The mass participation event, which features 11 routes, gives cyclists of all abilities the thrill of a world-class ride.<\/p>\n
When a teenage Barry Lycett realized how quickly a bicycle could transport him from a dirty job as an apprentice mechanic in the coal fields in West Yorkshire, England, to the seaside town of Scarborough, he was hooked.<\/p>\n
At age 15, cycling delivered freedom, speed and travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a way of getting away from the village because back then, people stayed in the village. They didn\u2019t leave it,\u201d Lycett said. \u201cThey drank their beer there, and that\u2019s it. But riding a bike got me to see other areas, and it was love at first sight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lycett joined a cycling club and went on to win four national track cycling championships in the U.K., compete internationally, coach Canada\u2019s velodrome track team for the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, run the Gastown Grand Prix in Vancouver for almost a decade, find the love of his life, and create employment as a bike fitter.<\/p>\n
Now Lycett, 87, will be the oldest participant in Ryder Hesjedal\u2019s Tour de Victoria on Saturday. The youngest registrant is two.<\/p>\n
He said it\u2019s his favourite day of the year, beating out New Year\u2019s Day and Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe roads belong to us,\u201d he said. \u201cThe cars are secondary. Your friends are in town. It\u2019s a wonderful day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tour de Victoria<\/a> is a mass-participation ride \u2014 not a race \u2014 offering eight routes of different lengths, plus a kids ride. Riders start and finish in front of the B.C. legislature in downtown Victoria.<\/p>\n Hesjedal, who is 45, became the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour at the 3,500-kilometre Giro d\u2019Italia in 2012.<\/p>\n Now, he and Tour de Victoria director Seamus McGrath, 50 \u2014 who has cycled in both the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games \u2014 encourage everyone to celebrate with them the joy of cycling and the beauty of southern Vancouver Island.<\/p>\n Almost 2,000 people from all over North America have signed up for this year\u2019s event. Friday is the last day to register online.<\/p>\n In founding the tour in 2011, the pair wanted to recreate \u2014 in a non-competitive event \u2014 the magic they felt competing in \u201cworld-class events where you have everything catered to you,\u201d including traffic-controlled roads, mechanical and first-aid assistance, food and refreshment stations and the thrill of fan support.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for the average person to experience that, so what we\u2019re doing with the Tour de Victoria is we\u2019re bringing a professional-level race experience to a ride format to suit any type of cyclist,\u201d McGrath said.<\/p>\n All ages and abilities, \u201cnot just your Tour de France wannabes,\u201d with all types of bikes \u2014 from road and mountain bikes to e-bikes and toddler push bikes \u2014 are welcome, he said.<\/p>\n Routes range from 15 to 160 kilometres in length, with options for children starting at 200 metres and topping out at 6.5 kilometres.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t say it\u2019s too long, or it\u2019s too hard \u2014 we have a distance for every type of rider, regardless of your experience or fitness level,\u201d McGrath said.<\/p>\n Lycett, who moved to Victoria in 2003, will ride the 60-kilometre distance with his wife, Sharon O\u2019Dornan, a retired speech-language pathologist.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to ride together, and we keep it fun,\u201d said O\u2019Dornan, who is 64. \u201cWe enjoy all the snacks at the rest stops. We enjoy a burger and a beer at the end. That\u2019s my favourite part.\u201d<\/p>\n Lycett\u2019s participation \u201cshows the depth of what we\u2019re doing here\u201d in attracting all ages and abilities and reminding them of \u201cthe beauty of the bike,\u201d McGrath said.<\/p>\n Hesjedal, a Belmont Secondary grad who grew up riding around Highlands and the West Shore, turned pro as a mountain biker in 1999. He competed in three Olympic Games, and placed fifth overall in the 2010 Tour de France.<\/p>\n The sensation of coming through a race chute or \u201cwhen you come across that finish line and the people are there cheering for you and you know you made that achievement \u2026 that\u2019s it,\u201d said Hesjedal, of a high that never leaves a cyclist.<\/p>\n \u201cI was able to do that all over the world at the highest level \u2014 sometimes first, sometimes 100th, but it\u2019s the same sensation. You took on the day, and you got through it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I know is when you\u2019re on the bike, and you\u2019re out there, it\u2019s just a great feeling, and a day in the Tour de Victoria definitely fills what I experienced all my career.\u201d<\/p>\n Routes travel through Victoria, View Royal, Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, Sooke, Highlands, North Saanich, Saanich and Oak Bay. The first riders depart at 7 a.m., with road closures<\/a> around the legislature starting at 4 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n The tour is supported by 35 police officers, 100 certified traffic controllers, and 100 ride marshals, said McGrath, noting the tour has a volunteer base of 250 and supports four charities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing that for 15 years, so our safety is rock solid \u2014 I think we\u2019ve set a super high bar in that regard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As for Lycett, he maintains aging is a state of mind greatly enhanced by a positive attitude, a great mate, sleep, moderation and plenty of activity.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve got energy, you can do anything,\u201d said Lycett, who joined a gym at age 80. \u201cEverything we do in life either gives you energy or takes it away.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Dornan said Lycett and his sister, age 92, have \u201ca positivity gene.\u201d His mother rode her bike until age 86 and lived until she was 99.<\/p>\n Lycett said he and his wife have previously completed the longer Tour de Victoria routes, and in future might go for the 45-kilometre ride, noting every route is beautiful.<\/p>\n Like life, said Lycett, \u201cit\u2019s a ride, not a race.\u201d<\/p>\n