Back in the saddle again

Sunday evening, after work, I took out some of our staff and friends out for our first group ride… I hadn’t led a ride since The day before I left Winnipeg in August of 2013, so to say that this was a big deal for me would be nothing less than a substantial understatement. I led well over 500 rides during my stint at the head of Gord’s Ski & Bike Club back in Manitoba, BC, Alberta and Northwest Ontario and I was so excited at the beginning of this latest one that I could hardly contain myself… Getting back on that horse, even if it was with just a small group of friends, was incredibly gratifying and brought back a flood of memories of amazing rides with even more amazing people. Sunday was very special to me… Partly because it was something I didn’t think I’d ever get to do again. 

But you can’t very well lead a group ride without a group and to be honest, while you could never replace Gavin, Coppens, Chris, Graham, Dale, Elysia, Steve and Horbatiuk as the best possible core of a group ride, I’m pretty certain that we have the makings of a pretty damn good sequel here with Jason, Zoe, Luc, Stephanie and Nicolas! 

The gang Sunday night was fun, eager and nice enough to let me do my thing despite being so woefully off my game both from a skill set and a physical standpoint. It was so erie though how perfectly Jason played the role of Coppens AND Gavin, Zoé and Steph subbed in admirably for Cat and Elysia, Luc was wee bit of Dale and a whole lot of Steve and Darazsi while Nicolas is clearly the next Veep! What a great redux of one of the most successful bike clubs everrrrrr!

What doesn’t hurt is the tremendous playground that we have to ride in here at Sutton. What an amazing job Serge and his team Les Têtes de pioches have done at Plein air Sutton / MTB. Superlative flowy trails born of the vision, sweat and passion of folks like Chantal, Corey, Pat, Eric and others… We’re sitting on the cusp of something pretty amazing and unique here at Mont Sutton and it’s a privilege and an honour to be able to roll these sweet trails with some of the best people I know. 

Next ride is scheduled for next Sunday right after the shop closes… Come and ride with us if you don’t mind Jack and Schaefer and if you’re OK with riding for the slowest rider. #longlivelongrides