December 16, 2020

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Happy holidays to everyone at TBN

Wishing everyone at TBN a happy holiday season, and a healthy and successful 2021. Here's hoping for a more normal year, perfect weather and lots and lots of bicycle (s)miles.





Meet your new TBN Board


A total of 78 members joined TBN's first virtual annual meeting last month, electing a new board and offering thanks to three departing board members. Newcomers are Sonia Stramagllia, who takes over as communications director, and Dennis Szilvasy, who will be TBN's new touring director, responsible for coordination with program coordinators. Departing members were Dave Mader, Mary Newman and Pam Kraft. Our sincere thanks to them for their valuable input.


Looking forward, we hope for a return to more usual times after cancelling much of the 2020 season because of COVID-19. Our rides and other activities were severely curtailed for much of the season, and we held just one social event, in March before the lockdown. Draft minutes of the annual meeting are available here -- you have to be logged in as a TBN member to read the document.


Click on the photo below to go to our Board of Directors page.




Martin Lansche is TBN's acting president


TBN's Board has elected Martin Lansche as acting president to replace John Clausen, who resigned November 26. Martin, an avid cyclist since he was four, will serve as acting president until the next annual meeting, adding this responsibility to his existing role as TBN's Technical Director. A retired IBM Canada mainframe systems programmer and web consultant to Fortune 500 clients, Martin also volunteers for TBN as a ride sweep, leader and ambassador, and as the coordinator for our winter-season virtual Zwift rides.




John Burdett is TBN's volunteer of the year


Many thanks to all our TBN volunteers, and especially to John Burdett, TBN's volunteer of the year. Speaking at the annual meeting, then President John Clausen also extended special thanks to a number of volunteers who served with particular dedication during 2020 as ride leaders and coordinators: Danny Harvey, David Gagné, Terry Walsh, John Anderson, Dinsmore Roach, Paul Bourdeau and Michael Varrick.





Toronto Bike Show will be back in 2022


The Toronto International Bicycle Show, scheduled for March 2021, has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and will return in 2022. TBN has played a role in the show each year, with a busy booth in the exhibition area, and we always welcome the opportunity to greet old and new friends. Sadly, that forum is on hold for another year.





Travel with TBN



COVID has wreaked havoc with TBN's 2020 trips, but we're hoping for better times ahead. To join TBN's Trips Committee, which plans new adventures for TBN members, please email Lora at weekendtrips@tbn.ca









Winter at Wolf Den   Jan 29-31 2021     REGISTRATION OPENS JAN 10 


We'll make a final decision next month on whether to run our now-classic winter weekend trip to the rustic Wolf Den lodge, near the west entrance to Algonquin Park, where skiing, snowshoeing and skating are all available. If the COVID situation allows, registration will on January 10.


This trip will only go ahead if the COVID situation allows.



Reminders


Zwift through the winter


As the weather turns colder, look for more Zwift Meetup events on the TBN calendar. Zwift "Intro" Meetups are for new riders on the virtual platform, on easy, relatively flat routes, while "Exploring" Meetups are longer and more challenging. We'll ride in virtual London, New York, Paris, Innsbruck and a host of other places, and chat as we go using the Discord app. You'll need a bike and a smart trainer -- one that connects to your computer or smartphone to simulate a route.


This is the closest you can get to a real-world ride with friends, and you don't even have to leave home.


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 for day, time, distance and duration, and whether you are willing to host an event.



Join TBNers for virtual city walks



Join your TBN friends for virtual walks in Toronto and beyond, where we use Google streetview to explore neighbourhoods and chat on Zoom about key sights. Our Zoom conferences start at around 10:10 am on Sundays. Details on the TBN website.



Update your TBN Profile


Please make sure your TBN club profile is up to date so we can get in touch with you. Is your email address still valid? What about your emergency contact? Do you want to upload a picture, so we know what you look like? What rides interest you? Are you willing to volunteer? TBN is a volunteer-run club and we're always looking for more people who can help.

To update your profile, first log into the TBN website, then click on your name and click on Edit Profile. When you are done, press Save to store your changes.







Next year's membership is free for paid-up members


We lost most of our 2020 riding season because of COVID19, so as a big thank you for bearing with us, TBN will automatically extend membership by 365 days for all members in good standing (those who have paid their dues in full). You lost your 2020 season with TBN, so we’re giving you another one.


The background: TBN was unable to operate at all from March through July, and our schedule has been limited since August. And with a second wave underway, we know we won't be offering our normal slate of winter activities.


We’ll take another look at membership dues as we continue through these challenging times and will do our utmost to continue to offer great value to all our members.


If you have questions or comments about membership, please email us at membership@tbn.ca or experience@tbn.ca.






Remember to visit the TBN calendar of events to find out more about what's coming up. The little TTC logo below will help alert you to any subway closures.

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