This Wednesday we are going to make it a flatter route than last week, and take it much easier! We’ll start at the Industrial Park again and head toward Grafton where we’ll go up to Shelter Valley Rd. then come back down through Grafton. It’s forecast to be 21°C tomorrow, so hopefully it will be pleasant riding weather in the evening too! Just 35k and no crazy hills. There is however, a teeny tiny bit of gravel road just before we turn onto Shelter Valley, but nothing that should deter us.

Level 3 expectations: All riding on Level 3 rides should be equipped with a route map (either printed out or accessible on a smart phone), and a tire changing kit and spare tube. The group is expected to stay within the ride standards of Level 3 which mean you should be able to maintain about 19-22km per hour on the flats.

Ride Leader: Bruce Bellaire
Start time: 6:00pm
Start location: The Industrial Park at Wilmott St.
Route Map (35k): Printable route map here or link to it on Ride with GPS

Tuesday night should be great! We’re looking at 18°C and sunshine at the moment! Bring your membership cards, and note that the start location is different than last week. See you all on Tuesday for a nice and easy ride!

Start time: 6:00pm
Ride Leader: Geoffrey Honey
Start Location: Cobourg Memorial Arena

This year Dennis and Maria will alternate as the Level 1 ride leaders. Those who have participated in Level 1 rides previous years are familiar with Dennis’s great leader skills. Dennis has recently successfully completed the Can Bike Instructor course so he’s back better than ever!

Take a look at last week’s video!

Date: Monday, May 9th
Time: 6:00
Meeting Location: the park at Westwood and Carlisle
Ride Leader: Dennis Benson

We can’t let the first official week of the cycling season pass without getting in one of our club’s favourite rides – scenic Cornish Hollow.

Date: Saturday, May 7th
Time: 12:30
Start Location: arena parking lot on Furnace Street
Ride Organizer: Maria Siemiaszko

There isn’t an actual route planned for this ride as we’ll figure it out by consensus, head out for a couple of hours, and of course find some hills.

Date: Friday, May 6th
Time: 1:30
Start Location: Keeler Centre, Colborne
Ride Organizer: Maria Siemiaszko

Last week’s ride kinda got rained out, so we’re going to try it again this Sunday instead. At the moment there doesn’t appear to be any rain in Sunday’s forecast. Again, there are three routes to choose from, all sharing the same portion for the first part. Indeed it is Mother’s Day, so if you need to get back a little early, you can choose the shorter route option!

Leave a comment: Leaving a comment lets the ride leader know how many to expect. All Sunday riders must carry a route map, or have it saved on your smartphone to refer to. Bring your membership card and a have a spare tube and tire changing kit with you.

Start time: 10:00am
Ride leader: Anita Macklin
Start location: The Arena on Furnace St. in Cobourg
Route Maps:
–36K printable route map here, or link to Ride with GPS
–56k printable route map here, or link to Ride with GPS
–69k printable route map here, or link to Ride with GPS

This past weekend saw six people invest time and energy with national examiner James Herman to becoming Certified CanBike Instructors. We’re pretty sure they’ll all attest to the fact that regardless of skill, they were challenged! Each of these candidates have invested at least 35 hours total of cycling safety training between CanBike 2 and the CanBike Instructors course. You’ll be seeing and hearing from them as they endeavour to raise the safety standards within the NHCC on all our rides at all levels. Congratulations to all!

Notice of change: Tomorrow’s ride leader will be Bruce Bellaire

Weekday rides occur outside of our regularly scheduled rides, as ride leaders are available to lead. This Tuesday morning a ride will leave from Donegan Park at 10am and will ride to Colborne via Shelter Valley and County Rd 25. We will stop at Tim Horton’s at Hwy 401 and proceed back via Lakeshore. The distance is approx 60k with a few moderate hills. The group should expect to ride together and participants should be confident that they can cover 60km. Please leave a comment to let Roy know that you plan to ride so that he can anticipate numbers. Membership cards required.

Start time: 10:00am
Ride Leader: Bruce Bellaire
Start location: Donegan Park parking lot
Route map: Not required. Riders will stay in a group.

This is it! The first regular Level 3 ride of the season. Here’s the deal: show up a little early for the ride with your membership cards, bikes in working order, helmets, etc. We leave at 6pm sharp. Your ride leader Mike McLellan will review some essential safety rules with everyone and explain the expectations of Level 3 rides. Since it’s early in the season and many haven’t been out on bikes yet, this ride will be 36km in distance and no crazy hills.

Level 3 expectations:

• Pace is between 19-22km per hour, depending on conditions and time of season
• Distances range from 40-100km
• Mostly rural roads including some moderate to difficult hills
• The group is responsible for staying together, reconvening at intervals if needed to re-group

The expectation that participants become self-sufficient increases as ride levels increase (i.e. Level 1 – Level 4) Level 3 participants should equip themselves with the route map to refer to, carry a tire-changing kit in the event of a flat, and ride responsibly, respecting all club safety principles. Participating in Level 3 rides should prepare riders for Level 4 by season’s end.

The ride leader sets the pace, and nobody passes the ride leader: Ride leaders establish and maintain the pace at the front of the group. For the enjoyability of all, pace and distance parameters have been established to provide everyone with a predictable experience while on a ride. Some may feel the need and desire to ride faster and press ahead cuz you’re an awesome speed demon and we can appreciate that—we will ask that you resist however, and consider participating in Level 4 if that’s the case. On the other hand, if you find it difficult to maintain the pace of your chosen level you might consider trying an easier one. Just sayin….

Start time: 6:00pm
Ride Leader: Allan Dennis (substituting for Mike)
Route Map: 36K printable route map here, or link to Ride with GPS
Start location: The Arena on Furnace St. in Cobourg