The Alan Gordon Metric Century September 20

Hi Lanny,
I will be leading the Leisure Wheeler Alan Gordon Metric Century ride for the 4th year in a row but it will be my last time. My hockey season starts on the 20th and the previous 3 years I have been fortunate to have a late evening game. I could lead the ride, have dinner and go play hockey. I haven't been given confirmation of my game time for this year and if it is an afternoon game, I'll have to miss the game as I've already committed to leading this ride.
Would you be interested in leading next years' LW 100 km ride? You have to be a strong rider, able to maintain a slow enough (18 to 20 kph) speed to keep everyone together. You should have a patch kit and pump, cheerful disposition, lots of patience and a digital camera. I made it a habit not to present the official patches till the completion of the ride. This gave the finishers a real sense of pride and achievement. The Easy Rollers got their patches at the halfway at Gairloch Gardens and were on their honour to complete the ride. I'm almost certain they all did, after all no one would be tempted to take a short cut home eh? :)
In any case, it will be a fun ride. See you there.
Fred Lee

I can try out to be a ride leader for next years. I just recently signed up and soon going for my membership here.
I haven't join on the rides and don't know much of the maps and ways. After the day we go out for a ride, I'm sure I'll get a hang of it. So this would be my first time going out in a group. I hope this ride gets lots of riders!

I'd like to, but I have some prior events scheduled. Maybe next time.

If it's not raining on the day of, this will be my 3rd, or 4th year (don't remember) doing it.

I've done it with the Easy Rollers each time. May be I'll go with the Leisure Wheelers this year. May be not, we'll see.

I'll be there if it's fair weather. Don't know who I'll ride with though, my first century with the group

Hi Lanny,
It's fun to be a ride leader, some benefits too. If you lead 4 or more rides, you get a free membership renewal. If you have never led a tour, you have to attend one of the 2 ride leaders' seminars in the spring. Attending the ride leader seminar counts as 1 ride so you only have to lead 3 more to get a free renewal. Other benefits too, if you look at some of the photos I've posted over the years, you'll see why......check out my July 12, 2009 dim sum ride. I'm also a member of Great Canadian Bicycle Tours. I led an 85 km ride out of Coldwater in the fall of 2002. I gave a lift to 2 tbn gals to the start. Another tbn guy I met on a ride in Quebec earlier in August came along. He saw one of the gals, sparks flew and I was invited to give a speech and slide show at their wedding in 2005! I don't believe I've paid for a membership renewal for almost 10 years. All of the club officers and ride leaders are volunteers. There are no full time employees in the club. Volunteer for the tbn, like the Tee shirt logo says; Ride, Have Fun, Meet People!
Fred

I'll definitely go for the Ride Leader course in the spring. Actually, looking forward to it

I'm forsure going to the course in Spring.I'm turning 18 in October and that I am a student.
I'm probably going to be the youngest rider and leader next year..? heh

Last minute plans came up as I have to go to work and have to miss this ride..

I just finished The Alan Gordon Metric Century and I was wondering how you get your badge

Alan

For Susan in the pink and white jersey who rode with Easy Rollers today, I did wait for you at the Boardwalk Pub after the ride; however, I somehow missed you. Sorry!

Very disappointed not to have received badge today. However, I have e-mailed the Board of Directors at tbn@tbn.ca for a response. Hope this works out for all of us. It's a really nice incentive...many thanks to Dave who stepped forward and led one of the groups! That was a great ride!

Yup, I think we all deserve the badge. Thanks for emailing TBN, DD...and it was certainly great to ride with such an enthusiastic group whereby i met quite a lot of new riders.....Alan, I got your email, thanks a lot. Until next time, take care everybody!!!

Patrick

Hi everyone: haven't had a response as yet. If any of you receive an answer or speak with someone who knows who we should contact, please let me know.
Thanks!

Send e-mail to Jamie Hauyon, Leisure Wheeler Coordinator: leisurewheeler@tbn.ca

Apparently TBN has run out of the badges that they had in previous years and none are available for the current year.

Oh well!

Isn't it the experience that's important, and not the badge?

Yes, you are absolutely correct. However, sometimes the promised "carrot" is also something worth reaching for. It acts as motivation, especially for those people who suffered through it for the first time. It's unfortunate it was in the description of the ride. However, if you really look at (didn't want to start analyzing!), it would have been nice to know who Alan Gordon was, why the ride was named after him, and in honour of what in particular? That would have been even better than getting the patch, to ride in honour of someone and knowing why. Gee, you should never have started this, now I really want to know the wherefores and whys!!! Anyway, it was a wonderful ride. It was a good time. I met a lot of really nice people. I had actually done a few metric centuries before and I actually did participate because of the promised "badge". Sort of, like "proof" that I did it. Any motivation is good. It's like a kid getting a gold star on his homework. If you've been promised the star for good work, put the effort in, and it doesn't materialize, it is a bit of a let-down. Don't ask my age! Yes, I am over the age of 14. Anyway, if the editor of the newsletter is reading this, just a suggestion to re-work the description. I know how hard everyone works on a volunteer basis, I'm not knocking anybody for the good work that they do, and please don't take this as a criticism. I know it's easy for me to sit here, typing away, and not offering to help, at this time anyway. Give me time, I will!!!

I agree with everything DD said. I too would like to know the background of the ride and how/why it originated.
I still want my badge though

Alan originated the Leisure Wheeler classification and was its first coordinator. The Leisure Wheeler Century was created by him and after his untimely death the Leisure Wheeler Committee decided to rename the ride to honour his memory. You can read more about him here: http://www.tbn.ca/alangordon

The ride was so popular in its early years that we quickly ran out of the original blue, oval metric century patches that I thought would last us forever. When the ride was renamed a new patch was designed and manufactured back in 2002.

Thank you for the background info and the link to the post about Alan Gordon. He obviously left his stamp on TBN and I wish I could have met him. Maybe the ride leader of the next Alan Gordon Metric Century ride could read from that post so the riders could remember Alan whether they knew him or not.

Yes, thank you for the link. What a wonderful man! It's a shame the commemoration seems to have faded with time. I guess that was likely to happen as so many people must have come and gone since then. I suppose it's up to TBN as to whether or not to refresh the spirit of the ride and continue manufacturing patches in his honour.

It appears there are badges/patches, but they were not made available to the ride leader due to time constraints. Those who want them will get them.