About the Ride
A note from Ryder Hesjedal:
“The inaugural Tour de Victoria was the highlight of my season! I know that sounds hard to believe (Ryder’s Garmin-Cervelo team won the team competition at the Tour de France!), but riding my training roads with 1500 others on a beautiful traffic controlled course made me very proud. The 500 volunteers plus the thousands of fans who were out cheering us along made for a great ride and inspired me throughout my season. This year I won’t be riding in the Tour de Victoria, as I will be in Europe doing critical training rides in preparation for the Tour de France. Regardless, I will be there in spirit and I invite everyone to come see what a world class cycling event this is!
How the ride works:
The Tour de Victoria is a supported mass participation ride, it is not a race.
We have worked very hard to offer our riders a traffic-controlled course. Most of the route you will be travelling on will be either a dedicated, closed lane for Tour de Victoria riders with oncoming traffic allowed, or it will be a full road closure. Arranging for these kinds of road closures in the multi-jurisdictional Capital Region was a huge task; we hope you enjoy the ride.
Despite the closures, this is still a 'rules-of-the-road' ride. You must follow all of the regular rules of the road. Please be familiar with B.C.’s rules of the road. Rules of the road include, but are not limited to: never crossing the centre dividing line, staying to the right, riding single file, and only passing other riders on the left. Be sure to warn other riders vocally when passing.
There will be a variety of road officials controlling traffic, including police officers and certified traffic control personnel. Volunteer marshals will be guiding riders along the route. You must obey all police officers, traffic signals, and certified traffic control personnel. If you fail to obey the rules, it may result in you being asked to stop participating in this ride.
Technical Info:
League 140km Info
The Tour de Victoria will follow the same approximate route as 2011. The ride features some of the best road cycling available in North America. Winding technical roads, challenging climbs, scenic vistas, and ocean front roads. The riding in Victoria is very unique and has something for everyone.
The 140km Tour de Victoria, presented by GoodLife Fitness, starts and finishes in Victoria B.C., at the B.C. Legislature (Map)
The 140km ride will start at 7:00 a.m.
Island Savings 100km Info
The 100km Tour de Victoria, presented by GoodLife Fitness starts in Langford B.C., at Langford City Centre Park (Map).
Langford is a community that fully supports cycling and is welcoming the Tour de Victoria with open arms. City Centre Park is an amazing new sports facility that has a bit of something for everyone interested in sports. Here is a link to their website http://www.eagleridgecentre.com/.
The 100km Tour de Victoria will start at approximately 8:00 a.m. Times to be confirmed.
The course you follow showcases some of the most beautiful cycling available in Canada! You will be riding on the same course as the 140km riders. The route finishes at the B.C. Legislature buildings in Victoria, B.C. with all of the other riders. Come celebrate with your family downtown!
Note: Langford City Centre Park is approximately 15km from the finish line, so please keep this in mind. Please ride to the start or arrange for transportation.
Ryder Hesjedal's 50km Info
Starts in Sidney B.C., at Parkland Secondary School (Map).
The 50km Tour de Victoria will start at approximately 10:00 a.m. Times to be confirmed. The 50km distance will see you pass through the lovely seaside town of Sidney, through the rolling farmlands of the Saanich Peninsula, then through the back roads to finish along Victoria’s scenic waterfront route. The ride finishes at the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C.
Note: Parklands Secondary School is approximately 30km from the finish line, so please keep this in mind. Please ride to the start or arrange for transportation.
Riding in a Pack
Accidents in packs can affect large groups of cyclists. Please keep a safe distance from the rider in front of you and enjoy the experience of riding in a large pack of riders. Inexperienced cyclists are asked to seed themselves at the back of the start chute.
Riding in groups of people can be a lot of fun but it also has risks. Riding in a pack is one of the reasons we love road cycling, however, it does take practice to feel comfortable riding with other cyclists around you. Please practice pack riding before you come to the Tour de Victoria and be comfortable doing it. Join your local cycling club or get together with some friends and practice pack riding.
One of the main rules of pack riding is to give the riders around you space. Never overlap wheels. Overlapping wheels is the main cause of crashes in pack riding. Overlapping wheels occurs when your front wheel is overlapping the path of travel of the back wheel of the rider in front of you. When the rider in front of you has to move around for whatever reason (avoiding road hazards, avoiding the rider in front of him/her, etc.), their back wheel will cross paths with your front wheel and you will crash. Always be aware of where the riders are around you.
Make sure you have a 'bubble' of space around you while riding in a group. This will allow you to make minor corrections and adjust for changes in speed and sudden road hazards safely. Give at least two feet of space or more to the rider in front, beside and behind you.
While riding in a pack, sudden stops are possible. Always keep your head up and eyes forward. Do not focus on the wheel directly in front of you. You always want to be looking ahead of the rider in front of you to see what is happening up the road and around you. There is not enough reaction time to stop suddenly when you are focusing on the wheel in front of you. Be aware of what is going on in front of you at all times.
When standing out of the saddle to pedal, be aware that your bike will move backwards relative to the bikes around you. This change can cause riders behind you to crash. Be aware of this and make sure there is room behind you.
Other rules of pack riding include notifying riders behind you of upcoming road hazards. Communication is key while riding in a pack. This involves communicating verbally (Car UP!) or by making hand gestures to notify other riders of what is going on (pointing out potholes in the road).
Speed of Lead Vehicles/Follow Vehicles
The Tour de Victoria will have an official vehicle leading both the rides. When red flags are being flown from the lead vehicle, this indicates riders must reduce their speed. Please respect the rules - no passing of the lead vehicle.
The follow vehicle (lantern rouge vehicle) will follow the riders. When the lantern rouge passes you, this indicates that you are out of the ride and there will be no more traffic control. You will be on your own and subject to the rules of the road.
Traffic Control:
There will be several types of traffic control during the Tour de Victoria:
Most major intersections along with route will have police officers and/or certified traffic control personnel. Obey them. If they tell you to stop, you must stop. Wherever there are no police officers or certified traffic control personnel, you must obey all traffic signals and stop signs.
Regardless of the style of traffic control, riders must always stay over to the right and obey the rules of the road.
There will be police motorcycles leading the ride, and a police car following the ride.
Emergency services:
In the case of an emergency, the ride may be cancelled or stopped for as long as it takes to clear. You must yield the right of way and get off of the road for emergency crews and vehicles.
Timing:
The ride will be timed for all riders. The 140km and 100km riders will also have an additional timed section on the Munn's Rd. hillclimb.
This section is approximately 3.5km’s long and will be a challenging hill climb for those that want to push themselves against the clock!
Bike Path/Gravel Sections/Road Conditions:
Roads are not perfect and road hazards such as potholes, cracks, gravel and debris will be present on the route. Pay attention and ride safely.
There will be sections of the course that use greater Victoria’s excellent bike path system. The bike paths are built on old rail beds, so there are no major hills. Certain sections of these bike paths are gravel. These gravel sections are very smooth and suitable for road bikes and regular road tires will suffice. The 100km ride will have approximately 3km’s of gravel path and the 140km will have approximately 1.5km’s of gravel.
These bike path sections have steel bollards placed at road crossings to keep vehicles off of the paths. These bollards are placed in the centre of the path. There is suitable room to ride on either side of the bollards—however please be cautious and courteous if you are in a larger pack of riders when you see the bollards. Also pay attention to the other trail users as these paths are very popular with walkers and other cyclists. Please use extreme caution and pay attention while riding on these bike path sections.
Signage:
Our route will have signs with directional arrows and informational signs. While on course, pay attention to these signs as they will tell you which direction to ride. Anywhere the course changes direction, there will be arrows indicating the turn. Volunteer marshals will also be in place to indicate direction. Please keep your eyes open for the arrows. If you are on a road that has oncoming intersections and you do not see any arrows, stay straight! Pay attention to the arrows and the marshals while on course.
Feed Zones:
There will be four feed zones for the 140km ride and three feed zones for the 100km ride. The feed zones will be stocked with water, Honey Stinger food products, Ultima hydration drink and fruit. There will be bathrooms at all of the feed zones.
We are supplying these feed zones as a service to our riders, but we encourage you to come prepared with your own food and drink at the start of the ride. As we are on a limited time schedule with our road closures, we also ask riders who do stop at the feed zones to refuel, rehydrate and use the washrooms, to do so quickly and keep on riding. Remember that if you do get passed by the Lantern Rouge, road closures are not available to you and you are considered out of the ride and on your own.
The feed zones are located at the following approximate distances:
|
140km: Langford City Centre Park: km 40 Brentwood Bay Elementary: km 72 Parkland Secondary: km 90 Cordova Bay Elementary: km 110 |
100km: Brentwood Bay Elementary: km 25 Parklands Secondary: km 42 Cordova Bay Elementary: km 61 |
50km Cordova Bay Elementary: km 20 |
Broom Wagon service:
The broom wagon vehicle 'sweeps' the course. If you cannot meet the pace or for any other reason can’t complete the ride, we will have vans to pick you and your bike up. If possible we ask you to wait at a feed zone or at least tell Tour de Victoria personnel of your location for pick up so we know where to look for you.
Mechanical Support:
We will be offering mechanical assistance at each feed zone and roving support, however we cannot guarantee a fix. Be sure to bring a pump, tube, and a tool kit with Allen keys, a chain-breaker with screwdrivers. Be comfortable with changing tires and making repairs on the road. If you need mechanical support, we ask you to wait at a feed zone or at least tell Tour de Victoria personnel your location.
Our mechanical team from Pro City Cycle can do many minor repairs on the fly. Major repairs will not be possible. It is up to the discretion of the mechanic to decide to make a repair or call in the broom wagon (see above).
Medical:
Medical services will be available to event participants en route (for emergencies), at the feed zones and the start/finish. These services include minor wound care and activation of local emergency services.
Please keep in mind that this event is not a race.
In the event of an emergency during the ride, it is incumbent on fellow participants to stop and:
- activate the 911 emergency system if a cell phone is available
- notify the Tour Medical Team
- stop and render assistance until 911 or Medical support arrive
Participants with pre-existing medical conditions are requested to carry any emergency medications they might need during the ride. Participants are also requested to wear applicable medic alert bracelets or to identify serious medical conditions and/or allergies on the back of their bike plates or carry direction/information in a plastic bag in their jersey pocket.
Up to date immunization is strongly encouraged, especially against tetanus infections.
Medical insurance for participants from outside of Canada:
- All participants are advised to invest in their own personal health insurance that covers the cost of transportation, treatment, and rehabilitation.
Participants are encouraged to provide a contact number written on the back of the rider plate or carried in a plastic bag in their jersey pocket for use in the event of an emergency.
The event organizers reserve the right to recommend a participant discontinue on the advice of the Tour de Victoria Medical Director. In this situation, the participant’s bike plate will be removed and there are no appeals of this decision.
A lot to remember, but if everyone is aware of 'how the ride works' we’re sure to have a safe and fun ride for everyone. See you on June 24th and happy training!