pass has a short section of thirty percent on Honister Pass , with a similar maximum gradient had Tour of Britain riders actually walking the steepest section). What we ARE talking about is the steepest paved road in the world in New Zealand. Check it out  here. We are quite sure that some sadistic antipodean race organiser is planning a hill climb on this sufferfest-type slope in the near future, where all participants will be issued with a barf bag at the start. Come to think of it, MIVA should include a Calder Road hill climb in next year's time trial series - just for fun of course!