JOIN US FOR THE 2025 TBN AGM, DINNER AND DANCE

Registration for this great event is open and filling up quickly. This is your chance to have a say in the makeup of your board of directors for the upcoming two-year term. Be sure to register before the Nov. 2 deadline. We will be at the same location as last year, very close to Dundas subway station, but we will be in a much larger room. There will be a four-course dinner, followed by the AGM and then dancing to a great live and not-too-loud band. More information can be found here.

ZWIFT YOUR WAY TO WINTER FITNESS

TBN will be returning for ithe fourth year of its winter program of virtual rides, using the Zwift computer platform to provide an almost limitless number of indoor rides as the weather turns cold, wet or snowy. Beginning Oct. 27, we will be scheduling morning rides on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As well, we are hosting Tuesday and Thursday evening rides. If demand is sufficient, we will host weekend rides (we need some more volunteer virtual ride leaders). Rides will be posted one month in advance. Check the TBN Calendar for scheduled rides.  

Zwift allows us to offer curated rides in two fantasy worlds: Watopia and a Japanese-themed Makuri Islands, as well as virtual routes in London, France, Innsbruck, Yorkshire, Richmond, Scotland and a futuristic New York City (including a new expansion of 31 new km of roads). There are more than 200 different routes, from gentle to extremely strenuous. Many of our rides will use the "rubber band" feature in Zwift to keep all participants close together.

If you are interested in Zwift rides, either as a participant or as a volunteer virtual ride leader, please email virtualrides@tbn.ca with your preferences (day, time, distance and duration) and whether you are willing to host an event. Details about upcoming Zwift meetups will be posted on the TBN website. For more information about the meetups and how to get started, see https://tbn.ca/zwiftmeetups.

TBN on Instagram

Did you know we have a lively presence on Instagram? Follow TBN on IG at @torontobicyclingnetwork. Let's show Toronto that we are the biggest, friendliest and best club in the six (416)! Calling all ride leaders and members to get group pics on rides and get tagging. Like and comment and we'll chat. Let's get to know each other better and show off how much fun we have riding around town and out of town. Share your group shots, selfies and scenic views on your own IG and collaborate/tag TBN! Or, send by private message on IG to @torontobicylingnetwork, send via email to our Instagram manager, or share on TBN's Facebook page. Just make sure you take those pics and share them.

TBN SOCIAL/EDUCATION EVENTS

Please remember that very popular events fill up and may have waiting lists. If you register for one of these events, and you do not cancel if you can’t attend, you are denying someone on the waiting list the opportunity to attend.

Monthly Dining Out, Oct. 23. This social event, where we eat at different interesting ethnic restaurants each month, has become very popular. The restaurants are in different parts of the GTA, so everyone should have a chance to attend in an area convenient to them. This month’s dinner is centrally located at a great new Mexican place. Information about the event, the restaurants and registration is available here.

Trip presentation: Bike touring in Patagonian Chile and Argentina, Oct. 27. BN members Narayana Reddy and Grahame Joy will share their recent experience cycling in the Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile (see "Ushuaia" photo below). Starting in El Calafate, Argentina, their self-supported tour crossed 1,000 km of plains, mountains and ferry segments, ending in Ushuaia on the island of Tierra del Fuego. The presentation will cover the route, logistics and challenges, as well as touching on the Carretera Austral route. The event is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. Main floor meeting room, Northern District Library near Yonge and Eglinton, Oct. 27. More information can be found here.

TBN Pub Quiz, Oct. 28. We’ve had great turnouts for this event since changing to a new format. The quiz is at the Prenup Pub, one of the best and most interesting in the GTA. Registration for the October quiz is now open via the calendar. More details about the new participant-centred quiz format and about the Prenup Pub are available here.

Trip presentation: Great Waterfront Trail Adventure 2025, Nov. 17. TBN members Geoff Kettel and Donna Cottle will take you on a recap of their experience this past August riding the 2025 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure, while Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT), will share the plans for next year’s GWTA. The 2025 edition featured eight days of lakeside riding, cultural stops, finishing back in Hamilton after more than 600 km in the saddle, offering participants the chance to dip their wheels in three of Ontario’s Great Lakes: Ontario, Huron and Erie. The event is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. Main floor meeting room, Northern District Library near Yonge and Eglinton, Nov. 17. More information can be found here.

Trip presentation: Veloroute Gourmande Bike Trip, Dec. 15. TBN member Dona Cottle will share her experience with Veloroute Gourmande Bike which she did this past summer. Veloroute Gourmande is a cycle path that connects Montreal and Sherbrooke. It is approximately 235 km through the picturesque Quebec countryside and can be done over four or five days. The mostly car- free route is relatively flat, passing by many lakes and hills with opportunities to stop along the way and enjoy some gourmet attractions. The event is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. Main floor meeting room, Northern District Library near Yonge and Eglinton, Dec. 15. More information can be found here.

Fall and winter hiking is back

TBN’s schedule of fall and winter out-of-town hikes kicks off on Oct. 26, in Rouge Park. Each hike starts at 10 am, and they will take place every Sunday until late December. These are for the most part loop hikes and will be about 13 km. Fall hiking will require you to have proper clothing and footwear. Winter hiking is a different animal. It will require you to not only have proper footwear and clothing but also crampon style icers. These may not be used on the hike but should be included in your backpack in case they are needed.

You must register in advance via the Calendar and cancel that registration if you change your mind and cannot come for whatever reason. Guest registrations at a cost of $10 per person will be allowed if space permits. Parking at some venues can be a challenge, so plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of hikes. Some hikes will require you to pay for parking but these will be noted on the TBN hike posting. We will try and keep these hikes to a minimum.

At this time we are not sure whether hikes will be scheduled in the New Year, as interest dropped off for those in 2025. If they are planned, they could take place less frequently. Watch the Calendar for dates, which will be posted as details are confirmed.  

TBN members get discounts at Bike Depot!

Great news! Bike Depot is offering TBN members 10% off most accessories (some brands like Garmin aren't included) and 20% off services. Just show your TBN membership card from your profile (https://tbn.ca/Sys/Profile) to get the deal. Head to the Bike Depot site through the link on the bottom of each page in the TBN website to check it out!

We need your photos

We’d love to see all the amazing moments you’ve captured during our club rides and events. If you have any photos or videos from recent outings, please upload them to our shared Google album. It’s a great way to relive the memories, showcase our adventures, and help keep our club page lively and engaging. Whether it’s action shots, group selfies or scenic views, every photo counts. But pease be selective and upload only the photos you feel are your best. Let’s build a collection we can all enjoy and be proud of. Thanks for sharing your experiences—your contributions help tell the story of our awesome club!

NEW “30-DAY-TRIAL" MEMBERSHIP

We are changing how we offer non-members a chance to try out TBN. We have heard feedback that non-members do not like the $10 fee to try out a ride in a TBN ride program that may or may not have been at their level. Or perhaps that specific ride was cancelled due to weather. So starting in 2025, we are changing to a new "try-us-out approach" to include a new “30-Day-Trial" membership class. For $10, an individual can ride on as many rides, across all our ride programs, during a 30-day window from the day of purchase. We hope that after trying us out, these Trial members will upgrade to full membership. When upgrading to a full membership, the $10 trial fee will be refunded to the new members.

For current existing TBN members, this new Trial membership option will be mostly invisible. Our future TBN calendar events will begin to have both the old "Free for TBN Members" registration option, and a new "30-Day-Trial members" registration option. You will continue to use the "Free for TBN Members" registration option.

Exclusions:

• Note that some events, with limited availability, may not be available to 30-Day-Trial members. 
• The Wednesday Evening and Friday Night ride programs will return with the "Free for non-members" option. 
• The Hairshirt ride will continue to offer a simple $10 fee, but will also be open to Thirty-day Trial members. 

New: TBN fees may now be paid via e-transfer 

Invoices for membership applications and renewals are now payable in two different ways. If you select "Pay Online" you will pay via PayPal. If you select "Invoice Me" you must pay via an e-transfer to treasurer@tbn.ca. Be sure to include the invoice number within the comment field of your e-transfer. Note that online payments are registered immediately, but e-transfer payments require a manual processing step to update our payments database. Please allow 48 hours for processing. 

Reminder to update your TBN profile

Please ensure to periodically update your TBN club profile. Perhaps upload a photo of yourself (so other members know who you are), confirm that your email address listed is correct (as this is the primary way for us to contact you), confirm your phone and emergency contacts are still valid, and update your current (or former) occupation and let us know if and how you would like to volunteer with TBN. We are always looking for helping hands, especially those with needed skills. How to do this: Login to the website, click on your name, then click Edit Profile. When you are done, press Save to commit your changes.

UPCOMING RIDES AND EVENTS

Next 20 rides/events

See all rides and events on the main calendar and also check back two hours in advance in case of last minute updates or cancellation due to weather. You can also find past rides on this calendar. 

HOW TO CANCEL A RESERVATION FOR AN EVENT

Due to an issue we have discovered on Apple devices, we have had to revert to the original wording for the link used to cancel your reservation for an event. If you need to cancel your reservation for an event, see the Cancel-my-registration page for details.

Most Recent Newsletter

Chain of Events is TBN's e-newsletter, featuring up to date info about upcoming rides and events. Click here for the most recent Chain of Events.

Share your blogs with TBN members

TBN member Jun Nogami has an informative blog on Facebook, which includes summaries and photos from club rides. Check it out here. If other members would like to request that we share similar cycling-focused blogs with members via tbn.ca, contact the Communications Director.