October 26, 2022

Gord's message: Riding season winds down

As the end of October is near we see the riding season winding down. I hope everyone got out for a possibly last ride in the warm weather this past weekend; the weather was great. We can look back on an excellent year. Cyclon and our spring and fall social events returned and were very successful. We enjoyed the ride programs, all returning to normal. 

TBN is not hibernating until spring though. The indoor Zwift rides have already started. Also started are the in-person city walks and the fall/winter hiking series. Look for a new "No drop" hiking program for those who find the current hiking program too fast or long. Later in the winter there will be an enhanced cross-country skiing program.

Upcoming on Nov. 23 is the club's Annual General Meeting, set to confirm changes in positions on the board of directors. The AGM will be virtual again this year. I encourage you to attend. This is your opportunity to elect the new board for next year, provide feedback to the board on the club and to hear about plans for next year. We expect to hold an in-person social event sometime later.

Gord Irish, President

Save the date for TBN's virtual annual meeting

TBN's Annual General Meeting is scheduled for 7 pm on Nov. 23. As in recent years, this will be a virtual gathering. Please join if you can to hear our overview of 2022 activities and our plans for 2023.

The AGM is an important event in TBN's calendar, the forum to approve the Club’s financial statements and nominate and vote on the board of directors for 2022-23. 

As in previous years, all TBN members in good standing will receive a separate email with an invitation to the virtual meeting with the meeting details, and how to register for the meeting. We will also post details on our calendar.

Harvest Ontario Protest re proposed highway 413

The Highway 413 protest rally on Oct. 1 went off rather well and TBN was well represented on both the east and west rides. A round of applause for our TBN volunteers on the rides. Jerry Fisch did a great job leading the east ride along with Dave Mader. Danny Harvey did a great job organizing a tour to follow the protest ride. Special thanks to the people that rode: Frank Piazza, Nish Shah, Leszek Tatatuta, Alice Chan, Steve Clayman, Leila Davaran, Marc Giles and Dinsmore Roach.

It was disappointing that a large number of other cycling clubs did not attend except for the Brampton Cycling Club, some of whose members visited the protest rally site. Dave Mader produced a map (below) to show how the proposed highway 413 would impact routes TBN uses for its rides in the Vaughan and Caledon regions.

I think this map shows all of us the insanity of a road that goes into the countryside and destroys rural areas. I believe everyone in the cycling world should follow the ongoing news about this highway. Presently this project is held up for up to two years because an environmental study has to be done in the Nashville, Ont., area to determine the effects the route will have on the headwaters area of the Humber River. We cannot afford to sit back and do nothing.

Dennis Szilvasy, Touring Director TBN

How to ride in the dark, rain or snow: A show and tell

Andrew Paterson, TBN's Education Director, is hosting a one-hour online zoom session Nov. 9, beginning at 7 pm, to offer some tips on riding in the dark or in rain or snow. Participants will be encouraged to talk about tricks and items they use to help them navigate these tricky conditions. Topics will include winter tires, fenders and lights, as well as clothing, with special attention to feet, hands, head and ears. Register here to join and share your experiences and insights.

Cyclon survey shows high approval rating

Thanks to all those who took the time to complete the Survey Monkey regarding Cyclon 2022. Your feedback will help ensure that next year's event is even better! This year we received 92 survey responses, out of a possible 131, with a whopping 85% “excellent” approval rating! Of, course, this result would not have been achieved without the wonderful support of our volunteers. Without you, we would not be able to run such a fabulous event.

On behalf of the entire Cyclon committee, we thank you for all your help. If you have been thinking about joining the Cyclon planning committee, please email cyclon@tbn.ca. Planning for Cyclon 2023 (and beyond) will commence in January.   

TBN City Walks now under way

If you are looking for something to do when the weather is too cool for cycling, consider joining leader John Burdett on some City Walks. This fall we will be doing something old and something new. As of Oct. 16 we are running a walk every Sunday. New for this year, beginning on Oct. 27, we will also be doing walks on Thursdays during the day. 

For more information, check out the City Walks page. Members who have questions are asked to email John at citywalks@tbn.ca.

TBN hiking season has started

TBN’s schedule of Sunday fall and winter hikes kicked off on Oct. 16 and continues in the coming weeks. Hikes will take place on Sundays throughout the fall and winter (weather permitting), starting at 10 am. Please arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of time. Details of each hike can be found on the TBN calendar.

You must register in advance and cancel that registration if you change your mind and cannot come. Guest registrations 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.

TBN cross-country skiing coming soon

TBN Social Director Marc Giles will be taking over as the club's Cross-country Skiing Coordinator this year. There are at least 10 XC Ski "resorts" with groomed trails within two hours of downtown Toronto. Most offer both classic and skate trails/rentals. Also, for those of you who don't ski, several have snowshoeing trails. We plan to offer a meetup restaurant location for avant ski breakfast.

Finally, XC Skiing may be moving to Saturdays this year, but, as always, will depend on snow conditions.

Hope to see you on the snowy trails this winter.

r.

Safer cycling questions and answers

This is the first in a series of occasional columns by TBN Education Director Andrew Paterson, addressing common questions about cycling safety and etiquette. Questions should be sent to education@tbn.ca

This time we have three questions:

Q: When riding as a group, when we turn at an intersection, do we all need to provide hand signals?

A: Under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act ( HTA ), a bicycle is considered a vehicle, just like a car or truck. As a cyclist, you must, a) obey all traffic laws and b) have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers, which includes hand signals.

Q: Is it ok for bikes to take advantage of the pedestrian advance walk lights?

A: The Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI), also known as Pedestrian Head Start Signal program, provides an advanced walk signal so that pedestrians begin to cross the street before vehicles get a green signal. Since bikes are considered vehicles, they should wait for the green signal.

Q: What is the proper etiquette when we come to stop at a red signal that has a right-hand turn lane?

A: When coming to a stop at a light that has a right-hand turn lane make sure you keep the right-hand turn lane clear to allow other vehicles to turn right.

Zwift your way to winter fitness

TBN has renewed its winter program of virtual rides this year, using the Zwift computer platform to provide an almost limitless number of indoor rides as the weather turns cold, wet or snowy. We are now scheduling morning rides on Mondays (regardless of weather), and on Wednesdays and Fridays when the outdoor weather forecast is poor. Watch the TBN Calendar for scheduled rides. 

From fall 2021 to spring 2022 TBN hosted 70 Zwift Meetup 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 and a futuristic New York City. There are more than 100 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 Calendar. For more information about the meetups and about how to get started, see https://tbn.ca/zwiftmeetups.

Complimentary Membership Policy

There have been a number of questions posed to board members recently about TBN's policy/process for awarding complimentary membership to our active volunteers. We have been following a policy/process within the board since at least 2018 (with a few very minor changes in the intervening years), but it has not been formally shared with the club membership until now. Click  to view our current Complimentary Membership Policy

Need to cancel a registration for an event?

We have tried to clear up the process for cancelling your event registrations. We have updated the How to Cancel my Event Registration page on the website. The links in each event now show

for registered users. See the web page for more details.

Martin Lansche, Technical Director