Ride Report from Kathy Brouse:

“Bewdley Ho!” quote, unquote, DP. Aside from some roadwork repairs desperately required enroute, the BG 200 is a great ride! 5 of us finished this ride yesterday; day rider Peter who was so enthusiastic and strong to Bewdley lost some of his initial enthusiasm on the return journey; Rob Woodhouse who is back after a year hiatus from the club; Bob MacLeod who enjoyed the day despite some mechanical problems with the Arkel bike rack; David Pearson who rode his fixie up and down those ascents and descents, how does he do that?; and myself.

This ride is not called the Glutebuster for nothing. You roll and climb after Oshawa as you head out to and long Conlin Rd., you climb before and after Kendal and again before and after Bewdley and again along Conlin Rd taking you in to Oshawa, 1100 feet of climbing. Peter L told me today that this ride used to be the randonneur season opener, the gentle start so to speak. Ha ha.

The weather was crisp and clear like a fresh fall day and the wind was intense at times, especially the crosswinds. It was one of those rides when you get hit by a crosswind while descending quite rapidly, you wobble and think for an instant that you may lose control of the bike. Sitting on the pub patio in Bewdley in the bright sunshine overlooking the bay was pleasant until a chill set in from the wind whipping across the lake. Headwinds made the journey back seem longer than the journey to Bewdley despite the fact that it is a straight out and back route. And did I mention the road that badly needs resurfacing through the smaller villages? One of us commented that it’s like someone came out with a shovel and filled in the potholes making the road super bumpy. Which makes descents so thrilling as you weave your way between potholes and bumps. However, the fresh, green, quintessential Ontario farmland, lots of cows and horses, made me so glad I was out there on the Glutebuster.