Le Toast Française

Ever since I completed my first Randonneur Permanent, I've become très français ("very French"). Everyday American activities, like baking cookies, going to the mall and watching ball sports on TV, feel not-so-suddenly blasé or "boring" to me.

This feeling includes the old French toast route. But I do love having people over for breakfast. Dinner parties are so de rigeur (whatever the heck that means). So, to keep the ride alive, Saturday featured a new, improved and reinvented forty mile route.

The day seemed doomed to failure as one after another, friends called with regrets. A rainy forecast seemed to sealed the deal and delivered only one (1!) Vancouver Bike Club rider to my doorstep. But then, little by little, friends trickled in until we had six.

The rain never did more than spit on us as we enjoyed a warm sunny day that had me yelling "summer!" more than once. The new route offers a hill climb option and to my pride and delight, riders voted unanimously to go up. Here's a nice picture of Frank in a borrowed helmet at the top of the hill and notorious "pants drop" corner.