Author: Mel Saari

There appears to be considerable interest in riding the Green Mountain route out of Penticton.  Therefore it has been scheduled for Saturday, September 23rd and will start from Skaha Lake Park at 9 am. 

Carpooling will be available from Starbucks in West Kelowna from 7:30 – 745 am.  Be aware that there may be a slight delay on the drive to and from Penticton due to alternating one way traffic at the slide location north of Summerland. 

The Green Mountain route is approximately 90 km in total distance with 1,100 m of climbing.  Faster riders will have the option of including the climb to Apex Ski Village as well.  A couple of shortcuts are available for those wanting a shorter route.  The ride will be followed by coffee/lunch at a location to be chosen by the group.

Hope to see you there as this will probably be the Killer Beez last special ride of the season.

Another Armstrong / Enderby Group Ride is planned for Friday September 8th and will start at 9 AM from Memorial Park in Armstrong.  Several people including Michael Malkowsky missed the first ride and so a second one had to be scheduled which Michael will lead. 

This popular ride travels through scenic farm land on the East side of Highway 97 to Enderby and Grindrod.  An excellent refreshment stop halfway along the route is Farmer Johns near Grindrod where riders can fuel up prior to the climb up either Springbend Road or Grandview Bench Road.

The Victoria Group Rides are only 2 weeks away.  Fingers crossed for good weather and no smoke.

Riders are arranged into two groups based on pace.  The B group (moderate pace) will start all rides at 9 AM.  The A group (fast pace) will start all rides at 9:15 AM. 

Riders will be advised of the group they are in by email.

The starting point for all of our rides is the Dallas Road parking lot just East of the intersection of Dallas Road and Douglas Street in Beacon Hill Park.  Click here for a map showing the starting point.   Please note that the maximum allowed parking time is 3 hours.  Therefore it is recommended that you cycle to the starting point rather than drive.

Following is the schedule and routes for all of the rides.  Garmin Connect versions of these routes are also available.

• Thursday August 24th – Oceanfront / Lakeside Route.  Click here for an alternate shorter route.
• Friday August 25th – Landsend Route.  Click here for an alternate shorter route.
• Saturday August 26th – Saltspring Island Route.  A shorter route is available by driving to Sydney and starting the ride there.
• Sunday August 27th – Metchosin / William Head / Pedar Bay Route.  1, 2, or 3 different loops depending on time available.

Many thanks to Lawrence Berg for providing us with so many interesting routes and for offering to lead us in exploring them.

Be aware that these are unsupported rides (no support vehicle) and therefore all participants must carry ample food, drinks, etc for their needs.

A waiver must be signed in order to participate in these rides.  Please click here to access and complete the waiver.  This waiver applies to all Killer Beez group rides for 2023 so if you have already signed it there is no need to sign it again.

Each rider is asked to contribute $15 to cover meals and ferry fees for our ride leaders plus other miscellaneous expenses.  This will be collected in Victoria.

A dinner for all riders and their partners/spouses is being held at 5 PM on Friday, August 25th at Browns Social House, located at 809 Douglas Street.  Please let us know in the comments section who and how many will be attending so we can advise the restaurant.

See you soon in Victoria.

Due to potentially adverse trail conditions and a lack of interest, the Kettle Valley Railway gravel group ride scheduled for July 21st, 2023 has been cancelled.

If you are hankering to do a fondo this year and ride an e-bike, this is the one for you.

It’s the Creston – Kootenay Lake Gran Fondo which will be held in Creston, BC on September 23rd, 2023.

Click here for the full details.

Due to the lingering heat wave, the start time for the Killer Beez Wednesday Group Ride changes to 9 AM from 10 AM effective immediately.

Having it be a couple of degrees cooler while climbing Spiers should be a fair trade for getting up an hour earlier.

It’s once again time to enjoy one of the Killer Beez favourite rides: the Armstrong / Enderby Group Ride.  The ride will be held on Sunday, August 13th and will start from Memorial Park in Armstrong at 9 AM sharp.  The ride crosses over to the East side of Highway 97 and meanders through scenic farmland up to Enderby and Grindrod.  Ahhh, the birds, the bees, and the scent of fresh cow manure.  After a rest break and ice cream at Farmer Johns, we climb up onto the bench and head back to Armstrong via Deep Creek Road.  There is the option to climb Grandview Bench Road when we leave Farmer Johns.  Michael Malkowski will lead us with regroups along the route to make sure no one goes astray.  The total distance covered is about 68 km.

Route Map

Hope to see you there.

Word is out that it might be tough to get ferry reservations to Victoria unless you make them early.  Therefore anyone travelling from the Okanagan to participate in the Victoria Group Rides (August 24 – 27) should consider reserving a ferry ride now to make sure that you are not disappointed.

Some of you may also wish to car pool in order to reduce costs and plus save the environment.  This could be done from Kelowna or from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

A group dinner for all participants and ride leaders has been scheduled for 5 PM, Friday, August 25th at Browns Social House located at 809 Douglas Street. 

So far we have 22 registered for this event.  There is still space for 8 more participants.  If interested, please click here for more details and route maps.  Also click here for an update posted on May 8th.

Thanks to Don Brown for proposing  the following gravel group ride:

“We are considering a Kettle Valley Railway group ride on Friday, July 21, 2023. This ride is open to all riders with gravel bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes and will start from the KVR Myra Station Parking Lot at 10 AM and head to Chute Lake Lodge for lunch, coffee or other favourite beverage, then return back to the Myra Station Parking Lot.  This is a flat (1-3% grade), 72 – 75 km, out and back, very scenic ride passing over the trestles.  At this time, we are looking for general interest, so look at your calendars and let us know in the comments below if this is something you are interested in doing. “

Route Map