March 17, 2021

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President's Message

I am excited about the prospect of riding on roads and trails again, and I suspect you are too. There's new optimism regarding vaccine availability and I hope we'll have something more approaching a normal season as the summer develops. For now we are offering some TBN group rides, starting in April, as well as out-of-town Program-X/Pop-up rides, often scheduled at short notice. (Sign up here to get email notification of Program-X rides.)


If you planning a ride and would like some company, we welcome volunteers to host a Program-X/Pop-up ride. We also need volunteers for Directors, Program Coordinators, Ride/Event Leaders & Sweeps, Ambassadors and more. Contact me at president@tbn.ca if you are interested.


If you prefer to ride alone, or with a close group of friends, check out our extensive RideWithGPS library, where you can find cue sheets, maps and GPS links for our favourite rides in Toronto and beyond.


Limits on group gatherings are moving upward, but the trend is not fast enough for TBN to hold a Spring Kick off breakfast this year. And with a limited supply of registration spots, we will not be opening our rides to non-members. Travel plans will also take a hit -- see more details below.


Finally, my thanks to Veda Ko, our co-Treasurer, who is leaving the Board shortly due to personal demands for her time. I still hope to see Veda on some TBN rides in the future.

COVID-19 is still out there. Stay safe and healthy.

 

Martin Lansche
Acting President - Toronto Bicycling Network




April start dates planned for many rides


Tuesday Ravine Rides, Saturday Morning Rides and Sunday Leisure Wheeler Rides will start next month, although registration is currently limited to the ride leader. Check the TBN calendar for details on when registrations will open; it's typically five days before an event. The number of participants will continue to be dictated by the outdoor-gathering limits in place for Toronto, due to COVID-19. We hope other ride categories will start up soon.


A big thank you to the wonderful people who have already volunteered to lead rides and especially to the people who will be leading a TBN ride for the first time.


TBN jersey store opening soon

Any day now we will be opening up the Garneau online store for ordering TBN jerseys. Watch the website for a notice on this and link to our website page for visiting the store, choosing your size and style and placing your order online. Jerseys will be available a few weeks later.


Rising Phoenix is your next TBN movie

Join your TBN friends on Friday March 26 to watch Rising Phoenix, which is a movie about the Paralympic Games, the world's third-largest sporting event. You can watch the film on Netflix (you'll need an account) and then join an after movie discussion on the Zoom video chat program. Please register ahead of time on the TBN website.


If you have questions, please contact Lora at weekendtrips@tbn.ca

Cyclon cancelled for this year

After careful consideration, the CYCLON Committee has decided, with much regret, that it is in everyone's best interest to cancel Cyclon for 2021, given all the uncertainties about Covid and group meeting limits. The Cyclon committee is looking forward to planning the 2022 adventure.


Seeking your thoughts on TBN travel

Members are invited to participate in a short  Overnight Trips survey as we try to glean information about possible future trips. We're aware that we can't plan anything right now because of uncertainty with the COVID-19 restrictions, and we're not sure that it will be possible to have overnight trips this year. The survey will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. 


Virtual ride-leader workshops planned

TBN plans a pair of virtual ride-leader workshops, likely to take place before the end of April via Zoom. One will focus on city rides, one on country rides. If you are a regular ride leader, or aspire to lead a ride this year, watch Chain of Events and the website for details and dates.


Correction: Etienne Brule sewer work to run to 2022

Correction: Last month's Chain of Events optimistically advised that work to replace a major sewer pipe in the area around Etienne Brule Park would end in the spring. That was wrong: the City of Toronto is currently planning a completion date of June 2022. The work may prompt some bike path closures and will affect TBN's Humber River rides. Please take care when riding around the construction area.







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Reminders



TBN city walks will stay virtual


TBN's Virtual City Walks on Zoom will continue every second Sunday, due to the difficulty of staying distanced in a real-life group. However, for anyone interested in actually doing the walk, John Burdett will provide a RwGPS route, plus additional information to make the walks easier and more fun to do. The route and links to additional information will be included in the calendar entry.


Join our governance committee


TBN is looking for volunteers to join our governance committee. Please email Martin if you can help.



Our favourite volunteers


A baker's dozen of generous TBN members will receive gifts of a TBN jersey this year, based on their volunteer activities in the year gone by. That's up from the eight names announced at the annual meeting and takes account of additional volunteer activities in the final months of the year. The full list of recognized volunteers is:


John Anderson, Paul Bourdeau, John Burdett, David Gagné , Danny Harvey, Carole Hill, Dave Mader, Mick O’Meara, Andrew Paterson, Dinsmore Roach, Michael Varrick, Terry Walsh and Catherine Whitfield.


Many thanks to all of you.





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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