Aftermath

I trained to a much greater extent than last year, with targetted spinning classes in the winter (led by our ace instructor, Kim Donnelly) and, eventually, getting on the road in April.

It made a huge difference, especially with the hill climbs (never easy, but manageable).

Equally important was the camaderie of the Bloor West Village Idiots. They welcomed Doug and I into their group this year and made us feel very much at home. It's a group that acts as it rides -- everyone gets a chance to contribute; everyone takes a turn in the lead in a very organic way. It was a pleasure to ride with them.

Preparations for 2010 are well underway. I have registered for next year. One of the new additions for 2010 is a 200-mile (320 km) journey. At this point, it looks like we are all going to take up that challenge...