Sunday's fifteen kilometer time trial on the Duke Point Highway, Nanaimo,  was pretty hard as there was a strong easterly wind, low temperature and the last kilometer was mostly up the steepest incline on the course. Among the starters were Dave Steen and newcomer Sean Funk who came from Thetis Island , MIVA committee members Janna Gillick and Doug Merrick, and Kim McCarley. Also present but not riding the event were Leigh Blaney and Ross Palfery, MIVA Secretary. Top three finishers were surprisingly close, with Doug Merrick posting the best time of 26 minutes six seconds and Septuagenarian Dave Steen doing a great ride at just 21 seconds behind If the old standard on age criteria had been used, he would have won by over 3 minutes! Janna Gillick was third, and first woman) in just under 27 minutes. Doug's computer showed the course to be just over half a kilometer long at 15.53km. So the 15 km finish would have been near the bottom of the final hill and would have resulted in almost two minutes off the times.

The next time trial on The quiet Duke Point Highway will be on Sunday March 18^th. , registration at 10.30am and start at 11.01am. The finish will be moved just over half a kilometer down the hill!

RESULTS

	NAME	CLUB	TIME
1	Doug Merrick	MIVA/CVCC	26'06”
2	Dave Steen	BCMCA	26'27”
3	Janna Gillick	MIVA	26'59”	1W
4	Sean Funk	Ind.	31'53
5	Kim McCarley	MIVA	38'59”	2W

Your editor used to be a good hill climber but age and a bad accident three years ago have robbed him of much of that ability. In a search for advice that would help him maximise what little power he has left, a myriad of articles on how to improve hill climbing ability were read. Some of the advice was in the form of motherhood statements. Other well-meaning tips turned out to be way off the mark  and a lot of information given by so-called experts was downright wrong!

Here is one of the better articles on the art and skill of climbing all types of hills. Read it and then go out to your favourite hill and try out some of the ideas you may not have used before.

The photo is of Frederico Bahamontes attacking  one of the legendary ascents in a Grand Tour.  He was one of the all time climbing greats of the post-war era and won numerous races in the mountains.

Next Sunday, March 4th. there will be a 15 kilometre time trial on the Duke Point Highway, Nanaimo at 11.00am.. Registration will be at the start point, just before the overpass of highway 19 at 10.30am. Parking at Country Grocer Mall. The ride up to the start will be a good warm-up. Entry fee of $5.

The editor was looking for a strapless heart rate monitor for his wife as the normal ones with a chest belt-mounted transmitter did not pick up her pulse (for a variety of reasons we won't go into!). So the usual search using Google was done. All the devices that came up were wrist mounted, many with a variety of functions, most of which she didn't need. They also required that one or both fingers be applied to the monitor to get a reading, which would stay on the display for up to fifteen  seconds and then disappear. None of them were able to provide a continuous readout. However, one showed up that did indeed give the ongoing heart rate and which was worn on the forearm or even the wrist. It is Impact Sports Technologies  epulse²  See a full review of this innovative HRM here.

Check with your LBS to see if they carry these monitors or can get one in for you. If not, you can buy here.

 

Plans are already underway for the first criterium to be held at the centre of Nanaimo since 1986. One of the MIVA members, Bill McMillan, rode in that event and we are sure he will be on the start line this year too! If any more of our readers rode in the previous downtown race, please let us know.