About a month ago, maybe a bit less, my partner and I spent the weekend in Victoria.
We used to live in Vic, but haven’t come down much lately because it’s been hard to afford a place to stay, then paying for parking and gas the whole weekend ends up being a lot. This time we had an idea. We’ll camp out near town and bike into the downtown area for the day.
The campground is about 20 km from downtown, and most of it is flat. We figured it would be pretty easy to just boot into town, hang out for the day on our bikes and then head back up for the night. One big climb literally right outside of the campground, then that was it.
Riding for an hour or so before doing anything else was quite nice. It was a good way to start the day, chatting and enjoying the scenery into Vic made us feel really invigorated by the time we got into town.
After we arrived, we split up for a bit. Kristen headed off with the family, whom we were there to visit, and I headed to see the boys at Fort Street Cycle, my alma mater in a way. After hiding from the rain at FSC for a while, and buying some stuff from them, I headed back to the downtown area to ride around a bit.
One thing that caught my eye was the Bike Valet program that is set up at City Hall. Basically, people can bring their bikes in for free, the volunteers put them in a secure area with your helmet and any other gear you don’t want to carry around with you, then give you a little tag just like a coat check. You do your thing, then head back for your bike when you’re done. The whole thing is free and could not be easier.
Victoria has really grown as a cycling community since the last time I was there. The bike lanes are pretty damn good, and the new interchanges over the water are pristine. Look through the photos for some detailed looks. I only wish this kind of thing would expand to many more communities on the Island and, to be honest, the country.
The ride home: we rode after dark for a good portion of it, and I had forgotten to charge our lights. At the end of it, we just had Kristen’s little pig light blinking, which I would not recommend. Charge your lights!
The next day we drove in, but it was good because we had a COVID scare and had to deal with that. The pandemic’s definitely not over. But after getting some clear tests, we ended up checking out Recyclistas, the local bike co-op. They have a “Boneyard” where old bikes hang out, waiting for someone with $50 to come and take them home. They also have a ton of used parts down stairs to get things up and running. I think I spent $80 of my bike budget on some pretty cool stuff. Oh I also picked up a new frame from Matt, more on that later. My brother in law also got some bike parts, and we ended the day by fixing his shifter in his front yard.
When you’re visiting a city, you really don’t need a car. Especially if the city is anything like Victoria. Take your bikes, park your car somewhere and get around for free by bike. It’s really the best way to do it, and you can go anywhere, spend a lot of time there, have some drinks and food and good times.
Just don’t forget to charge your lights. That was dumb.