CYCLON 2025 planning CONtinues

Hello cycling enthusiasts! A little over four months away our preparations are well under way for another successful Cyclon, again at the beautiful scenic Trent University campus in Peterborough. The committee heard your concerns regarding cycling routes and breakfast. We are trying to tweak a couple of the routes, and, good news, we’re happy to report that we were successful in expanding the breakfast menu options and amount of food. Keep your eyes open for more information coming soon. Registration is opening in mid-April so be sure to check the calendar.

TBN SOCIAL/EDUCATION EVENTS

Dancing on the Danforth, March 22. This will be a very special evening as it will feature the band that plays the TBN spring parties and the one that will play our next AGM. The Junctioneers play a mix of covers, mostly from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Come to Noonan’s Irish Pub and dance to or just listen to this great band. There is no cover. More information, music videos, and registration are here.

TBN Pub Quiz, March 25. Registration for the March quiz is open via the calendar. More details about the new participant-centred quiz format and about the Prenup Pub are available here.

Know Your Rights 101 (with The Biking Lawyer), April 10. The Biking Lawyer will be presenting a session on cyclists' rights at Bike Depot's Leaside location, 1588 Bayview Ave., April 10, beginning at 6:30 pm. Free for TBN members and guests, but space is limited. You can register here.

Dancing on the Danforth, April 19. This will be a really fun night with a really fun band.The Swinging Blackjacks have been entertaining Canadian audiences for more than 20 years with a mix of classic rockabilly, jumping blues, and old-school rock and roll. Come to Noonan’s Irish Pub and dance to or just listen to this great band. There is NO COVER. More information, music videos and registration are here.

Monthly Dining Out, April 24. This new social event, where we eat at different interesting ethnic restaurants each month, has become very popular. This month’s choice is the famous Terroni but at a special location. Information about the event, the restaurants and registration are available here.

Flying With Your Bike & Bikepacking 101 presentations, April 30. Bike Depot, 1588 Bayview Ave, is presenting two info sessions April 30, beginning at 6:30 pm. “Flying With Your Bike” will demonstrate how to disassemble, pack, unpack and assemble your bike for travel. For “Bikepacking 101” TBN Board member Greg Andre-Barrett will show the bike(s), bags and gear that he typically takes on trips. Information and registration are here.

Spring Fling, May 3. Last year's inaugural spring party was a huge success. We will have the same great venue, same great food, and the same great live band on May 3. This year, there is a minimal charge of $10 for all of that. Registration opens March 18 at 8:00 am. Information and registration are here.

Spring Kickoff, May 10. Don’t miss this opportunity to eat breakfast, socialize and ride with members you haven’t seen for a while. It’s a great way to meet potential new members and those who ride at different levels. The event is free for members and non-member guests. Registration is now open. Please consider registering as a volunteer as we need help setting up the food and cleaning up afterwards. Information and registration are here.

TBN's Spring Kick-off is on for May 10. Don't miss it!

Zwift Meetups Season Completing Soon

As this year's IRL (In Real Life) rides are starting up, the Zwift Meetups Virtual rides are winding down. Thanks to all TBNers who have, over the season, joined the Zwift Meetups for exercise, advice, encouragement and conversation. By the end of the season we will have held just under 90 Meetups, with a total of over 2,000 kms of riding, and untold 1,000s of metres of climbing. Well done everyone! Some ending thoughts as we go back to real-world cycling:

• Layering of clothing is important in 5C weather. Speaking of weather, there is this thing called wind and rain you will have to deal with.
• Cracks in the pavement, potholes, etc., all hammer your tailbone, over and over and over. In Zwift, the roads are smooth.
• Remember to steer. And brake. And balance. All skills that have been unused since autumn.
• Unclip, then come to a stop (not the other way around). There is no trainer there to keep you upright.
• The other "avatars" are solid: Cars, trucks, people. You don't pass through them. You can crash and it can hurt.
• There is no Trainer Difficulty in the Real World, there is only 100%.
• Out of the saddle is far more dynamic in the Real World. You have to control your bike.
• Traffic lights/stop signs. They should be obeyed.
• Use the brakes. Especially when descending and turning on descents. In real life it is impossible to take 180 degree hairpin turns at 75 kph, so slow down!
• Rain and puddles mean you need to clean your real-world bike.
• Adjust your expectations... In Zwift we average around 30 kph. With real-world hills, stop signs, traffic lights and other obstacles, that will be much lower. And your virtual bike is probably much lighter than your real bike.
• The Real World has real butter tarts and cappuccino. We are looking forward to seeing you all (putting faces to names) on the roads!

Ride Leaders Workshop meeting via Zoom

TBN Touring Director Dennis Szilvasy will be leading a Zoom meeting April 13, 7-8:30 pm, to discuss leading club rides and other events. This session is based on the TBN Ride Leader Handbook which Dennis will be updating and making available to registrants prior to the Workshop. Dennis will be holding an in-depth discussion on the logistics of leading rides and what the club expects from "ride" leaders. He will also be taking your questions. For more information, and to register, click here. 

Overnight Trips 2025 

For the latest trip information visit our Overnight Trips page. As of March 12 the events below with highlighted links have been posted, and the others are in the planning stage. 

• April 26-27: Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and return bikepacking

• May 16-19: Victoria Day Niagara Bike & Hike

• June 10-12: Wednesday Wheelies Return to Collingwood

• June 14-15: Toronto-Niagara-Toronto Overnight (TNTO)

• June 27-30: Wolf Den June Trip. Enjoy biking, hiking, swimming, canoeing, wildlife watching, saunas, campfires and stargazing. The January trip was amazing. This will be even more fun. 

• July 12-13: Lake Erie Shore Breezes Tour

• July 18-20: Barrie: Ride, dance, swim (and ice cream!)

• July 26-27: Niagara Winery Tour

• Aug. 8-10: Simcoe County Loop XL bikepacking

• Aug. 12-14: 3 Days in Orillia

• Aug. 16-17: Mennonite Country Ramble

• Sept. 6-7: Flesherton Hills Tour

Any questions or suggestions please contact the trip leader or Greg Andre-Barrett, the Overnight Trips Director, at WeekendTrips@tbn.ca.

Algonquin Outfitters Old Railway Bike Trail: Just one of the many perks in TBN's June trip to Wolf Den

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. 

TNTO IS BACK FOR 2025

We are thrilled to announce that the Toronto Niagara Toronto Overnight (TNTO) ride is back for its 28th year, taking place June 14-15. TNTO is a two-day cycling challenge for experienced cyclists featuring rides from Toronto and Stoney Creek to Niagara Falls and back the next day. Visit TNTO page for more information.

Registration is open via the calendar. To ensure everything runs smoothly, we need your help. We are currently looking to recruit one or two enthusiastic volunteers to join our Sag Squad to drive the sag wagon. Specifically, we need a driver to assist with transporting luggage and snacks to the hotel in Niagara Falls. Accommodation is complimentary and a $100 per diem per day to cover food will be provided.

Alternatively, driving the sag wagon can be shared among two volunteers if members are interested on riding only one day and driving the sag wagon the other day.

Your involvement will be crucial in making TNTO 2025 a success. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please reach out to us at tnto@tbn.ca. 

Committee volunteers needed

Presidential Nominating Committee. The President is stepping down at the end of this program year at the AGM. The board is looking for a committee of 3 to 5 members to search for and nominate a new President to be elected at the next AGM. The club must have a President to function so this is a very important volunteer position. If you are interested in volunteering for this committee or have any questions about it, please contact the President at president@tbn.ca. If you are interested in running for President or nominating someone else directly, please also contact president@tbn.ca.

new tbn facebook group

In order to provide a consolidated space to discuss TBN-related rides, social engagements, topics of interest and other activities related to our membership, the Board of Directors TBN has decided to create a TBN-owned Facebook group. We are asking our members to join the group and make it the go-to place for all TBN social interactions. Let's build together this space and make it "home". To join, click here. We are also looking for Facebook-savvy members who can help with moderation activities. If you are interested, please contact publicity@tbn.ca.

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.