Chain of Events
January 31, 2018
Thank you to our volunteers
TBN held a special thank you party last week to recognize volunteers from past years and welcome members who want to volunteer. President Ian Rankin presented two awards, to Patsy Cook and Mick O'Meara as TBN's Volunteers of the Year, and the special President's Award to Mary Newman for managing the 2017 Membership Survey. Mary has also stepped in to run the Friday Night riding program, which was threatened with extinction last year. Thank you Mary, Patsy, Mick and all the other volunteers.
If you want to volunteer, please contact Ian at president@tbn.ca.
Help at the TBN bike show booth
The Toronto International Bike Show, on March 2-4, will showcase everything that manufacturers are plotting for the season, and offer retailers, bike-friendly regions, tour operators and other vendors a chance to tout their wares. It's the perfect place to look for a new bike or new biking swag, or to find maps for that region that you've always wanted to explore.
As in past years, TBN will have a stand at the show to explain the club to newcomers and encourage them to join, or at least explain how they can come out for a test ride. Contact Ed at bikeshow@tbn.ca if you want to help at the booth.
The Bike Show takes place at the Better Living Centre on the Exhibition Grounds. TBN volunteers get free entry to the show.
Travel with TBN
TBN has an ever widening range of bicycle trips coming up this year, and registration opens soon.
Plans for 2018 include a repeat of our popular trips to Kentucky and the Niagara region in May, and two summer trips within Ontario, a loop from Barrie to Midland and a tour of the Halton Hills, with an overnight in Stratford. There will also be two trips to Quebec's bike-friendly Eastern Townships region in September, one of them dipping into distressingly hilly Vermont.
All the details will be available soon on the overnight trips section of the TBN website.
Wolf Den Feb 2-4 SOLD OUT
Our ski and snowshoe trip to Wolf Den cabins, near Algonquin Park, is sold out.
New York 5 Boro May 3-7 FULLY BOOKED
TBN's inaugural trip to the New York 5 Boro ride is sold out. Please contact Dan Richards 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 the rolling hills of Kentucky, run by Dinsmore Roach and Marie Ferguson. The trip will offer 10 days of cycling, 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.
Quebec's Eastern Townships Sept 7-14
Join fellow cyclists for a week of riding in the scenic Eastern Townships. You will stay all week at a comfortable 5-bedroom rented house, at unbeatable prices: $370/person single occupancy or $220/person, double occupancy (member pricing). Member registration opens on February 4. Check out the Overnight Trips page on that date.
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.
Members, non-members welcome at skating
TBN's Friday night skating programme runs right through the winter. Remember, you do not need a TBN membership to participate as we skate on public rinks. This is a social event, not an athletic one, and we welcome all levels of skaters, including beginners, as well as non-skaters. "Non-skaters?" you may ask. Well yes, sometimes we have had more people at the apres-skate than on the ice. Once we know the venue, skaters call their friends, and then the more the merrier. Watch the website for 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 on 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.
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.
May: TBN cycling trips to New York, Kentucky and the Niagara region. Details on the website.
May 12: TBN's Spring Kickoff breakfast. Stay tuned for details.
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 16-17: TNTO. This is our annual ride-to-Niagara Falls weekend, with a choice of routes starting from Toronto or from Stoney Creek near Hamilton.
June 24: TBN's annual Toronto-Niagara-Toronto Hairshirt ride. Registration is open now.
August 3-6: Cyclon. Join 200 TBNers for our annual signature event, offering four days of riding from a comfortable base in Waterloo, Ontario.
September: TBN overnight trips, to Quebec and to Vermont. Details coming soon.
Reminders
Print your own membership card
TBN now offers you the opportunity to print your own membership card and cut down on TBN administrative costs. Use your email and password to access your profile on 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.
Still space at TBN's spin sessions
TBN's superb indoor cycling training sessions at the downtown Adelaide Club are a fantastic way to stay fit and get ready for spring cycling. Master spinning instructor and competitive cyclist Carmen Diges develops these progressive classes and tests regularly so participants meet their goals. Plus, you'll get a chance to try the Adelaide's state-of-the-art Stages bikes, with power meter technology.
Classes are from 6:35 to 7:35 p.m on Wednesdays. The eight-week series is $90 plus HST. Please register with Lauren at 416-367-9957 x 4309 or lauren@adelaideclub.com.
Membership fees going up
Fees for rose 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 made clear 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 history. But Whistlers is closing in 2018, and we're looking for ideas for a new 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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