Chain of Events
October 6, 2017

It's time for the annual soiree

Our annual general meeting (AGM) and dinner dance is the biggest social event of the TBN year, with a chance to elect the new board and meet the volunteers who are behind everything that TBN does. Learn about TBN's priorities for the year ahead, and enjoy food, drink (cash bar) and great company at Whistlers Bar and Grill just north of Broadview subway station. The event starts at 6pm on Saturday, November 4, with a choice of menus for vegetarians and meat-eaters. Register before October 26 for the early bird pricing - $35 for members and $45 for non-members.

Check the website for more details.

Rides starting later

With the cooler fall weather, some TBN rides are starting later than during the summer months -- both the Sunday Tourist ride and the Wednesday Wheelies now start at 10am. Check the website for details of these rides, and of all the other activities that TBN is offering. Note there are Tourist and Urban Roller rides on Thanksgiving Monday, so you can get your metabolism going before sitting down to that huge Thanksgiving dinner. 

Fall Programs

Hiking and City Walks begins this month, check the website for details.

Ride the Big Apple

Do you want to help TBN explore the possibility of a trip to the massive Five-Boro-Bike ride in New York next year? The event, which takes place on the first Sunday in May, takes 32,000 cyclists along a relaxed-pace 40-mile (65-km) route through New York City's five boroughs. You'll cross bridges that are usually closed for bicycles, and ride along traffic-free streets in the company of thousands of others, with music along the way and a big party at the end. Click the link for a short video of the tour.

Please contact Dan Richards if you are interested in joining a small committee to look at the options for TBN participation in the ride.

A small step toward bicycle safety

After two years of meetings, letter-writing campaigns and other lobbying, NDP Ontario legislator Cheri DiNovo has introduced a private members' bill to help vulnerable road users, like cyclists and pedestrians. TBN joined other organizations at a news conference to introduce the new bill, which offers stiffer penalties for offences where a vulnerable road user is killed or seriously injured. That includes:

• mandatory driving re-education courses for those found guilty of serious offences against vulnerable road users
• automatic licence suspension for a significant period of at least a year 
  
• community service
  

If this bill is passed, it will become the very first VRU law in Canada. Most recent cycling bills started out as private members bills and then became part of the government's agenda. We hope this will happen again.

Click here to see the Sept. 27 news conference introducing the bill.

Ski with High Park

High Park Ski Club welcomes TBN members at their New Members and Trips night on Thursday, October 19th at 7pm at the Raiders E-Sports Centre at 439, St Clair Avenue, West.

The evening is a chance to find out about HPCS's Alpine and Nordic ski day and overnight trips ahead of the October 26 sign-up date for overnight trips. High Park's Alpine programmes comprise downhill skiing and snowboarding, while the Nordic ones are for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. If you join at the event, you will be eligible to sign up for trips. Claim your free drinks ticket at the door, and a special passport for the event's prize draw. (Get your passport stamped at every table to be eligible for the draw.)

Check the High Park Ski Club's website for more details about the club.

As always, check the TBN website for details of all the rides and other events that are coming up, and remember to check back a couple of hours before a ride in case it's changed or cancelled because of poor weather, or other factors beyond our control.

Reminders:

Deals and special offers on bike stuff, tours, rides, and so on

TBN partners offer great deals for our members. Discounts are also available at numerous bike stores, special bike tours outside Ontario, charity ride registration, and much more. Please support TBN's great partners. 

Soon to be added is a special offer from Watts Up, which offers indoor spinning on your own bike at two GTA locations. Details to be posted in the next few days.

Remember you must present your valid TBN membership card for a discount at any TBN discount partner. 

TBN has an iPhone app

TBN's iPhone app lists all upcoming rides and events. Look for "Toronto Bicycling Network" in the App store. We'll have an Android app soon as well, but for now if you don't have an iPhone, please bookmark our mobile friendly site (http://www.tbnapplications.com/mobile/events.php).

RWGPS

1. You must be a member of the club account at RWGPS to take advantage of some of the features outlined below. First, create your own personal account (either a free one, or a paid one) and then go to the club page (https://ridewithgps.com/clubs/27-toronto-bicycling-network), and submit a request to join. Membership gives you access to 300+ club rides, and you can filter those down to find the ride you want.

2. Check this comprehensive summary of how to use the TBN account on RWGPS to load a map and route onto your Garmin or to generate a printable map and cue sheet. As mentioned above, you must be a member of the club account at RWGPS to use these facilities.

3. Visit YouTube for an instructional video on how to create and print a customized map and cue sheet using TBN's RideWithGPS account.

4. And check out this video for details on how to load a TBN ride onto your smartphone -- a useful tool for people who don't own a separate GPS device.

Remember to visit the TBN calendar of events to find out more about what's coming up. That little TTC logo below will help alert you to any subway closures, of which there may be many in 2017.