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February 15, 2025

President's message

I was recently in hospital for a week for surgery. This was not an emergency but a long-standing issue that had deteriorated over time. I am back home from hospital now and recovering well. Full recovery will take about three months, I look forward to joining you back on the roads in May.

Thank you to Martin Lansche for acting as the President while I was in hospital.

--Gord Irish

TBN at Toronto Bicycle Show

It's time to think spring! We are excited to participate once again in the Toronto Bicycle Show and E-Bike Expo, which will take place March 7–9 at the International Centre, Hall 5, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga. Free parking will be available. If you go, save $3 by ordering your ticket online. 

During the show, TBN will share cycling information with prospective members, promote enthusiasm for the sport, and raise awareness about the many cycling opportunities available in our city and beyond.

We’re looking for volunteers to help out during the event. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Italo at publicity@tbn.ca. Thank you for supporting TBN!

TBN Social/Education events

Southern Ontario Trip presentation, Feb. 18. In this month's trip presentation TBN member Brian Smeenk talks about his 2,500 km Opportunity Road Ride around southern Ontario to raise funds for the Merit Award Bursary Program. He completed a loop from Toronto to Fort Erie, west to Leamington, then north to Sarnia and along Lake Huron to Wiarton, then east through Barrie and the Kawarthas to Ottawa, south to Cornwall, then home along Lake Ontario, all in three weeks. The event is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. It will be held at the Toronto Public Library's Northern District Branch, 40 Orchard View Blvd., in the main floor meeting room. More information and registration can be found here.

Movie Night at Bike Depot Leaside, Feb. 20, 6:30 pm. We will be meeting for a social movie night. Registration is now open here. 

Dancing on the Danforth, Feb. 22. This will be a very special evening as it will feature the band that played the TBN AGM last November. The Tim Bovaconti Band 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 can be found here.

TBN Pub Quiz, Feb. 25. The TBN Pub Quiz series has been moved to the last (or second last) Tuesday of each month. The change was made because the Prenup Pub, which is one of the best and most interesting in the GTA, is much quieter on Tuesdays. Registration for the February quiz is now open via the calendar. More details about the new participant-centred quiz format and about the Prenup Pub are available here.

Epic Bike Adventure Presentation, March 17. Dream of cycling across stunning landscapes but not sure where to start? Join us for Epic Bike Rides for the Average Cyclist: RAGBRAI, BRAG, and the Tuscany Trail—a free, engaging presentation on three incredible cycling experiences. Learn what it’s like to ride across Iowa, Georgia and Italy, from logistics to must-see highlights. Whether you're a casual cyclist or planning your first big ride, this event is packed with inspiration and practical tips. TBN Communications Director Italo Bravo will draw from his experiences during this hour. The event will be held in the main floor meeting room at the Northern District Library near Eglinton subway on March 17. You can register 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.

Who's coming on my ride? - a tool for ride/event leaders

As the outdoor cycling season will soon be upon us, we will be seeing new faces at our rides. If you are a ride leader, one of your responsibilities is to ensure newcomers are welcomed, assisted and engaged. The new and improved "Who's coming on my ride?" application will give you a list of all who are registered for your event, and will provide clues about those who are "new" to TBN: members who have recently joined TBN, those who have been at few events, those who are 30-Day-Trial members, and those who are non-members are highlighted on the application. 

You can use this tool for events up to seven days in advance, and it can also be used at the start location from a mobile phone for last-minute checking. 

The "Who's coming on my ride?" application can be found here. Below is a sample of what this form looks like.

Committee volunteers needed

Volunteer of the Year Review Committee. There was significant feedback regarding the volunteer of the year citation at the AGM. The program needs a review and some improvements. The board has decided to create a committee of three to five members to conduct the review and recommend changes to the program. Typical tasks for the committee would be to review the current feedback, conduct research and then compile the results and recommend changes. The term of the committee would run until the changes are accepted by the board. We need some input on this, so please do consider volunteering, especially if you have wondered in the past how these decisions have been reached. Fresh ideas are most welcome and the time commitment is minor.

Presidential Nominating Committee. The President is stepping down at the end of this program year at the AGM. The board will create a nominating committee of three to five members to search for a new President. While the club will actively search for a new President, typically the position is filled by directly asking candidates. Committee members should be prepared to identify possible candidates and approach them directly. The term of the committee would run until a new President is found.

If you are interested in volunteering for either of these committees or have any questions, please contact the President at president@tbn.ca

Hikes, walks and skating

"No-Drop" is having an exciting four days of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at Arrowhead Provincial Park, Feb. 21-24 (see Facebook post image below). Members and non-members can join for one to four days. Beginners are welcome. Registration is open. See overnight trips chart for links to calendar pages. Contact Alice at no-drop@tbn.ca for questions. Alice would like to offer her sincere thanks to Dave Yates for volunteering to coordinate new No-Drop events, and for leading and searching for new routes for both winter hiking and summer cycling. 

Other TBN winter activities continue in February, with rural hiking running every Sunday morning. Ice skating is on now too, on Friday evenings at various rinks in the city. Check the calendar.


Overnight Trips 2025 

TBN offers multi-day trips for cycling, cross-country skiing, camping and hiking, so join us for fun, social and athletic trips full of fresh air with your TBN friends. Visit the calendar or our overnight trips page for full details.

Trip leaders are advised that a single leader of a trip will be paid an honorarium by TBN as a token of appreciation. The honorarium will consist of the greater of (a) a single registrant accommodation cost, or (b) $50. If there are multiple leaders sharing the trip organization/running then the subsequent leaders will receive a $50 honorarium. These honorarium amounts can be pooled and shared by multiple leaders. 

We will soon open registration for our new summer Wolf Den Trip for three nights, June 27-30. You will be able to participate in multiple activities such as biking, hiking, swimming, canoeing and wildlife watching. You can use the sauna and make a campfire and enjoy stargazing at night. 

Here is a list of other trips planned so far in 2025.

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. 
Tell your friends who may be wondering about TBN, and who want to give us a try, about our 30-Day-Trial option.

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 will open Jan. 18 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.

As of this writing, this event is full but members are encouraged to join the wait list. 

Update to Ride Leaders Report application 

We are in the process of making a set of changes to the Ride Leaders Report application. The first set of changes include:

  • Instead of the 10-30+ seconds response time seen previously, you will now see sub second response time.
  • Program Choices has been cleaned up to match our current programs.
  • A number of cosmetic changes have been made.

Please share your favourite gravel routes

TBN is planning some upcoming gravel rides and we would love to gather your route ideas and suggestions! If you have any favourite gravel routes close to the Greater Toronto Area, please share them with Communications Director Italo Bravo at publicity@tbn.ca. We're especially interested in routes with a mix of scenic paths, safe road crossings, and some great gravel stretches.

Feel free to include details like distance, elevation, gpx files and any must-see spots along the way, such as stops for coffee or lunch. Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

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 www.tbn.ca, click on your name, then click Edit Profile. When you are done, press Save to commit your changes.

Event registration reminder

Please remember to login to the TBN website prior to registering for our Events. If you are not logged in, the system does not know who you are, and may only offer you the Guest Rider registration choice. Also, when you are logged into the TBN website, a lot of members-only content appears.

Chain of Events editor is Rick MacMillan. Email coe@tbn.ca.

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