July 28, 2005 – The news that Peter McCaffery and his wife, Kit, are moving to B.C. certainly came as a shock to all. Peter McCaffery has been a mainstay of Ontario cycling for many years now, well known for his Midweek Club, which puts on the popular Midweek Criteriums in Mississauga each week. As well as that McCaffery and his wife have put on dozens and dozens of races – road races, time trials, even cyclo-cross – and are truly fixtures on the Ontario scene.

We hear you are going to Nanaimo, B.C. why the move?

McCaffery: Slower pace of life, weather, grandchildren in Calgary, two sons in Taiwan. It’s easier to get there from the West.

What will happen with the Midweek races?

McCaffery: The new club president is Amit Ghosh and there’s good executive. All activities will continue and grow.

And the Midweek team?

McCaffery: Midweek team should continue. Bruce Krip is a great captain and will take more of a role as he retires from Senior 1. Chris Kurzawinski is also a good resource, having ridden pro in Europe.

Will you miss it here? What’s it like preparing for a change and what’s going through your mind after so much time here?

McCaffery: Of course Kit and I will miss the Ontario scene. We are not moving because we are unhappy. We’ll probably take it easy for a while as we settle in a new home and then we will have a look at the local cycling scene around Nanaimo and see if there is some way in which we can become involved. Perhaps I should source a couple of hundred cones, haha! Perhaps we can get a local schools programme running under the Midweek banner.

How long have you been in the GTA? You were in AB before, right?

McCaffery: We have been in Mississauga for ten years, the longest I have stayed anywhere since I first left home in 1962! Before living in the GTA, we were in Alberta for a while and ran a few cyclo-cross races each winter. In the early 1980’s , I was in Ottawa as Technical Director for the CCA and started the Gloucester Cycling Club and the NRC criteriums which Ross Knight has built into a great series. Before that, between periods when I taught on a number of Indian reserves, I was in Kenora running a local race series and had a junior team that competed in the Tour de l’Abitibi. The late 1960’s and early 70’s were spent in St. Albert, Alberta, where I started a club and organized my first big stage race – the Klondyke Grand Prix. It’s gratifying to see the names of many World Masters’ Games’ competitors who started their bike racing as cadets and juniors in Edmonton nearly forty years ago.

Is the Corso Italia race on St. Clair still on, in September?

The Corso Italia race is still on. However, the venue may be changed to attract a larger crowd.


Pedal wishes Peter and Kit the best of luck.