Tour de Miserable

Sunday was the third annual Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria.  Janet has now gone for two years in a row, doing the 50km option.  In August, Janet fell off her bike and cracked her tailbone on the curb.  It took about three weeks before it no longer ached all the time.  Then they went to the U.K.  All of this means the only bike riding Janet did was in the week before the Tour.

Last year, as befitting an athlete of Janet's advanced skill level, she had a "team", of sorts.  Phil was armchair coach and equipment manager (and sponsor),  Meg was lead rider and Derek was Janet's personal broom wagon.

This year her only staff was the armchair coach and equipment manager.  His participation is due the fact that he lives with us and this was the absolute minimum participation Janet was going to accept.

She and her no longer technicolour bum had to go it on their own.  The weather was about as miserable as it could get.  Heavy rain and high wind for most of the ride.  Janet even managed to exhaust her vast vocabulary of really bad words to describe the "fun" she had.

Last year it took Janet 2 hours and 32 minutes.  She was the 193rd rider out of 279.  This year, it took 18 minutes longer and she was the 265th rider out of 323.  Ash Road hill - still out of the question.  She wanted to cry.  Really.  Badly.

Look who stopped by the 50km starting point!  It's Ryder Hesjedal!  He stopped to say hello the the "little people", both literally and figuratively.  Janet says she has never seen such a tall, lean person.

Starting to rain, but just a little.  Janet positioned herself at the back of the chute as she didn't want to ride in tight formation.

Absolutely soaked to the bone, including soggy runners.  The tour route goes down Beach Drive, one block from home. Should she just call it a day?  We encouraged her to "fight the good fight, sister!"

Great.....now it's sunny - at the finish line!

After the bike ride, they went for Chinese lunch.

Should we have known something was going on when Phil starts to put us in the "little car?"

Ignorance is such bliss.  He was taking us to the groomers!

Phil came home with a huge surprise for Janet.  He is still trying to make up for the complete and utter lack of celebration for Janet's 60th birthday.

Four dozen corn from Silver Rill.

She was a busy beaver, husking, parboiling and shucking the cobs.  She froze them on cookie sheets and then bagged them.