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Ta’Kaiya Blaney challenges us to do something

August 29, 2011

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkjIkuC_eWM[/youtube] This song by 10 year old Sliammon First Nation member Ta’Kaiya Blaney transmits more forcefully, and a damn sight more sweetly, than any polemic I might write the urgent need to limit the exploitation of fossil fuels. In Canada, the pipelines and tanker traffic proposed by Enbridge to transport Alberta tar sands oil are […]

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Pondering Paris-Brest-Paris: a postscript

August 25, 2011

As I write, randonneurs of the 17th Paris-Brest-Paris are catching up on sleep before packing up for another four years. Many—successful or not—will be pondering the question, “What could I have done differently?” Certainly I have asked myself if I might have faired better in the 16th edition, had I approached the ride […]

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Memories of Paris-Brest-Paris, 2007

August 22, 2011

I have struggled for four years now to record my experience of Paris-Brest-Paris, 2007, France’s most prestigious amateur cycling event. As I post this, 2011 riders are well into their second day of the quadrennial 1200 kilometre randonnee. Some are on their way back […]

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A tourist in London and Paris

August 18, 2011

With a certain amount of envy, over the last weeks, I’ve observed friends and acquaintances finalize their travel plans, obsess over last minute details and say their farewells, via the BC Randonneurs forum. The pilgrimage to Paris-Brest-Paris, the Mecca of marathon cycling, is underway. I remember those last-minute jitters, in 2007 […]

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Qualifying for Paris-Brest-Paris, 2007

August 15, 2011

Paris-Brest-Paris, the ultimate randonneur cycling event, is held every four years. What began as a race in 1891, predating the Tour de France by more than a decade, became an amateur event in 1951, the realm of cyclotourists who embrace the original concept of unsupported long-distance riding. […]

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Vancouver Island Super Randonneur series, 2006

August 12, 2011

With computers reset to zero, 2006 began on Vancouver Island with a well-attended and windy New Year’s populaire. After weeks of monsoon-like rains and therapy for achilles tendonosis, the arrival of cherry blossoms and brighter skies came none too soon. I returned to the Nanaimo Populaire—this time the 100 […]

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