Chain of Events
January 10, 2018

Seeking past, present and future TBN volunteers

Join your fellow volunteers at this year's TBN Volunteer Appreciation Night, at the Firkin on Bloor (81 Bloor Street East at Yonge) on Tuesday, January 23 for a night of fun and festivities. Meet other other TBN volunteers, see who won the 'Volunteers of the Year' for 2017 and the President's Award and find out how you can help make 2018 a really great year for TBN. If you have friends who want to volunteer, why not bring them along as well.  

Doors open at 6:30 and pub finger food will be available (cash bar). Please register ahead of time, so we know how much food to order.


Print your own membership card

TBN now offers you the opportunity to print your own membership card and cut down on TBN administrative costs. You will need to access your TBN profile. Use your email and password to log into the TBN website, and then click on your name at the top left of the page. The membership card will appear under Membership Details. If you want a hard copy of the card, please email membership@tbn.ca to request one.  

Travel with TBN

It's not too early to think about all the trips that TBN has coming up this year, and registration will open soon for a variety of different adventures, some old, some new. Plans for 2018 include a repeat of our popular trips to Kentucky and the Niagara region in May, and two trips to Quebec's bike-friendly Eastern Townships region in September. We're planning a couple of multi-day adventures within Ontario too, one of them from Barrie to Orillia, and one from London to Burlington. All the details will be available on the overnight trips section of the TBN website.

Wanakita Jan 12-14 WEDNESDAY SIGNUP DEADLINE

You have a Wednesday deadline to sign up for TBN's annual trip to the comfortable YMCA Camp Wanakita on beautiful Koshlong Lake in the Haliburton Highlands. Friday snacks and five delicious meals are included in the cost of $234 for members and $246 for non-members. Activities include classic skiing on 25km of on-site groomed trails, snowshowing (showshoes provided) and skating on the lake (bring your own skates). There's also tobogganing, and a night ski to a bonfire.

Check the Overnight trips page of the website for details and to register.

Wolf Den February 2-4 FULL UP

Our Feb 2-4 weekend ski trip to Wolf Den is full.


New York 5 Boro May 3-7 ONE SPACE LEFT

We've got just one slot left TBN's inaugural trip to the New York 5 Boro ride, on May 6 next year. We'll car pool to the New York area and spend four nights in New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan. The plan includes rides near the city and then the 65-km 5 Boro ride, which takes you along streets and bridges that will be closed for traffic for the once-a-year occasion. Check the website for details, and click here to sign up (or join the waiting list).

The 5 Boro ride started in 1977 with 250 riders. Next year 32,000 riders will join the relaxed-pace ride, with bands and music along the route, plus a big party at the end. Click the link for a short video of the ride.

Please contact Dan Richards if you are want more information, or if you want to find your own accommodation but still join the group of TBN riders.

Kentucky Bluegrass Country May 18-May 28

Registration opens on March 1 for TBN's 3rd cycling vacation in Kentucky, run by Dinsmore Roach and Marie Ferguson. The trip will offer 10 days of cycling in the rolling hills of Kentucky, including a weekend of rides with the Blue Grass Cycling Club: the Horsey Hundred. We will carpool to Lexington, Kentucky, for the start of the trip, which will cost $799 for members, $850 for non-members. Click here for more information.


Niagara Bike & Hike May 18-21

Registration will open mid February for our popular Victoria Day Weekend trip to the Niagara region, the perfect way to get your riding season off to a good start. To keep this trip affordable, we'll once again be staying at the Niagara College student residence in Welland. This weekend has sold out quickly for the last two years, so sign up fast. Watch the website for details. 



Contact Jeannie at weekendtrips@tbn.ca if you have any suggestions for a trip or if you wish to lead one. Trip leaders have their fees paid by TBN.


Still space at TBN's spin sessions

Did you resolve to stay fit this winter? TBN's superb indoor cycling training sessions at the downtown Adelaide Club are a fantastic way to do that and get ready for spring cycling. We'd love to have more participants at our next eight-week session, which starts January 17 and runs until March 7. Master spinning instructor and competitive cyclist Carmen Diges carefully develops these progressive classes and regularly tests so participants meet their personal goals. Plus, you'll get a chance to try the Adelaide's new state-of-the-art Stages bikes, with power meter technology.

Classes are from 6:35 to 7:35 p.m on Wednesday nights. The eight-week series is $90 plus HST. Please register with Lauren at 416-367-9957 x 4309 or lauren@adelaideclub.com.


Embrace winter

You don't have to stay inside this winter. TBN offers weekly skating through the season, visiting different rinks around the city every Friday night, plus Sunday morning city walks along quiet streets and through parks and ravines. Check out the website for more details.


Calling Hairshirt riders

TBN has opened registration for the annual Hairshirt ride, which takes place on Sunday, June 24. Ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls in the morning/afternoon, and back in the afternoon/evening for a total one-day distance of 322km. Check the website for more details of this challenging once-a-year ride.


What's coming up?

A quick note of some of the bike-focused events to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. If you have something to add to this new feature in Chain of Events, please email the editor at coe@tbn.ca.

January 23: Watch your email for details of TBN's big volunteer appreciation evening.

January/February: TBN ski trips to Wanakita and Wolf Den. Details on the website.

February 3: Cycle Toronto hosts its annual Coldest Day of the Year Ride. The event starts at 11:30 am at Alexander the Great Parkette (Danforth Ave at Logan Ave), and continues with a short, family-friendly ride starting at noon. Click here for details.

March 2-4: Toronto International Bike Show. TBN will have a booth at the show, and we'll be looking for volunteers to help answer questions from visitors. More details coming early next year in Chain of Events.

May: TBN cycling trips to New York, Kentucky and the Niagara region. Details on the website.

June 3: Ride for Heart. It's never too early to start fundraising for this annual event, which gives you a chance to ride your bike along the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway, along with tens of thousands of other riders.

June 24: TBN's annual Toronto-Niagara-Toronto Hairshirt ride. Registration is open now.

September: More TBN trips, to Quebec and to Vermont.

Reminders

Membership fees going up

After more years than the current Chain of Events staff can remember, fees for TBN membership will rise from January 1 to keep finances stable as costs rise. This means, for example, that the renewal fee for a single member will go up to $40 from $35. Respondents to TBN's 2017 membership survey described TBN as excellent value for money and they were open to higher fees.

Where do we go for near year's party/AGM?

Whistlers Bar and Grill has hosted TBN's annual meeting (and dinner dance) more often than any other venue in the club's long history. But Whistlers is closing for good in 2018, and we're looking for new ideas for a location to help us celebrate the year,. Please email social director Susan Bishop at social@tbn.ca if you have suggestions for a venue for the 2018 event.

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.

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

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.


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.

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