Ride to your heart’s content in a world-class, traffic-controlled mass-participation cycling event at Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria, Saturday from the grounds of the legislature.
Choose from one of six distances (and one children’s event) suitable for every age and ability — or just cheer the participants along.
Riders get to cycle free of other traffic, enjoying scenic courses. Youths and adults can choose between 15-, 30-, 60-, 100-, 140- or 160-kilometre routes.
Children between two and 12 can take between one and four laps of a 400-metre closed course on bicycles, tricyles and even run-bikes (with parents welcome to run alongside).
The event is presented by insurancebyhugo.com and organized by the Ryders Cycling Society of Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting cycling in Canada.
The race typically attracts up to 1,800 riders, with weekend warriors able to rub shoulders with professionals such as Hesjedal, who retired in 2016. Although there is a competitive spirit to the event, even the professionals join the ride for its more social and casual atmosphere.
The safety of the participants are ensured by traffic-controlled routes, with police, certified traffic-control marshals and volunteers at all intersections.
There will be aid stations with medical and mechanical support, as well as mobile mechanical support.
A broom wagon service is available for those unable to finish on their own.
Regardless of the distance, finishers will be rewarded with a hot meal, beer, cider or soda at the finish line.
Your family can take in music, a beer garden, face-painting, an inflatable amusement and other activities, while waiting at the finish.
Organizers have ensured you go home with your bike — there is a secured parking area while you eat or join your family during post-event celebrations.
The ride is also a fundraiser for two organizations — Opportunity International Canada and Ryders Cycling Society of Canada.
Registration is open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday on-site and from 11:59 a.m. Friday online. The cost of registering ranges from $45 for the 15-kilometre ride to $250 for the 160-km route. In support of youth cycling development, a subsidized registration of $25 applies to all riders 18 and under for all distances.
Check-in runs from noon to 8 p.m. Friday. Late rider check-in takes place at 6 a.m. Saturday at the start line.
The start times are staggered, with the longest-distance group leaving at 7 a.m. and the shortest distance leaving at noon (the Kids Ride starts at 1:30 p.m.) from the grounds of the legislature. All rides end at the same location.
For more information, go to tourdevictoria.com.
Time to give those roller skates another spin
Put some lubricant on those old roller skates and give them a nostalgic whirl at two events hosted by Roller Skate Victoria, Friday at the Archie Browning Sports Centre and Sunday at Lambrick Park.
• It has been decades since public roller-skating has graced the floors of the Esquimalt Recreation Centre, despite the fact that it hosts the Eves of Destruction Roller Derby.
That all changes with a drop-in Friday Night Roller-Skating, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. every Friday until the end of the month at the curling rink of the Archie Browning Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Rd. Admission is $5.75, with skate rentals $4.20
• At the Sunday Night Sunset Skate you can skate outside to some sweet tunes while the sun sets at the Lacrosse Box in Lambrick Park, in Gordon Head.
There is a $5 admission charge and rentals are $5 for children five and older (younger children can skate if they bring their own skates).
The all-ages event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. every Sunday until Sept. 1. For more information, go to rollerskatevictoria.com.
India Mela brings colour to square
Discover the sights, sounds, scents and culture of India at India Mela, a two-day celebration that highlights the rich, colourful mosaic of that country, Saturday and Sunday in Centennial Square.
This is the 10th year of the annual multicultural event, hosted by the India Canada Cultural Association, whose goal is to promote Indian culture through youth involvement.
Listen to Indian music — from the classics to modern Bollywood, via a live DJ. Mamadu Diabate, a west African musician known for his work with the kora (an African 21-string lute-bridge-harp), is the featured guest performer on Sunday.
Watch artists perform dances from various cultures, including Punjabi folk dances, salsa, belly-dancing and Zumba.
There will also be interactive games section for children, including an inflatable amusement.
Authentic Indian cuisine — prepared in the traditional way — will be served at booths representing the many parts of India.
The event is free to attend. It runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Centennial Square.
For more information, go to iccavictoria.com.
All trails lead to flavour in North Saanich fest
Remember to bring a picnic blanket, a basket for all your finds, a sun hat and your appetite to the North Saanich Flavour Trails Festival, Friday to Sunday at various venues in North Saanich.
Described as a celebratory rural ramble, the one-of-a-kind festival is an opportunity to discover farmers and food producers tucked away among country roads.
Over three days, farms, wineries, cideries, chefs, artisanal food producers and community groups open their doors to offer tours or a sample of their craft.
There are 22 venues, with an array of gastronomic delights to be found at each stop.
Plan your route to what interests you, be it watching sheep-herding (or sheep-shearing), discovering insider tips on how to grow organic flowers, sipping on a local late-summer IPA from an artisanal brewery, sampling cured meats inspired by European family recipes, or sampling vinegars made from elderberry, nasturtium flowers or Douglas fir tips.
You can find a complete list of participating venues and an activity schedule via a downloadable interactive map/brochure.
You can drive or slow down and take advantage of bicycle and ebike rentals from Sidney and through the festival. No need to pack lunch as well, as several venues offer lunch and goodies over the course of the weekend.
Entrance to all the venues is free. Most participants are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A festival gala dinner takes place 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, with a four-course meal on an outdoor long-table in a Deep Cove vineyard, accompanied by the Edie Daponte Quartet.
For more information, go to flavourtrails.ca.
Four-legged friends have their big day out
Celebrate the dog days of summer with wiener-dog races, a running of the bull(dogs), a puppy stampede and, new this year, corgi races, at Pet-A-Palooza, Saturday and Sunday at Bullen Park in Esquimalt. The event is touted as the West Coast’s largest outdoor pet festival, with stops in Victoria, Calgary, Vancouver and Scottsdale, Arizona.
People can also join in the action at Yoga with Puppies (three 30-minute classes, both days). At the other end of the spectrum, you can get dirty with your mutt at Ruff Mud, which features a 40-metre mudpit obstacle course, on Sunday.
Feeling competitive? Enter your four-legged best friend in the wiener-dog race on Saturday, running of the bulls (a race each for English and French bulldogs) and a corgi race on Sunday.
The puppy stampede on Saturday is open to any dog or any breed under six months.
Take a break and check out close to 95 vendor booths, including pet-supply companies, animal-rescue groups, nonprofits, charities and an exhibitor promoting a dating app for dog people. Dogs don’t need apps to meet others — just an off-leash adventure park where they can stretch their legs.
If you are looking for a new best friend, the Victoria Humane Society will have an adoption tent on site.
The event raises money for the non-profit Just Love Animals Society through sponsorships and exhibitor spaces. The society is an awareness and education organization that emphasizes holistic pet care and runs campaigns on issues such as spaying and neutering.
The event is free. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Bullen Park, 527 Fraser St. For details, go to petapaloozawest.com.
Central Saanich celebrates
Join the community in celebrating at the Central Saanich Family Festival, Saturday at the Saanich Fairgrounds.
This the ninth year of the annual family-friendly festival, with a pancake breakfast cooked by the Central Saanich Lions.
There will be live music, lots of games, prizes, inflatable obstacle courses and vendors from the weekly Peninsula Country Market.
The event is hosted by the Saanichton Village Association and the Peninsula Country Market.
The festival runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly’s X Rd., Saanichton.
New this year, association president and secretary Judy Beinder said, the 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project will be joining the festival booth with free books to give to children.
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