This is The Last Drop
Much like many cycling clubs, The Last Drop has its own origin story. Our story laid the foundation for culture and community that has evolved to what we know and love today.
As described in our story page, TLD began one cool morning in late June of 2021, when Nate went for a Stanley Park ride slightly earlier than usual at 5:30am. Riding through English Bay, he came across another cyclist, wearing all black, riding the same bike as his, the Cannondale SystemSix. This is a hardcore, all aero, true enthusiast's bike. The cyclist was Zack. After a few kilometers of riding casually side by side and exchanging compliments, they entered the park entrance. The conversation went quiet, the focus dialed in, and the pace started to increase. As expected, this became an all out effort race around the park where each rider took turns pacing and leading, their speed nearly matching. After a long effort and many watts later, they coasted down the hill from Prospect Point, coming to a stop at the bottom where the circuit ends. "Let's do this again", "Agreed". The rest is history.
One of the most inspiring part of leading a riding club is seeing these unique individuals come from all walks of life, bringing their own stories and wisdom to enrich the community and strengthen the team. Being an "ultra-early" riding group, we have the unique talent of attracting equally like-minded, crazy passionate individuals who want to get the most out of themselves each day. Our club is full of these personalities that we hope we can eventually share more of some day. But for now, we'd like to present the stories of our Founders, Zack and Nate, plus the Ride Leaders that were elected as the most inspiring members of the group.
Nathan Chan (Nate) - Founder
Cycling for Nate began not long ago in just 2020, when he joined his fellow coworkers from Toyota in riding through the pandemic. This was an escape from the busy life he leads which soon turned into a passion as he pushed himself to get stronger and losing over 40 pounds in the process. Nate took this passion to inspire others around him to join as well, which later became TLD.
Nate is a lifelong entrepreneur. By day, he works for Destination Toyota in Burnaby as a Financial Services Manager. But outside of this, he is also the founder of Catoro Cafe, a Vancouver cat cafe and rescue centre. In addition, he does freelance web design, photography, and now managing The Last Drop Cycling Club alongside Zack.
His goals for 2023 are to continue growing and developing TLD as a club and a brand. As for on-bike goals, a sub 2:15 Prospect Point Climb is on his radar!
Zack Tom - Founder
Zack loves cycling - whether its a coffee ride, sweating it out together on a group Zwift workout, or simply sprinting with the crew! Throw in some competition and there’s likely no challenge he’ll turn down - just prepare for a sweaty hug afterwards (win or lose).
He’s always been a bit obsessed with sport and fitness - playing ball in his youth, weightlifting through adulthood, and for the past 2 years being dedicated to becoming stronger on his bike. For him, The Last Drop is family - he loves to build others up and crack jokes mid-climb.
Zack is a Marketer and has spent his career helping build brands. Having spent time in Toronto and San Francisco, he’s worked at J&J, P&G, and PwC Consulting. Currently he’s the Head of Marketing at Plative Consulting.
His goals for 2023: Make the club a welcoming space for all cyclists. Design some badass kit. Steal some neighbourhood KOMs. And make the podium at the Whistler Gran Fondo St. Regis Race portion.
Peter Nguyen - Ride Leader
Born in Fredericton, NB, but raised in Vancouver, BC. I started cycling back in May 2020, as many others did as a COVID summer hobby. Got hooked pretty quickly and even managed to find a group of like-minded cyclists to help channel my competitive nature. Most people like mountains for the climbs, I like them for their descents.
I’m currently a practicing RMT (registered massage therapist) based out of both Kitsilano, as well as Fraser street. The majority of my clients are performance based athletes looking to gain the edge in their respective sports. Proper alignment and functionality of the body allows for athletes to push harder, faster, and longer.
My goal is to be able to inspire the people who just started cycling and are struggling with the hills/climbs. Those who aren't the most athletic, and may be too timid to challenge themselves. I'm still far from being a phenomenal cyclist but I do strive to improve myself little by little, each and every single day. Hopefully someone out there can find my journey relatable and realize their dreams and goals in cycling aren't as far from their reach as they might think.
Dustin Corpuz - Ride Leader
Athlete at heart and grew up playing soccer competitively. Started cycling in my youth, following my dad and his friends up and down the mountain bike trials of Burke Mountain in Port Coquitlam. Have been road cycling for over a decade, enjoying social rides and coffee shops.
When I’m not wear lycra, I’m a high school teacher at the school I graduated from in Poco. I am also involved in athletics at the school, coaching teams and encouraging student athletes to achieve their goals.
My goal for 2023 is to get the TLD Race Team onto the podium at the Whistler Gran Fondo. My personal goal is to sub 40mins Seymour Mountain Hill Climb.
Lucius Chia - Ride Leader
I started cycling in 2014 to go on rides with friends. Bought my first road bike a few months after and started commuting to work, that’s when I met another cyclist on my commute who introduced me to club rides and racing. I joined my first club not long after to get into group riding and started racing in 2016 to improve my skills, the rest is history.
My next goals on the bike would be to do a real bunny hop, ride in Europe, have a 5w/kg threshold, ride with Wout van Aert, the list goes on…
Outside of cycling, I like to travel and there are still so many cuisines I’d like to eat.
Andrew Gay - Ride Leader
Andrew is an American Tech Entrepreneur based in Vancouver with his wife and two (almost three) kids! Andrew started riding seriously during COVID and now splits his time across the Road & Gravel scene (maybe MTB soon…) with a focus on longer endurance events and discovering new routes and places to ride around the world.
Andrew’s favorite local rides are Fisherman’s Trail, the Seymour Climb, and, of course, the trusty Stanley Park Loop!
Yasamin Rafipour - Ride Leader
Jason Wong - Ride Leader
Cyclist of 10 years. Enjoys riding to clear the mind and explore cool places. Favorite ride in Vancouver: UBC loop.
Ernest Chao - Ride Leader
Hi everyone, I'm excited to join you as a ride leader for the Last Drop Cycling Club. I've been riding road bikes since 2010, and over the years, my journey has taken me from casual rides to tackling epic long-distance adventures. Working as a physio bike fitter has given me a unique insight into optimizing bike setup and performance, ensuring that every ride is both efficient and comfortable. I look forward to sharing my passion for cycling with you all, exploring new routes, and pushing our limits together on the open road.
Andrew Mar - Ride Leader
I am your typical Middle Aged Man In Lycra hence my IG handle of @mamil.rider and have been cycling for 9 years. I am a dad first and foremost, run a small business (Kidtropolis) and a cyclist last; although my family would beg to differ. I consider myself a jack of all trades when it comes to cycling which is why I am your ambassador for many brands. I am passionate about trying, buying and riding everything. I am also passionate about food and also a coffegeek at heart.
Proud to be riding with TLD although I don’t race because of time constraints and revolving extracurricular schedules. I love to knock off epic rides and milestones on my bucket list over time, although it is getting harder and harder each aging year. Upcoming goals would include a climb up Haleakala, a Triple Triple of the North Shore, an Everest, a trip to Majorca and possibly a 400 and 500km ride.
Graeme Howland - Ride Leader
Coming from the mountain biking world, Graeme picked up a road bike during the pandemic and became hooked. In 2023, he decided to take road cycling more seriously and joined The Last Drop to learn group riding skills to be able to better enjoy fondos and participate in some
local road races. He appreciates the welcoming and friendly attitude of everyone in the club and looks forward to meeting new riding pals in 2025.
Graeme’s favourite rides are Horseshoe Bay (the TLD Tuesday Classic), Stanley Park loops as well as Squamish to Whistler and back. You will also find him shuttling the Mt. Seymour trails with his mountain bike.
Yet another accountant in the club, Graeme formerly worked with Deloitte and is now running the internal audit department at a local lumber/forestry company. As the father of two young kids, the early morning ride schedule of TLD fits his lifestyle perfectly. Outside of bikes, Graeme is a lifelong passionate skier and enjoys backcountry touring in the Sea to Sky.
If you want a crew that has your back on up to 30 monthly rides, upgrade to Team Nitro! This premium tier has rides for every level - if you love cycling and want to spend time riding with likeminded people, this is the place for you.
