Gord's message: Welcome to our new Board
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First some thanks.
Thank you to the members at the AGM who elected me and the new Board for 2022. Thanks to the outgoing Board; you did an excellent job in difficult times for the past year or two. A special thank you to Martin Lansche for filling in as the Acting President for 2021; I look forward to taking this workload away from you. Thank you to the new Board for volunteering for 2022-23. We have a full Board this year so we are hopeful that more hands make for a bit less work for everyone. And finally, thank you to the Nominating Committee for convincing me to stand for election. I wouldn't have thought of it myself but I'm quite looking forward to it now that I'm here.
I won't promise any grand new plan for next year. I think the outgoing Board did a remarkable job to keep as much going as possible throughout the pandemic. I know things are going a bit backward at the moment but I do hope the pandemic will ease in 2022 and we can run more of our usual activities, most notably Cyclon, other overnight trips and some social events.
Until then do try to take advantage of the hikes, city walks, Zwift rides, skating and other activities we offer throughout the winter.
Happy Holidays and take care.
Gord Irish, President
TBN elect new Board for 2021-22
TBN has a newly constituted Board of Directors for fiscal 2021-22, including seven new faces and five incumbent directors returning for another year. The new Board was confirmed at TBN's Annual General Meeting, which took place November 24 via Zoom. A total of 62 members attended the meeting, which also included a unanimous vote to amend some aspects of the club's constitution. Among those amendments was a decision to change Board member terms from one year to two years, and to introduce, in this transition year, a process allowing staggered terms. The goal of this change is to ensure some continuity on the Board from year to year. Draft minutes of the AGM are available here, accessible only to TBN members after logging in.
David Gagne, John Anderson named Volunteers of the Year
David Gagne and John Anderson, in a very close race, have been named joint recipients of TBN's Volunteer of the Year prize for 2021. They stood at the top of a list of 100 members who helped out the club this year in some form of volunteer activity. Well done everyone! John was incredibly active last winter on the Fall/Winter hikes, both as the Program Coordinator and as a very frequent hike leader. Once spring came around, John became a regular leader of Wednesday Wheelies, Program X, and Freedom Friday rides. While John was seemingly everywhere on the many of our country-based programs, David was everywhere on the city based programs: as Program Coordinator of the Friday Night Rides program, as Hike Leader on many of the Winter hikes, and as a Ride Leader and/or Sweep on Friday Night rides, Wednesday Evening Rides, Saturday Morning Rides, Sunday Leisure Wheelers, and Tuesday Ravine Rides. Congrats guys!
Wolf Den cancelled
Alas, we have found ourselves forced to cancel TBN’s annual visit to Wolf Den Bunkhouse ’n Cabins, which had been scheduled for January 2022 as a weekend getaway for lovers of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. COVID restrictions have made this a risky proposition and we must play it safe. Let’s hope 2023 will bring better news on this normally very popular event.
New survey coming
We need your input! TBN will be conducting a survey in January to gather feedback on a number of issues and establish directions for the Board in planning for 2022. We will be seeking members’ thoughts on encouraging more members to take part in our events; ways to structure rides so that a wider spectrum of members will participate; and ways to support new and guest members, including through our planned reintroduction of the Ride Ambassador Program, which was on hold this past year due to COVID restrictions. Watch Chain of the Events and the website for updates on the timing of this new survey.
Update your User Profile
Did you know that you can control how frequently you get notifications about TBN Forum posts? The default frequency is "Daily", but you can choose "Weekly", or "Immediately". If you are trying to set up a Car-pool connection for an event, or you are hoping to be the first to respond to a Buy-or-Sell offer, then the "Daily" notification option may not be frequent enough for you.
Here is how you can change your setting: When you are logged into the TBN website, click on your name, and choose Edit Profile. Then select Email subscriptions. At the bottom of the page are your Forum subscriptions. Choose the frequency that you want for the forum.
Remember to press Save.
That's all there is to it!
Cross-country skiing
Thanks to volunteer Elena Balland we are expecting to launch cross-country skiing/snowshoeing trips again. Dates will be Saturdays and some Wednesdays as a rule, depending on snow conditions. The first trip is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 2, 2022, to Highlands Nordics. Registration is required with minimum four participants to make it a “go”. Members are expected to buy their own trail tickets. Since this is not a bus trip members are welcome to organize car-pooling by reaching out to each other. Alice Chan will be the temporary Program Coordinator. Check the calendar in the coming weeks for final comfirmation and postings on specific trips.
Volunteers needed
Member Experience Director Alice Chan would like to find a few good volunteers who are interested in spending time to make TBN a better club. The group will have frequent online meetings, projects and, if the COVID situation allows, social events. This will be a rewarding and fun opportunity where we will learn and grow together. Those interested are asked to contact Alice at experience@tbn.ca.
Winter activities continuing
TBN continues to offer weekly city walks and country hikes throughout December, with some possibly extending into the New Year, while the weather permits, with opportunities to explore some of Ontario's conservation areas and quiet city streets, ravines and paths.
Please note: TBN’s COVID-19 rules apply to hikes as well as they do to cycling. Numbers are limited and you need to register in advance and cancel that registration if you change your mind and cannot come. Guest registrations will be allowed if there is room.
Details of the walks are available here, and the country hike program is available here.
Don’t forget to bring a mask and hand sanitizer.
Reminders
Zwift your way to winter fitness
TBN has renewed its winter program of virtual rides this year, using the Zwift computer platform to provide indoor cycling as the weather turns cold, wet or snowy. From fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021 TBN hosted 69 Zwift Meetup rides. Can we beat that total this winter season?
Zwift allows us to offer curated rides in two fantasy worlds: Watopia and a Japanese-themed Makuri Islands, as well as virtual routes in London, France, Innsbruck, Yorkshire, Richmond and a futuristic New York City. There are almost 100 different routes, from gentle to extremely strenuous.
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 (day, time, distance and duration), and whether you are willing to host an event. Details about upcoming Zwift meetups will be posted on the TBN website. For more information about the meetups and about how to get started, see https://tbn.ca/zwiftmeetups.
TBN Retail Partners
Check the TBN website for for an updated list of cycling shops in the GTA that offer discounts to TBN members on merchandise, generous offers that ease the pain of buying new cycling gear. You might be asked to show your membership card to qualify for that discount. To access your card, log into the tbn.ca website and click on your name in the upper right corner of the page to view your profile. You can download the card to your smartphone or print it as a PDF.
