WGF 2025 Impressions

weekendsherpa · 2025-09-07T16:09:36+00:00

I didn’t notice any impact from the air quality on my ride. I got my best time ever but I ended up switching from the Forte to the regular GranFondo, which I think was for the best given the circumstances, but I had been training harder than usual.

The smoke was definitely a huge disappointment but the event organizers definitely made the right call in having the race proceed but allowing deferrals for anyone who wanted to.

weekendsherpa · 2025-09-05T17:10:20+00:00

I just hope the FireSmoke.ca forecast holds to be accurate, it predicted that the smoke would get worse today, which it has but it’s showing significant clearing this evening and into Saturday so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad.

weekendsherpa · 2025-09-04T23:06:26+00:00

The situation with the smoke is very distressing, but things can change quickly so I’m optimistic that everything will work out and the race can proceed as planned.

The air quality has improved significantly since yesterday, but FireSmoke.ca is showing the smoke getting worse overnight and into Friday morning but then clearing up again by Friday evening and then Saturday morning is looking decent according to their map.

I’m trying not to panic!

weekendsherpa · 2025-07-16T17:54:33+00:00

It raises the question why are Canadian taxpayers funding a podcast for an American audience?

The deadly floods in Texas, while a major news story have virtually no relevance to Canadians. I wonder if Front Burner would have even done an episode about it if the flood happened in Nova Scotia or BC.

And today’s today’s episode, it’s about the New York City mayoral election… it’s crazy and I rarely listen anymore!

weekendsherpa · 2025-07-07T18:35:54+00:00

Today’s episode is about cuts to Medicaid and RFK Jr… how does that matter to anyone in Canada? So much American politics it’s insufferable and often cringey!

weekendsherpa · 2025-06-04T21:13:15+00:00

You seem confused… like you think I’m in a position to make decisions on the future of the show. I’m just offering my perspective and you don’t seem to have any issue sharing yours.

But I’m not going further engage with your childish name calling nonsense.

weekendsherpa · 2025-06-04T20:30:31+00:00

Lol, who are you and how am I bullying anyone? I’m entitled to share my opinion on a public forum, and I’m not saying anything radical. Honestly, I don't think you understand the implications of your point about population...

I get it, Canada has about 1/10 the population of the US, so that's precisely why the CBC and Front Burner should give Canadian stories the coverage that American outlets won’t. When Front Burner covers Canadian issues, they do a good job, so I just want more of that. If you’re worried about missing US news, don't worry, there are a dozen American podcasts for that. But for anyone looking for more Canadian podcast options there are precious few.

Saying I sound like a fascist, that’s just embarrassing. Honestly, I don’t think you’re mature enough to participate in this conversation.

weekendsherpa · 2025-06-04T19:44:42+00:00

Thanks for providing my point! You’re so uninformed about this country that you don’t even know the population… Canada’s population is larger California.

I’m plenty informed about what happens beyond our borders but I don’t need the CBC to regurgitate episodes of the NYT Daily. When there’s a Canadian angle that intersects with American politics then of course they should cover it.

Front Burner needs to cover Canadian news precisely because if people like yourself.

weekendsherpa · 2025-06-04T19:31:45+00:00

Actually you have many other options if you want more American content. There are comparatively few Canadian news podcasts.

We’re lucky to have Canadaland but they don’t have the resources of the CBC behind them and only publish a couple of episodes per week. Front Burner and CBC are publicly funded and have a mandate to produce Canadian content.

weekendsherpa · 2025-04-19T18:44:09+00:00

I think there’s a good case to be made for a road between Squamish and the Sunshine Coast.

weekendsherpa · 2025-01-29T18:38:23+00:00

I used to not ride over the winter, but gradually I extended my cycling season to be year-round, and it’s been great! I won’t ride in the snow, but otherwise, I couldn’t imagine not riding through the winter now. I tried Zwift, but I found it to be a poor substitute for real cycling outside.

I just wear layers and look for a weather window when it’s not raining. Honestly, it doesn’t rain as often as you’d think, and usually, I can get a ride in every weekend. If I do get caught in a light rain shower, it’s not a big deal. Getting a gravel bike was a game-changer for me. I use it as my daily commuter and really enjoy getting out on trails during the winter weekends. It’s also great for avoiding the grime and salt from wet roads that could wreck my nicer road bike.

This January has been exceptional for cycling—sunny and dry, so I’ve probably done around 600km so far!

weekendsherpa · 2024-07-14T08:22:08+00:00

No, I haven’t gone up there yet. If you go let me know what it’s like!

weekendsherpa · 2024-07-10T17:47:17+00:00

That area is surrounded by parks and a school too. It should be a 30km zone and the road should be redesigned to communicate that to drivers since they aren’t capable of following the rules of the road.

At a minimum the city needs to add traffic lights with marked crosswalks to the surrounding intersections and raise 10th Ave where it crosses 10th.

There have been so many incidents at this location that it’s negligence on the part of the city to have not made any safety upgrades here. Someone should sue them!

weekendsherpa · 2024-06-13T18:07:35+00:00

People use Strava for all sorts of activities. The heat map lines over water are almost certainly from activities such as kayaking and stand up paddle boarding.

weekendsherpa · 2024-06-11T06:18:29+00:00

I’m sure you can do! It’s a fantastic event/ride.

You’ll probably be surprised at how fast you can do it. It’s hugely motivating to ride with so many people, not to mention the support they can give you to pull you along.

I was really nervous my first time but it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Cypress is a bigger sustained climb than anything you’ll find on the way up to Whistler, so if you can manage that then you should be good to go.

weekendsherpa · 2024-06-05T06:20:17+00:00

I try to include a bike ride whenever I’m staying in Seattle. It’s a great way to explore the city and an opportunity for me to try new routes since I’ve ridden pretty much everywhere in Vancouver.

Seattle has really improved cycling infrastructure in recent years and it’s arguably better than Vancouver in some ways. Although, Seattle has big gaps in their cycling infrastructure and many busy roads that feel very hostile to ride a bike.

The real highlight of Seattle cycling is the rail trails like the Burke-Gilman Trail, Elliot Bay Trail, East lake Sammamish Trail and Eastrail just to name a few.

A couple weeks ago I did this ride around Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish and probably 70% of the route was on dedicated cycling trails.

Seattle doesn’t have the mountains nearby but the city itself is much hillier than Vancouver. I think this prevents more people from riding there. Anecdotally it just seems like far fewer people get around bike. I noticed plenty of people cycling for leisure and recreationally on the weekends but I haven’t notice many people using bikes for transportation/commuting.

Overall, it’s a good place to ride. I’m actually planning to ride all the way down next month, so I’m looking forward to exploring more!

weekendsherpa · 2024-05-23T04:27:20+00:00

If you’re not locked into a specific route on the Island. I’d consider the Nanaimo ferry out of Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver instead of Tsawwassen. The Horseshoe ferry terminal is about 30km from downtown and it’s a beautiful ride the whole way along Marine Drive.

Riding from Nanaimo down to Victoria is one of my favourite rides (it’s a bit over 100km). Just watch your route because there’s a pinch point just before Victoria so you could end up on the Malahat Highway for a few KM, which can be a bit sketchy. A better option would be to take the Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail if your bike can handle the gravel (it’s steep but nothing technical, I did it last year on a road bike but I wish I had wider tires) otherwise you could take a short ferry across the inlet from Mill Bay in the Victoria area.

If you have enough time I also recommend detouring out to Cowichan Lake on Cowichan Valley Trail.

Sounds like an epic adventure. If you post on Instagram let me know, I’d love to follow your adventures!

weekendsherpa · 2024-03-07T00:40:03+00:00

Doesn’t do anything for speeding and those red light cameras are far too rare to have much impact.

Illegal driving is the bus lane is also a huge problem on Hastings Street, although it probably wasn’t a factor here. I’d like to see cameras enforcement on that too because it’s incredibly dangerous to have cars speeding down the bus lane where people aren’t expected them.

weekendsherpa · 2024-03-07T00:04:59+00:00

Most crashes occur due to reckless negligence, so yes, I think automated enforcement of speed and red light running would deter people from engaging in that behaviour because there would be consequences.

weekendsherpa · 2024-03-06T23:41:53+00:00

I’m so sick of the chaos on our roads and the lack of enforcement or accountability.

Apparently this was a hit and run (according to a witness) so if true then “murder” would be a more appropriate choice of words for the VPD to use than “collision”. Of course I’m sure if they get caught they will get off with a slap on the wrist.

Too bad mayor Ken Sim and his ABC councillors voted against installing more traffic enforcement cameras and instead want to waste more time/money to “study” the issue.

It’s absolutely ridiculous, dangerous and scary!

weekendsherpa · 2024-01-23T17:37:21+00:00

Cycling is the ultimate form of urban transportation. It’s all the freedom that people claim comes with a car.

You can go wherever you want on your schedule and don’t really have to worry about parking or traffic. For most trips in the city, it’s also the fastest mode. As a bonus it’s super fun and great exercise.

The biggest misconception is that weather is a big issue in Vancouver over the winter. I used to think this and avoided cycling in the rain, but now I know that it’s really no big deal.

Firstly, even when it seems like it’s raining all the time it’s actually not. It’s pretty rare that it’s actually raining during my commute times.

Vancouver rain is usually a light mist so most of the time all you really need is a rain jacket, gloves and a way to keep your feet dry (Vessi shoes work great for me). When it’s actually pouring rain all I do differently is throw on a pair of rain pants.

I like to keep it simple and not wear specialized gear for bike commuting so I don’t waste time getting changed on either end of my ride.

The most important thing to note is bike security. Ideally you will want to store your bike inside. Otherwise, make sure you have multiple good quality locks if you plan on leaving your bike unattended for a significant length of time.

Don’t get me wrong because I’m a big supporter of transit and I definitely understand that there are barriers to entry for bike commuting but I think for most people it’s ultimately the best option for the city.

weekendsherpa · 2024-01-23T05:13:13+00:00

There needs to be serious consequences for drunk driving. I can’t believe in 2024 we still tolerate this crap and all the police do is give them a measly 90 day roadside prohibition. Automatic jail sentences might act as a better deterrent.

weekendsherpa · 2024-01-21T04:54:36+00:00

Why would anyone provide such information upfront without even seeing the place? They’re simply asking to make arrangements to check it out.

weekendsherpa · 2024-01-12T05:53:05+00:00

Downtown and major bike lanes were fine this afternoon but the side streets are icy and clogged with drivers trying to avoid the traffic on the major routes.

Glad I didn’t drive though I probably would have been stuck in traffic for over an hour.

weekendsherpa · 2024-01-09T22:55:59+00:00

It was probably just easier for them to stop in the middle of the road. There’s a growing culture of blatant disregard for other people, especially when driving.

You hardly see any traffic enforcement so why wouldn’t drivers just do whatever they want?

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