Our Monday and Wednesday night EASY RIDES are starting. Last week however, the evening ride was washed out, so we’re going to try again.

These Easy Rides are particularly beneficial for new riders who are new to cycling, but also a valuable opportunity for experienced riders to “slow it down” a little (your body will thank you). Remember back in the day when you had to walk to school 5 miles and it was uphill both ways….back in the days when you were new to cycling, and others supported you even if you whined? Well, there are plenty of new members in the club who would love it if the more experienced ones could mentor a bit, sharing that wealth of experience.

We said easy, and we mean easy! The pace will be set by those who are in attendance and nobody will get left behind. In the spirit of “group” ride we will travel together in a group. These rides were a big success last year because of the awesomeness of our club members who know how to have fun. (There’s a reason we were voted Best Cycling Club in Eastern Canada)

Start time: 7:00pm
Location: Donegan Park
Ride Leader: Paul Mills
Route: To be determined by ride leader

Please comment below to say you’re coming!

Riding along enjoying the scenery in the countryside is fun, but all that fun changes when you find yourself at the side of the road with a flat tire. It happens. It happens frequently enough that we are encouraging all of our club members to carry certain essentials while out riding.Continue reading→

This Sunday we’ll do the same as Thursday’s ride from the Port Hope Town Hall at 10:00am. The weather looks very promising, unlike Wednesday’s evening Easy Ride that was a washout. This normal route is 46km, starting and ending at the Port Hope Town Hall.

Shorter route (26km): When you get to Massey Rd., just continue straight through to Morrish Church Road where you can re-join the rest of the ride. Review the map in advance to see where that is.

Extended route (61km): Meet at the Canadian Tire parking lot in Cobourg at 9:30am and we’ll bike to Port Hope. (The added distance will make for about a 61km ride in total)

Please print out the route map and bring it with you if you are planning to ride.

Start time: 10:00am (in Port Hope) or 9:30am (at Canadian Tire)
Start location: Port Hope Town Hall (or Canadian Tire Cobourg)
Route map and directions: “The Osaca Odyssey” (A Ganaraska Freewheelers route)

Please comment below if you are starting in Port Hope, or if you are starting at Canadian Tire in Cobourg.

Previous known as Novice Rides, these rides are for everyone, but are particularly beneficial for new riders who are still getting used to their bikes, don’t quite know how to use those gears yet, and who could take advantage of some of that wonderful knowledge that the experienced riders can share with them.

New This Year
Each night before heading out on these rides, the ride leader will take about 10 minutes to “share some knowledge” and answer questions either about bike maintenance, safety, group riding, or any number of other things. This is the time to ask all those questions you were afraid to ask before. This week we’re talking Proper Bike Helmet Fitting.

Easy Group Riding
The routes are meant to be easy. The pace will be set by those who are in attendance and nobody will get left behind. In the spirit of “group” ride we will travel together in a group. To make these rides the huge success that they were last year, we rely on support from our experienced folks who are happy to mentor others.

These are the rides where you can set yourself some goals for the season. If you are brand new to cycling, start out going 15 or 20k and work your way up to some longer distances as the season progresses.

Bike Week Raffle Tickets (Win a new bike!)
Bike Week is coming up next month, and during bike week there are raffle tickets being sold to win a free Opus Urbano Comfort Bike, Gift Certificates for The Bike Shop or a Bicycle Tune-up from Port Hope Bicycle. Tickets are $5 for one, and 3 for $10. They’ll be available at the start of the ride.

Start time: 7:00pm
Location: Donegan Park
Ride Leader: Paul Mills
Route: To be determined by ride leader

Please comment below to say you’re coming!

This Thursday we’ll start from the Port Hope Town Hall at 10:00am. This “Osaca Odyssey” ride is a 46km ride that starts and ends at the Port Hope Town Hall. But for those who want to cut the ride down to about half, instead of turning right at Massey Rd., just continue straight through to Morrish Church Road where you can re-join the rest of the ride. (This makes for about 26km)

If you wish to make the ride longer, meet at the Canadian Tire parking lot in Cobourg at 9:30am and we’ll bike to Port Hope. (This makes the ride about 61km in total)

Please print out the route map and bring it with you if you are planning to ride.

Start time: 10:00am (in Port Hope) or 9:30am (at Canadian Tire)
Start location: Port Hope Town Hall (or Canadian Tire Cobourg)
Route map and directions: “The Osaca Odyssey” (A Ganaraska Freewheelers route)

Please comment below if you are starting in Port Hope, or if you are starting at Canadian Tire in Cobourg.

Hopefully all members of the NHCC have received the announcement of a General Meeting this Tuesday night. Since officially incorporating, rules require that after incorporation we hold a General Meeting of the membership to officially elect a board of directors and to pass a set of Bylaws, both of which will happen at Tuesday’s meeting.

Board of Directors
Once elected to the Board of Directors, the Board is responsible for choosing a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer from among the Board. Nominations to the Board of Directors can be made by any member of the club and is open to all club members. Election is by simple majority vote by those present at the meeting. The current Board of Director positions are held by:
Randy Albon: President
Anita Macklin: Vice-President
Vivian VandenHazel: Secretary
Paul Mills: Treasurer
The above have indicated interest in continuing their role and have agreed that should they be re-elected they would accept. If you wish to nominate any member of the NHCC for the Board of Directors, please do so by commenting below. Nominations will also be accepted on Tuesday night in person prior to election.

Bylaws
We are required to present and pass a set of by-laws during this meeting. The proposed bylaws can be found here. We encourage you to read them and to comment on them below if you wish. The final draft will be presented on Tuesday night for approval.

If you wish to attend the meeting, it will be brief, and there’ll be fresh baked cookies, so if the subject matter might be a little boring, at least the snacking won’t be. 🙂

Date: Tuesday May 1st, 2012 (6:00pm)
Location: The residence at 752 Beatty Cr.

Please RSVP if you are coming so we can be sure there are enough fresh baked cookies to munch on.
NOTE: There were a few minor changes to the proposed bylaws and the new ones are found here.

In case you haven’t heard already, the Second Annual Bike Week takes place from May 26th to June 1st. To raise awareness, a Bikeathon with stationary bikes on loan from the Y, is planned as a prelude event in front of Victoria Hall on Thursday May 24t
Continue reading→

So far the weather isn’t particularly promising, but there’s still a lot of time between now and then. We’ll head out and do a little preview of Sunday’s route which is 41km but can be shortened or lengthened as desired.

Start time: 10:00am
Start location: The Mill Restaurant parking lot, Cobourg
Route map: “Anniversary Ride” 41.7 or 52.4km route map here

Keep your eye on the weather, use those weather links in the right hand column, and if you’re riding, please mention that too so people can anticipate if there are others riding their preferred distance.