Author: Chris Kirkpatrick
Looking for a fun charity ride, but aren’t ready to take on the Ride To Conquer Cancer? If so, join our team in The Becel Ride For Heart! This one day event gives riders the chance to raise money for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, and lets us ride the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway as a reward. You know you want to ride the DVP, you know that you can raise $100, and you know that having a goal will motivate you to stay in shape through the winter. Don’t delay, sign up today!
We’re quite fortunate in Toronto to have a lot of really great bike shops. In Etobicoke proper we’ve got Oxygen Bikes at Lakeshore & Browns Line, Chain Reaction on Dundas Street just east of Royal York; and Bicycle Depot on Albion. Just outside the borders of Etobicoke are many more including:
In Vita Sport on Matheson, east of Dixie (Mississauga)
Gears at Lakeshore & Mississauga Road (Port Credit)
La Bicicletta on Castlefield near Dufferin & Eglinton
Bike Zone on Dundas & Cawthra (Mississauga)
Browns on Bloor at Jane
Wheels of Bloor at Bloor and Runnymeade
Skiis & Biikes on Dundas – west of the 427
Racer Sportif at Bloor and Runnymeade
All of the shops listed are quite capable of meeting the needs of both the average and accomplished cyclist however you’re best served by checking them all out for yourself and getting a feel for their strengths.
What’s your favourite LBS?
Another chilly day for a ride, but compared to yesterday it was downright balmy! Four of us headed out and put in a good 40+ kilometres. If this is the last ride of the season, at least it was a good one!
The sun was magnificent over the lake, and the clouds and skyline created a beautiful scene:
And we saw a wicked car:
Mark Cavendish talks about London 2012, Team Sky’s hopes for the new year and why he thinks cycling is the cleanest sport around.
90min documentary film directed by Jean-Louis Schuller
Luxembourg. One of the world’s smallest countries, a green and peaceful place bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. The birthplace of two brothers, Andy and Fränk Schleck, two of the world’s best professional cyclists. National heroes and the sportsmen that their country had been waiting for, Leopard Trek, the new Luxembourgish team built around Andy and Fränk were the favourites to win the 2011 Tour de France.
Following Leopard Trek and the Schleck Brothers, the new documentary « The Road Uphill » by director Jean-Louis Schuller focuses upon the team’s participation in the prestigious 2011 Tour de France and upon their physical and mental preparation for the biggest cycling event in the world.
This intimate cinematic portrait of two brothers and a team who are under pressure to live up to the expectations of their country, takes us on a journey into the lives of these professional cylists. « The Road Uphill » documents the relationships, motivations and belief systems integral to Leopard Trek — the core aspect of the team that is not usually exposed by the lens of television reportage.
In a sport that more commonly has one leader rather than two, how does the Schleck’s unique brotherhood affect their race ? Does their compassion for one another make them stronger and enable them to overcome greater physical limits? This documentary investigates the day-to-day life of this professional cycling team and the physical, mental and emotional thresholds that they need to overcome to win the greatest race on earth.
© Paul Thiltges Distributions, RTL, 2011
The thermometer read -4 Celsius when we pulled out of my driveway, but it felt much colder. Especially with the head wind all the way up Royal York. Once we turned onto Edgehill the wind subsided and the balance of our ride was quite pleasant. But still cold. How cold? So cold that the water in both my bottles froze during the course of our 1.5 hours on the road!
But I can’t complain – a couple of frozen water bottles is a small price to pay for a great day on my bike. In December. In Toronto. Oh yeah!
PS: Half a bottle of sauvignon blanc and $60 worth of cheese and crisps from Cheese Boutique are not a suitable post-ride meal… if you’re interested in fitness!
Looking for people to ride with? Post a comment and we’ll add you to our mailing list. We’ve got rides happening almost every day during the summer season, and most weekend days in the early spring and late fall as weather permits.
The tentative 2012 Road O-Cup Schedule was released this week by the OCA. Check it out below and choose some races to compete in!
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April 6
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Good Friday Road Race
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Hamilton
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April 22
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Calabogie Classic
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Ottawa
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May 20
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Niagara Classic
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Pelham
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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June 10
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KW Classic
(tentative) |
Kitchener – Waterloo
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July 1
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CHIN Picnic Criterium
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Toronto
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July 15
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Holland Marsh Challenge
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Bradford
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July 22
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Bike the Bruce
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Bruce Peninsula
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Aug 18
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Wheels of Bloor Road Race
(tentative) |
Barrie
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Aug 26
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Provincial ITT
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Rockland
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Sept 1
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Ciociaro Criterium
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Windsor
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I’m organizing a pub night for January. Do you prefer Sunday – Thursday, or a Friday-Saturday night?
The event will take place at the St. James Gate Pub on Dundas Street (just east of Kipling).
The Fixer in the Toronto Star has a story on the newly installed speed bumps in Tommy Thompson Park. They were installed specifically to slow down cyclists. I appreciate the need for public safety but perhaps lines on the road to separate a cycling lane and a walking lane would have been better. I can’t imagine that the steady stream of dump trucks that use the road Monday – Friday as they deliver their fill to the end of the spit are going to enjoy these new impediments to their travels.
PS: The park is named after a City of Toronto parks commissioner – not the Group Of Seven artist… which explains the “p” in Thompson!