This past Sunday was the first Pedals & Pints Fish 'N Chip ride which we hope to make an annual club ride. The club met earlier than normal outside the shop to ride to Horseshoe Bay and catch the 8:30am ferry to Nanaimo. After an enjoyable ferry ride we arrived in Nanaimo to beautifully sunny weather despite the previous forecast of rain. There was some confusion trying to find the bike path but after asking many locals and a few other cyclists that passed by we finally found it and began our journey to Qualicum Beach.

The bicycle path was nicely paved and followed alongside the highway. Everyone stayed together as one group which kept the pace nice and easy and allowed taking in the scenery. Unfortunately the bicycle path didn't go as far as we thought, so we ended up having to move onto the highway; this was fine as the highway had plenty of shoulder space.

We made numerous stops along the way to make sure everyone stayed together and to give our youngest aspiring pro cyclist a chance to rest his legs. Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side and the beautiful sunshine turned to rain as we rode directly underneath a dark grey rain cloud which gave us a shower. Luckily it was fairly warm out so it wasn't as unpleasant as it could have been but it meant stopping to put on warmer clothes and rain gear which everyone was thankful they brought (especially those of us who put our fenders on our bikes that morning). We made it as far as Parksville, which is about ten or fifteen kilometers from Qualicum Beach, when the group decided they had gone far enough and we should find something to eat nearby. Luckily around the corner was the "Rod and Gun" and after checking the menu to make sure they did indeed have fish 'n chips we all piled into their patio and locked up the bikes. Coincidentally the rain had mostly stopped with the sun coming out in bursts through the clouds and only a few drops here and there, but it was still too much of a gamble to eat outside so we ended up taking over a bunch of tables indoors.

After a great meal and some much needed beer we decided it was time to head home, but not before a quick demonstration of how to get aerodynamic on a vintage stationary bike (a very important skill ;). We ended up missing our planned 4:30pm ferry and took the 5:10pm instead, just making it in time as they were loading the cars.

Overall it was an excellent and fun ride, especially because we had such a large group of people. Other than a couple flat tires there were no serious problems and everyone made it back to Horseshoe Bay safely. I'm looking forward to next year's Fish 'N Chip ride!

See the rest of the pictures online here.