The Toronto Bicycling Network Inc.

March 20, 2019

Are you ready to ride?

We're almost there. The ice is thawing, the temperatures are rising, and TBN's first official ride of the season is scheduled for next week, a Wednesday Wheelie excursion starting from Victoria Square Park in Markham. We have weekend rides just a few days after that as well: a Saturday morning ride and a Sunday Urban Roller cruise. And as always, all TBN rides are on the website. It's always a good idea to check back two hours in advance of a ride in case of cancellation due to weather.

Welcome our new subscribers

A special welcome from all at TBN to the riders who signed up at the Toronto Bike Show to receive regular issues of Chain of Events. We hope you enjoy the newsletter, and that you'll follow up by joining us on some rides, and of course, by joining the club.

Help our new riders

TBN has a new project for the 2019 cycling season: the creation of a group of club ambassadors who will tell new members about the club and make sure they have fun on their first TBN rides. The ambassadors will reach out to new members and answer their questions, and make sure they don't ride alone on their first excursions with the club. See the website for more details, or contact member experience director Mary Newman at experience@tbn.ca if you want to help.

Ride the Big Apple

TBN's May 2-6 excursion to New York's dramatic Five Boro Ride is open for registration. See the travel section of this newsletter for more details about this trip, and about the other exciting trips that TBN has to offer this year.

Ride for Heart 2019: volunteers needed

TBN is looking for volunteers to help at Ride for Heart, a once-a-year chance to ride the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway with thousands of other cyclists. It's a car-free, cost-free ride for our two groups of volunteer riders, who can meet up after the ride for a beer-and-wings celebration at a local pub, courtesy of Ride for Heart.

As in previous years, we need 40-50 “Ride Ambassadors,” who will wear supplied Ride for Heart T-shirts and help throughout the route with roadside assistance such as minor mechanical issues or calling for first-aid.

And the organisers have also asked TBN to supply at least 15 pairs of volunteers for the new “Ride marshals” role, to ensure rider safety along the route, including urging participants to slow down and/or take greater care. The marshals, riding in pairs, will wear the new TBN jerseys, plus identifying arm bands supplied by Ride for Heart.

The ride takes place on Sunday, June 2. Please register no later than April 30.

Mark your calendar for Spring Kickoff

Mark your calendar now for TBN's Spring Kickoff, which takes place on Saturday, May 11 at Etienne Brule Park in Etobicoke. More details on the website.

Travel with TBN

TBN has several exciting trips planned for this cycling season. Here are some of the details.

New York Five Boro Bike Ride: May 2-May 6

There are still slots for TBN's second excursion to New York's exciting May 5 Five Boro Bike Tour, when 32,000 cyclists get the once-a-year chance to ride along car-free roads and bridges that will be closed to traffic for the event. Our plan: car pool to the New York area on Thursday, May 2, enjoy the ride, play tourist in New York, and return to Toronto on Monday, May 6. See the website to register.

Niagara Bike and Hike: May 18-20 NINE SLOTS LEFT

Join our fifth annual trip to the Niagara region, set for Victoria Day weekend. Enjoy the quiet roads and paved bike paths in this scenic area, just a couple of hours' drive from Toronto, from a comfortable base at the Niagara College near Niagara-on-the-Lake. This trip will sell out fast; as we went to press there were just nine slots left.

Tour de l'Île de Montréal: May 31-June 2 WAITLIST ONLY

TBN's first trip to the Go Bike Montreal festival is sold out, but you can still join the waiting list, in case another rider has to pull out at short notice. More details on the TBN website.

New trip ideas?

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

Reminders:

Still room at spin sessions

We've got a few more indoor cycling training sessions lined up at the downtown Adelaide Club for a fantastic way to get ready for spring cycling. Classes are on Wednesdays from 6:35 to 7:35 p.m., with the last class scheduled for April 10. Four sessions are $50 plus HST. Register with Lauren at 416-367-9957 x 4309 or lauren@adelaideclub.com.

And finally, don't forget TBN's city walks are still taking place Sunday mornings, offering good company as you walk through city parks and ravines.

Thank you to our volunteers

Thanks once again to all our volunteers for their work over the year. Some of you showed up at the Paupers Pub earlier this month for fun, cake and fingerfood, plus a recognition from the organizers of the Ride to Conquer Cancer for TBN's help last year.

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.