with a temperature of -1c and three bailout messages before eight am, I wasn’t expecting much of a group at Meridian Place but as I rolled up at nine, I was happy to see thirteen riders, raring to go despite the cold air and brisk wind. a few riders I’d never met before joined the usual suspects as we started to roll northward out of Barrie, anticipating meeting two more riders from Wyevale heading south to  meet us on our route. in the first thirty minutes I could see it was a strong group who would handle the wind and 30 kph pace without trouble. from Wasaga Beach to Barrie, the wind was our friend after a two hour battle with it earlier. other than a low speed crash at a stoplight, the ride ended in Barrie with everyone satisfied with the first two wheels to nowhere fondo under their belts for the ’24 season.