Ride - May 9/09 "Singlespeedin"

A Disclaimer: All of these pictures were taken with what can at best be called an inferior cell phone camera. Though the hazing of the sun on the lens seems to provide a nice effect. I'm going to make the effort to carry a higher quality camera in the future. For now, convenience > quality.

Update: this post is overdue, so formatting wasn't a huge concern.

First Stop: St. Vital Park.

After leaving Lord Roberts and riding south down Dunkirk towards St. Vital road, I realized that what I thought would be the third day in a row without weather conducive to an enjoyable ride had turned into a sublime fall day (in May mind you...). The docks down by the river were still flooded, but the late afternoon sun around the duck pond highlighted the activity of all the waterfowl pandering to the crowd in the hopes of receiving a few chunks of soggy bread. I do find it hard not to be distracted riding by the Canoe Club, I mean, I've hit my share of balls out of bounds on that course, and most of them were going faster than a jet powered, monkey navigated... well, pretty damn fast at that. Needless to say a flurry of impact scenarios pass through my mind every time. Hugging the fence is recommended. The chances are astronomical, but that's simply not a pain I want to experience.

Second Stop: Footbridge at the BDI.

After finishing a languid loop of the park, I rode further south into St. Vital, eventually returning north up River towards Osborne. At the foot of the St. Vital bridge I took the loop onto Kingston Row, moving West towards the BDI. I took a brief break on the bridge and watched the river for a bit. I couldn't help but be reminded of the glory days when the BDI had a small dock at the base of the bridge. You could cruise the river in your boat, grab ice cream, and continue on your way, all without having to get jammed in a parking lot filled with a herd of people lined up like ice cream was going out of style (though with the existence of the Goog Special, it kinda makes sense). It's definitely a slick way to see the city, and I would hazard to guess that particular view would change the minds of more than a few Winnipeg dissenters.

The Nuts and Bolts:

Road Quality: 7.4 - Improving, but still too much sand on the shoulders.

Ass Bruising: 8.6 - It's pretty much permanent now, but the pain goes away after the first 5-10 minutes. Hopefully a seat with less "sodomous" intentions will solve said issue in the future. For now I'm trying to treat the problem with an "Iron Shirt" mentality.

Overall Experience: 10 - This rating will be applied as a default to any ride that doesn't end in massive accident or near death at the hands of a furious drugged out asshat outside of the Sherbrook Hotel.

-Brutus Alphonz