Meet your Ride Coordinator: Maria Siemiazsko
Maria has been a member of the NHCC since it’s first year of operation. As a volunteer at Cycle Transitions, a certified Can-Bike Instructor, Maria brings a wealth of knowledge to the Level 1 program. Maria is VP of the NHCC.

Meet your Ride Leader: Petra Hartwig
Petra is an avid cyclist and enthusiastic NHCCer. With her comprehensive safety, first aid and CPR training along with her natural leadership ability she helps make the Level 1 Ride Program a great place for riders who enjoy a leisurely pace and friendly conversation.

Welcome to all new and returning riders! Petra will lead the first Level 1 ride of the season from the parking lot behind the Dutch Oven heading to the east end of town. The ride will take approximately an hour including breaks along the way. Please be sure to bring your membership card with you. If you haven’t received your membership card yet please inform Petra at the start of the ride. Helmets are mandatory.

Wednesday May 2nd: Level 1 ride

Ride leader: Petra Hartwig
Start time: 6:30pm (meaning we leave then so plan to arrive before that)
Start Location: parking behind the Dutch Oven

Meet your Ride Leader: Anita Macklin
Anita is a qualified CanBike instructor and past-president of the NHCC. She’s also a volunteer with the Bicycle Action Committee of Sustainable Cobourg, and is the one who looks after the NHCC handy website. 

Lots of folks have not been on bikes since Fall, so we’ll start out easy! Just 34k on Tuesday then 37k on Thursday. We are going to have a great season, building mileage and speed as time goes by but most importantly we will ride in group-fashion and have fun!  Since our rides are longer, please ensure that you have a front and a rear light on your bike.

What to Expect
Take a moment to review NHCC Ride Levels Explained in order to decide if this is the right ride for you. “Speed” refers to the average speed you should expect to maintain on flat ground.  Please be sure to bring your membership card with you and arrive in time to be ready to roll at the posted start time. Helmets are mandatory. If you haven’t received your membership card yet please inform Anita when you get there.

Tuesday May 1, Level 4 (34k)

We start at the Cobourg Community Center and we’ll head out along Danforth up toward St. Anne’s spa, head north then back again.
Ride leader: Anita Macklin
Start time: 6:30pm
Sunset: 8:14pm
Route map: (34k) Danforth there and Back Printable route map here, or link to it on Ride with GPS
Start location: Cobourg Community Centre

Thursday May 3, Level 4 (37k)

Ride leader: Anita Macklin
Start time: 6:30pm
Sunset: 8:16pm
Route map: (37k) It’s all Downhill from Here Printable route map here, or link to it on Ride with GPS
Start location: Donegan Park on D’Arcy St.

Meet your Ride Coordinator: Mike McLellan
Mike has coordinated the Level 3 ride program for a number of years now, and with his safety training and experience you’ll be in good hands! Mike coordinates and works with several level 3 leaders that you’ll meet as the season progresses. He’s been a member of the NHCC as long as we can remember!

What to Expect
Take a moment to review NHCC Ride Levels Explained in order to decide if this is the right ride for you. “Speed” refers to the average speed you should expect to maintain on flat ground.  Please be sure to bring your membership card with you and arrive in time to be ready to roll at the posted start time. Helmets are mandatory. If you haven’t received your membership card yet please inform your ride leader.

Monday April 30th, Level 3

This route is 26km long. This ride will depart from the arena on Furnace Street at 6:30 pm. We will head north to Baltimore (via Division/ Ferguson/ Racetrack) and then head back to Cobourg (via Nagle)

Ride leader: Allan Dennis
Start time: 6:30 pm
Route map: (26k) Baltimore and Back Printable route map or Link on Ride With GPS
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St.

Wednesday May 2nd, Level 3

This route is  25km long. We will start out small and add a little more distance each week as the season progresses, based on the developing needs of the group. Don’t worry about keeping up with the crowd—It’s a no-drop ride, we will work together and support each other.

Ride leader: Mike McLellan
Start time: 6:30 pm
Route map: (25k) Cobourg West Printable route map or  Link on Ride with GPS
Start location: Westwood Park ( on Carlisle St.)

Meet your Ride Coordinator: Geoffrey Honey
Geoffrey is a huge supporter of the NHCC, coordinating rides, imparting Safety Training and making the Level 2 rides an inclusive and rewarding experience for all. A certified CanBike instructor, Geoffrey knows the value of cycling safely and is happy to share his extensive knowledge. 

Our 2018 Season of Level 2 Rides Begins!
Please bring your membership card/ waiver form, YOUR helmet, some form of bicycle, a cheerful disposition, a water bottle, a windscreen clothing layer, (lights, just in case) and ENTHUSIASM! You are riding with one of the best cycling clubs in Ontario, maybe Canada. This is a Lycra/Spandex optional ride. I (Geoffrey) will not be wearing it, but you can if you want. However, we are happy to see High Visibility Clothing on our rides. We welcome all manner of safe cycling dress.

It is very important to have your tires at the right inflation so people with floor pumps who are driving to the rides, please bring them along. We will have “Sweeps” (a ‘cheer from the rear’ person who stays with the end of the line and keeps them safe and happy) on ALL our rides! If you can volunteer to Sweep for these rides, please chime in below in the comment section.

Our rides will begin with the basic safety rules for the club and some nifty riding tips. First rides, we will focus on hand signals, ABC bike check, and a quick bit on riding in a group. Tell us if you plan to ride either night in the comment section so we can keep an eye out for you.

Tuesday May 1, Level 2

Ride leader: Geoffrey Honey
Start time: 6:30pm
Route: After our safety checks, talk, and round of names, we will head out along Lakeshore and up Coverdale to King St. (We will thus avoid any conflict with the Cobourg Cycling Club Time Trials) Out along the Waterfront Trail bike lane to Archer’s Road and then back. There is only one hill/bridge that goes over the railway and we will wait and rest after it. Average speed will be no more than 15kph.
Start Location: Donegan Park Parking Lot, D’Arcy St. Cobourg.

Thursday May 3, Level 2

Ride leader: Geoffrey Honey
Start time: 6:30pm
Route: After our safety chat and round of names, we will head out through New Amherst up  to Hwy 2, West along hwy 2 till Theatre Road and up to Telephone Road. Right along Telephone Rd. From there we will take the pulse of the group and either loop Telephone Rd to Danforth and back into town on University or we will go West on Telephone and then retrace our path home.
Start location: Westwood Park (on Carlisle St.)

The NHCC is celebrating seven years old! To mark the occasion we are having a Welcome/Anniversary Ride for all NHCC members followed by a BBQ afterward at Randy and Anita’s home on Smylie Rd. It’ll be a simple ride, out-and-back style (for a total of 90 minutes). This style of ride means that everyone rides at their own pace and everyone finishes at the same time. The NHCC will provide complimentary post-ride hamburgers (either beef or veggie) and other tasty things to enjoy while we lollygag around the yard and deck, hopefully enjoying some sunshine and time with friends both old and new. All members are welcome! If you can’t make it for the ride, you are welcome to come for the Burgers & Social portion that starts at noon.

The route will be suitable for all levels, from Level 1 to Level 4.

Date: Sunday May 6, 2018
Start time (Ride): 10:00am
Start time (BBQ): NOON
Start location: Smylie Rd. and Burnham St. (Park along Smylie Rd.)
Route map: not required, you’ll just follow the crowd!
RSVP (IMPORTANT): Please leave a comment or email us to let us know your preference for either beef or veggie burger, and let us know if you need the exact address: nhcycling2010@gmail.com.

The NHCCs 1st Anniversary Ride in 2012.

Cycle Transitions is excited about re-opening for business again! It’s been seven and a half months since they closed the doors for the last time on D’Arcy St. Their new facility at 390 King St. W. in Cobourg looks great!

They need your help and are looking for volunteers.  Will you consider helping out? They will train you and always schedule you with a “senior” or mentor mechanic. If you have any mechanical inclination, you’ll learn in no time at all. And it’s not all work, there’s lots of socializing and discussing the issues of the day.

Their hours of operation are as follows: Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6:30 to 9:00 pm, as well as Saturday mornings.

If you’re interested in checking out this volunteering possibility, please send a message to cycletransitions@gmail.com .

A couple of our Can Bike instructors will be renewing their Emergency First Aid certification, taught by one of our own members and ride leaders, David Hutzel. David is a Canadian Red Cross certified instructor and held a course for us last year. The Emergency First Aid course is 8 hours long and includes CPR and AED training. Cost is S100 per person and the location will be determined once we know how many participants we need to accommodate.

Please note that May 13th is Mothers’ Day in case that creates a conflict for you. If interested, please respond on this post.

Date: Sunday, May 13th
Time: 9:00
Location: TBD

Thank you to all who signed up a couple of months ago to lead rides for the NHCC. The Training and Safety team has put together some training dates for you to choose from, to get you ready to roll. Think you might like to lead but missed signing up? It’s not too late. Just leave us a comment or shoot us an email and we’ll add you to the list.

Here’s what you need to know:

PART 1: NHCC Ride Leader Safety Training (Theory): Mandatory for ride leaders who have never taken either an NHCC Safety Training course or CanBike2. Optional (but recommended) for those with safety training but would like a refresher. We have two different evenings to pick from. (Bicycles not required).

Location: 8303 Smylie Rd. Cobourg
Dates:
Tuesday April 24, 6:30-8:30pm (Instructors: Maria and Geoffrey)
Wednesday April 25, 6:30-8:30pm (Instructors: Roberto and Anita)

Use the form below to let us know which date you can come, or just leave us a comment….that works too!

PART 2: Practical Group Ride: This important portion is for ALL ride leaders, even the most experienced. We will cover what needs to happen before, during and after a ride, Accident reporting, Ride levels and what to expect, just to name a few.

Location: Cycle Transitions new location (390 King St. W)
Date: Saturday May 5, 2018 10:00-11:30
Alternate Date: If you need an alternate because you just can’t make it, please email to let Anita know and we’ll establish an alternative date. nhcycling2010@gmail.com

In light of the current Environment Canada Special Weather Statement, we will postpone the Sandy Flats Sugar Bush Ride by one week to Sunday, April 22, 2018 (Earth Day).

While waiting for cycling season to get underway we’ve got the First Annual NHCC Bicycle Shorts Film Fest coming your way! Randy and Mike C. have collaborated with Rob Wilkes of VeloVID.com to bring you a collection of short videos that have been curated into a great collection of cycling entertainment. We’ll play it on the biggish screen at Randy & Anita’s home, inside of Randy’s Person Cave. There’s room for 20 people and we’ll have two screenings. If there is enough demand we may consider offering a third screening.

Rob from Velovid.com will be on hand Thursday to do a little narrative and introduction. This is a BYOB and BYOS event (S is code for Snacks). 

Dates and Time:
Thursday April 19th: 8:00pm
Saturday April 21st: 8:00pm

RSVP IMPORTANT: Space is limited to the first 20 people who fill in their name on the spreadsheet here. Choose your preferred date. If you can’t access the spreadsheet for some reason, leaving us a comment will do and we’ll add your name!  SIGN UP HERE