If you’ve got a smart trainer and want a fantastic group to join, give it a try on Thursday evening! It’s a 26km ride along the “Caves” route in Australia. Anyone is welcome, and if you worry that you won’t keep up, don’t! You still give it your best effort to get a great workout, but Rouvy magnetically keeps everyone together on the big screen so that it’s truly a group ride regardless of your individual pace & effort. You get to talk to each other too! Here are the details:

Start time: 6:30pm
Distance: 26km
Average grade: 1%
Ascent: 692 ft
Max grade: 7%

Doesn’t that sound like fun? If you are intrigued, but don’t have a smart trainer let us know and you can come take a looky at Randy’s setup while it’s happening and you can see how the ride unfolds on the big screen—like a spectator! (message Randy at 905-376-8696) 

Since evening rides have been squeezed out, we’ll start our Evening Hikes this coming Tuesday.  This is an opportunity to keep our legs moving, to explore Port Hope and Cobourg on two feet, and also get some social time in afterward (optional, of course).  We typically meet at 6:00 and go out for 1.5-2 hours of walking which usually translates into about 7-10km.  We’ll start out with shorter distances of course and build up as time goes by. 

We don’t just walk up and down the “regular” streets—oh no, no, no—at times we go off-road, down little alleyways, through hidden paths, maybe even along the beach.  Places you won’t find on your bike! So be sure to wear some comfy footwear, and layer for the weather. 

RSVP: As usual, let us know you are coming by RSVPing to the Cycle Club Events Calendar.

Guests are welcome provided they bring a signed waiver (no cost).  

WEATHER CANCELLATIONS: Given sporadic weather forecast typical this time of year, please monitor your Cycle Club Calendar for cancellations that may take place up until one hour before a ride starts.

Learning Workshop—“How to shop for a new/used bike” Monday September 18th.
This is the one for you if a new (or used) bike purchase is on your radar for the coming winter months or the Bicycle Fall Blowout Sale. We will do a show & tell describing the differences between road, hybrid, mountain, gravel, touring, e-assist bikes etc. to help you narrow down the type that will best serve your needs. We will give you some guidance about how much you might need to spend, where and how to search for a bike, and answer burning questions you may have on your mind. Find out what features to look for, what to avoid, and whatever else you might need to know in order to make a wise purchase.

The Bicycle Fall Blowout takes place at Exhibition Place on Saturday September 23rd (10am – 5pm).  There will be some fantastic deals to be sure as vendors unload their stock to make way for new stuff.  It’s a frenzy and easy to be lured into a bike purchase that while a bargain, doesn’t fit your needs. 

As the season winds down into the final weeks we are revisiting many of our “favourite” routes.  The 3/4s are doing to do the Waterfront Trail westbound on Thursday and a nice easy route on Sunday with an optional stop at Rolling Grape Winery afterward.  Helmut has planned a mountain biking ride for Saturday morning to make use of the trails at Beagle Club while bikes are still permitted. 

The Quick Facts for the week: 

More details about all rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.

Tuesday September 12th: Evening Rides

CANCELLED: Level 1 (Start time: 5:30pm) 
Start location: Cobourg Public Library, 200 Ontario Street

Level 2 (Start time: 5:30pm)
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St. Cobourg.

Level 3/4 (Start time: 5:30pm)
Start location: Baltimore Recreation Centre, 23 Community Centre Rd.

Thursday September 14th: Morning Rides

Level 1 (Start time: 10:0am)
Start location: King’s Field at 28 Victoria St. South, Port Hope.

Level 2 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: 4599 Massey Rd., Port Hope.

Level 3/4 (Start time: 10:00am)
Start location: Darlington Lower Hydro Fields (Soccerfields): 312 Crago Rd, Courtice

Thursday September 14th: EVENING Ride (Level 3/4 only)

Level 3/4 (Start time: 5:30pm): 
Start location: Hamilton Township Municipal Offices, 8285 Majestic Hills Dr.

Saturday September 16th: Morning Mountain Biking

Mixed Levels (Start time: 10:0am)
Start location: Beagle Club Trail Head, 101 Beagle Club Rd, Harwood

Sunday September 17th: Morning Rides

Level 1 (Start time: 10:0am)
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg

Level 2 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: Donegan Park, 25 D’Arcy St., in Cobourg

Level 3/4 (Start time: 10:00am)
Start location: South Monaghan Carpool—Note that the address is 782 County Rd 28, but actually you go left (west) at the roundabout and the parking lot is just there on Cty Rd 21 on the north side.

RSVP: 
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.  
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)

The weekly rides have been posted—let’s hope the rain falls on other days! August is a busy month with people on vacation, so again we’ll merge a few of the Level 1 and 2 rides. The sun is setting earlier than ever, so be sure your lights are charged up! Fact—there are seven more weeks of cycling remaining in our “Regular” season so there is still plenty of time to get some regular riding in!

The Quick Facts: 

More details about all rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.

Tuesday August 15th: Evening Ride

Level 1, and 2 (Start time: 5:30pm)
Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg

Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:00pm)
Start location: Hamilton Township Municipal Offices, 8285 Majestic Hills Dr., Camborne

Thursday August 17th: Morning Ride

Level 1 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: Westwood Park, 665 Carlisle St., Cobourg

Level 2 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St, Cobourg

Level 3/4 (Start time: 10:00am)
Start location:Stirling-Rawdon Dog Park, 90 Station St., Stirling.

Thursday August 17th: EVENING Ride (Level 3/4 only)

Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:00pm): 
Start location: Dog Park in Cobourg, 77 Ontario St

Sunday August 20th: Morning Ride

Level 1, and 2 (Start time: 10:00am)
Start location: Donegan Park, 25 D’Arcy St., Cobourg. 

Level 3/4 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: Squirrel Creek Conservation Area, 2520 Wallace Point Rd, Fraserville

RSVP: 
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.  
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)

With a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect and the radar supporting that prediction, unfortunately tonight’s ride (Tuesday July 11) is cancelled.  We’ll try again next Tuesday for the Ride & Porch Social.

Fantastic Bike Maintenance 1.0 workshop last night! Wheels came off—wheels went on—tubes came out—tubes went in. Drive trains; cleaned & lubed! Thank you Randy and Helmut for sharing your time & expertise with club members. There are still more upcoming Workshops, so check out the NHCC website for more.

Tonights Tuesday ride starts on Shelter Valley Rd, with the address provided in your Cycle Club Event calendar. (If you don’t have access to Cycle Club, email us using the Contact page of the website and we’ll send it off to you lickety split).  On Thursday all the Levels are going to ride from the Waterfront Trail from Whitby for an out-and-back experience along some beautiful off-road paved multi-use paths. The 3/4s previewed it last week and loved it! Each Level will ride as far as they want then turn around and return. Please, always note start times—they may vary from week to week!

The Quick Facts: 

More details about all rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.

Tuesday July 11th: Evening Ride & Porch Social

Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Start time: 6:30pm): 
Start location: Shelter Valley Rd. (Address on the Cycle Club Event Calendar, or email us for it)
**Bring your own drinks and snacks if you want to sit around for the post-ride social)

Thursday July 13th: Morning Ride

Levels 1, 2, 3/4 (Start time: 9:30am): 
Start location:Waterfront Trail Parking lot near Rotary Sunrise Lake Park (249 Water St., Whitby) There is a parking lot directly north of the East Pier.

Thursday July 13th: EVENING Ride (Level 3/4 only)

Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm): 
Start location: Haldimand Community Memorial Arena, 10766 County Rd 2, Grafton

Sunday July 16th: Morning Ride

Level 1 (Start time: 10:00am)
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St, Cobourg

Level 2 (Start time: 9:00am)
Start location: Westwood Park, 665 Carlisle St. Cobourg

Level 3/4 (Start time: 9:00am)
Start location: To be determined (Please monitor the Cycle Club Events Calendar)

RSVP: 
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.  
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)

We have workshops coming up! Essential Bike Maintenance 1.0 for beginners who want to keep their bikes running smoothly (two different dates to choose from) , Gear Essentials: What are they and how do they work,  Gears & Brakes: Ride Better!, and Bike Maintenance 2.0 (for the experienced crowd) designed for club members who have premium bicycles and want to know how to best protect their investments.

WORKSHOP: Essential Bike Maintenance 1.0

Monday July 10th, 6:00pm (8 person maximum) 
Wednesday July 19 (8 person maximum)
It’s a two-hour session, with one hour devoted to hands-on maintenance that you’ll perform on your own bicycle, and the other hour for removing and repairing a flat tire. We’ll cover:

• How, when, and why to clean & lube the chain and related parts that make up a drive train
• How and when to check tire pressure and pump your tires
• How to remove the front or back wheel from your bike
• Change a flat tire

WORKSHOP: Gear Essentials: What are they and how do they work

Monday July 17th, 6:00pm
It’s a two-hour session. First we’ll put a bike up on the stand and learn what all those rings on the front and back of your bike actually do. Then we will head out onto the street and practise shifting up, down, and repeat! 

• Identify how many gears your bicycle has
• Learn what the left and right shifters each do
• Tips for proper shifting
• Learn about cross-chaining

WORKSHOP: Gears & Brakes—Ride Better!

Monday July 24th, 6:00pm
It’s a two-hour session designed to build technique! It will be a practical mix of discussion, demonstration and riding.  You’ll learn to:

• • Improve your shifting skills
  • Anticipate terrain and shift accordingly
  • Use gears to maintain cadence and keep rolling smoothly
  • Use your brakes efficiently
  • Position & corner

WORKSHOP: Bike Maintenance 2.0

Monday August 21, 6:00pm
This two hour session is for the more experienced crowd who may have fancy schmancy bikes and want to know how to best protect that investment. Learn how to:

• Care for your carbon fibre bike
• Clean and wash safely
• Inspect your drive-train for wear
• Remove & replace your chain for deep cleaning of the drive-train
• Choose the right lube and how & when to apply it properly
• Inspect your brake pads (rim and disc)
• How to check your frame for damage 
• Learn about chain drop or “suck” (and the damage it can cause!)
• Examine cables, check for wear, and understand the different available options
• Discussion of tubeless tires and paraffin chain waxing
• Q & A

We’ve got some spectacular sunshine on the sched for tomorrow. Let’s ride! These are pre-season rides—informal opportunities to get yourself onto your bike & work out the kinks from your winter body in anticipation of the upcoming regular season.  We typically start out slow & short. Honestly, if you haven’t been on your bike all winter you can expect to need about 4-5 rides before your bum will be comfortable in the saddle again.  The Level 2, 3/4 will ride in the morning (different start locations) and the Level 1s ride in the afternoon.

Before you ride:

• Sign up for a members-only Cycle Club account in order to RSVP that you are planning to ride and see more details. 
• Pump up your tires. Fact—you should pump up tires before every single ride.  If you run with too little air you risk flat tires, pre-mature tire wear, and you’ll also work harder.
• Check that your brakes and shifters are working correctly.
• Don’t forget to bring the following: Helmet, your membership card, first aid kit, wear sunglasses, spare tube that fits your bike.

The Quick Facts:

Level 2: Morning Ride
Start time: 10am
Start location: parking lot of St. Mary’s Church in Grafton
Distance/Time: To be determined (likely about an hour or so)

Level 3/4: Morning Ride
Start time: 10am
Start location: Cobourg Community Centre, meet at the Northwest corner
Distance: approximately 25km (some may choose to extend the ride afterward)

Level 1: Afternoon Ride
Start time: 2:00pm
Start location: Cobourg Community Centre, meet at the Northwest corner
Distance: To be determined—short & sweet!

RSVP: Please use your Cycle Club account to let us know you’ll ride.

CANCELLATION NOTICE: Tuesday nights are cursed! The freezing drizzle persists so we are cancelling tonight’s evenings hike.  Sorry!

We had at least a dozen people last week, and it felt just like old times when we all went into the Beamish House for beer, fries, fish tacos & other delicious things.  This week we’ll go other places in Port Hope as we explore the streets, nooks & crannies. You never know where we’ll go (as they’ll tell you, given last week!). So bring a headlamp or flashlight and wear good footwear! We’ll likely go for somewhere between 1.5 and 2 hours of brisk walking.  When we’re all done, you can decide to opt-in to the restaurant outing or just head back home.  No need to decide till the time comes.

All NHCC members and Guests are welcome! Guests will need to bring a signed waiver, however (available on the website). 

Start time: 6:00pm
Start location: Port Hope Town Hall parking lot
Hike Leader: Anita & Randy
RSVP: Please RSVP using your Cycle Club account so we know to expect you! (or leave a comment on the website)