MEC Spring Ride and a Housewarming/Birthday Party

Today was the first of my five official bike rides of 2017: the MEC Spring Century Ride. It went from the Bar U Ranch south of Calgary, south on Highway 22 and back again. There were two distances: 100 km and 60 km. I did the 100 km distance.

Setting the scene

There were a number of Bow Cyclist members there: Mark (el presidente), Phil, James, Derek, Courtney, Francois and myself. I ended up riding with Francois for the day, and we set a pretty relaxed pace and took our time at the aid stations. It took about four hours to complete and I was feeling great at the end. Normally I want to hit my bike with a hammer after a long ride.

My bike, all ready to go

The day was nice, but there were rain showers that we could see all around, and Francois and I finally got hit by one north of the last aid station. It was a pretty grisly 15 minutes or so, but the sun came out right away again and we got dry and warm as we rode.

The 100 km turnaround

Back at the Bar U Ranch, the horses were having fun.

Horseys

And on the drive back to Calgary, I spotted a dog out for a motorcycle ride.

Dog on a Harley

The main event of the day was a dinner party at Sepideh and Ali’s house. They moved into a condo not too far from us last year, and they have been up to their neck renovating it. So it was a combination housewarming party and a belated birthday party for me. Tammy got them a vase and flowers as a housewarming gift (you can see them in the picture).

Party with Ali, Mary, Sepideh, Ilia, Tammy, John and Ian (Miranda not in photo)

Sepideh cooked a number of Iranian dishes and they were all delicious. Tammy made a decadent birthday cake with crumbled Skor bar on the top and the edges ringed with Kit Kats. I’ll post a picture later. I hope she took one of the cake.

All in all, it was a lovely day. Tomorrow is my usual Bow Cyclist Club ride, and unlike most other Sundays following a long ride, I’m looking forward to it. I have to remember to ride at that pace and fuel along the way like I did, because I did it right.

Updated with cake picture!

The Skor/Kit Kat Cake
Cutting the cake

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