Triple Crown July 8, 2006
Some Triple Crown
action from Brian and I riding in the last event in the North Shore Ripper series.
As with last
year's event you have to ride from checkpoint to checkpoint on all
three North Shore mountains picking up a card at every point. The goal is to
ride all three mountains in one day. How you get there or when you get there
is really up to you.
We decided to go sea level to ski level. Our plan - to touch ocean then ride up to the top on every mountain. I've heard people have done this before but usually they start early. Due to the need to be at the first Old Buck checkpoint at 8.30 am we get a late start. Don't we all look kipper and fresh?
Parking lot at Old Buck is jam-packed
Kevin and Ryan with their race costumes - in yet another attempt to be arrested. Their CBC Ripper costumes were also beautiful!
One and a half hours to get to the top of Seymour.
Then back down through CBC, Neds where we caught Gord, Ray and others then while they sensibly turned off to Twin Bridges, we went down to the water to the mouth of the Seymour River.
We never did catch the best costume awards winners seen here at the Fromme watertowers. They went back down Fromme on Air Supply catching all the gaps! Unfortunately by now they had lost their balloons.
We got there about half an hour later just ahead of Team Shuttlewhore who were busily pounding back RedBull Vodkas and beer.
The ride up the road to the top of Fromme was a bit of a deathmarch. Long exposed hot slog. I'm pointing down at where we were.
Brian taking in the view of the hordes of tourons on the "Cut" ski run standing on the remains of the Grouse World Cup downhill.
Taking in the full view of touron central at the top of the Grouse skyride
Then we went back down all the way by some whacked out trail to Prospect Drive. Mya calls me at about 4pm." We're going to shut this checkpoint down. Where are you guys?" "Halfway down I answer" ... (laughter on the other side of the phone) "Hey any chance you can stay open till we get there so we can at least try to make the cut-off times?".
We get to Cleveland Dam just in time before Maya throws out the rest of the food. Brian starting to feel hardtail bum.
mmmm .... Chicken
That kind of cracks me. We had intended to cruise down Capilano Road to where Capilano River flows down to Burrard Inlet and touch the ocean there again but we're getting into serious time crunch and I'm the weak link here - my legs aren't going any faster. So we decide to bail on that option and take the cheater way out - we'll touch the ocean after we go up Cypress.
Cypress checkpoint and I'm blown. My back feels like an iron rod's been shoved up it.
Long story short - we drag our sorry asses away from the Team Shuttlewhore barbeque and beer and make it up to Cypress.
Then down the Trans-Canada Trail - along the highway - to Ambleside and touch the ocean the last time.
That's our ride. Here's the stats for this year.
This is from 2005 just to compare.
Here's the stats for this year by time - don't have stats for 2005 by time to compare. I was in way better shape last year (this year I sat on the couch for three weeks recovering from knee sprain and only had a week of pretty slack riding before the Triple Crown) so will shoot for a way better performance next year.
2006 Triple Crown by time
