This ride will be on the sort-of-easyish side, meaning relatively flat (but not totally). We’ll start in Port Hope at Gilmer’s Home Hardware parking lot which means we won’t have to climb the big hill before heading out along the Lakeshore. If you want to add an extra 20k to the route you could leave from Cobourg Canadian Tire at 9:30. This is one of Brian Hedney’s Ganaraska Freewheeler routes, so it’s sure to be a good one!

A note about Sunday rides: These are considered “mixed level” rides which means you can expect a variety of skill levels. Be prepared to break off into smaller groups according to ability. All participants must carry a route map or have it accessible by mobile phone, have a tire changing kit on-bike, and consider a short route plan in advance if you don’t wish to do the entire distance. While groups will naturally form, there are no designated ride-leaders for the different levels as expected on regular weeknight rides.

Start time: 10:00am (9:30 from Canadian Tire)
Ride Coordinator: Anita Macklin
Start location: Gilmer’s Home Hardware parking lot (under the big sign)
Route map: Printable route map here

Please leave a comment if you are planning to leave from Cobourg at 9:30 so that others can meet up with you and plan accordingly. See you all there!

If any NHCC ride leader is interested in learning how to use Ride with GPS to plot route maps, I will offer some training this coming Monday June 13th. It’s not difficult, and a little tutorial could go a long way! You’ll learn how to plan a route, some pitfalls to look for, and how to generate the PDF so that people can print it out. Please reply via email to let me know you are interested and I’ll provide the address. If you are coming, and have a laptop please bring it with you for training purposes. nhcycling2010@gmail.com

We’re excited to offer our first club tour of 2016 to Adolphustown! This overnight tour is appropriate for any level of difficulty from Level 1 to Level 4. We will gather at the United Empire Loyalist Campground (UEL), 54 Park Road, Adolphustown, Saturday morning and leave for a day of riding at 10:00am, returning to the campground at any point during the day for overnight camping and either more cycling the following morning, or head home. The groups will organize into smaller groups according to preferred distance, pace, and route choice.

The campground is on Loyalist Parkway (Highway 33) which is fantastic for cycling. Both sides of the road have a wide paved shoulder, and the road runs along the scenic shores of the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario so there are water views to enjoy along the way. There is a minor incline as you head east, but that means an easier ride back! We have all day so you can choose how far as you want to ride. Go just up the road to Bath for a nice and easy ride, and head back for a relaxing time at the campground or head all the way to Kingston and have lunch on a patio then head back covering over 100km. Please note that lunch is not included on Saturday.

SAG (Support and Gear) Support
Hopefully you won’t need it, but there is the comfort of knowing that there will be a SAG (support and gear) vehicle available Saturday to deal with minor mechanical issues while  out cycling or we can pickup and transport you and your bike if something goes wrong and you can’t make it back!

Self-supported option
For that “self-supported” experience, some riders will be loading all their gear into panniers on touring-specific bikes, departing Cobourg by bicycle on Friday (112km one way), arriving at the campground Friday night and then riding home on Sunday.  If this option is of particular interest to you but you don’t have the necessary touring bike and panniers, please contact us and special arrangements to carry your gear may be possible. If you and/or a guest are interested in being the SAG support people, please let us know.

Cost of the tour: $30 (payable to the NHCC— does not include camping)
Included: two breakfasts (Saturday and Sunday), one dinner (Saturday night), pre-ride fluids & snacks, campfire wood, and SAG support if needed. Non club members are welcome to join us for this weekend. If they plan on riding, we’ll just need a signed waiver and an additional $5 for insurance.
Not included: evening beverages (i.e. beer, wine, soft drinks), lunch on Saturday, or camping.

Camping and other accommodations (not included)
For convenience, the NHCC has reserved the group camping area Friday and Saturday nights. If there are at least 10 occupants, the cost for camping will be $6 a person per night. With less than 10, it will be $13 a person per night. For those arriving by vehicle, there is a parking lot near the group camp site. Group camping is for tents only—RV trailers would require a separate campsite at the regular rate of $46 for a serviced site, $36 for non serviced. All camping fees are payable to the campground, not the NHCC.

Should you prefer alternative accommodations, there are a number of Inns and Bed & Breakfasts in nearby Picton.

Registration & Payment for the Adolphustown Tour deadline is Monday, June 20th
All payments for the tour must be received by Monday June 20th in order to allow adequate time for food planning and shopping. Please give your payment to a ride leader who will forward it along. To drop it off in person or make some other arrangement, please email us at nhcycling2010@gmail.com.

If you placed a deposit for the tour at Membership Night you’ll get a confirmation shortly that you’ve paid and the balance can be paid at the tour weekend.

We are going for the hills again, but this time we’ll do the route in reverse. Let’s see if Bickle Hill feels any different in the opposite direction. And seriously, those Jamieson’s aren’t so bad, are they? Nice and easy 39k everyone!

Ride Leader: Anita Macklin
Start time: 6:00pm
Route map: 39k printable route map here or link to it on Ride with GPS
Start location: Westwood Park

It’s Active Transportation Week in the Town of Cobourg and as such, there are a few activities we’d like to mention so you can do some advance planning!

As part of the NHCC’s contribution toward making the week a success we are allowing guests to ride for free on the following two NHCC rides:

Monday June 6th: Level 1 ride
Start Time: 6:00pm
Start Location: Chub’s Point. Chub’s point is south of Grafton. Take Station Road south to the lake and you’ll be there!
Ride Leader: Dennis Benson

Wednesday June 8th: Level 3 ride
Start time: 6:00pm
Start Location: Westwood Park on Carlisle St.
Ride Leader: Mike McLellan

Wednesday June 8th: 7:30am: Ride to School with the Mayor!
For any who are available and like to see the young ones get active, there is a CR Gummow Safe Cyclists Ride to School with the Mayor
taking place on Wednesday morning. Club members are invited to join Mayor Gil Brocanier and Cycle Transitions for a great ride with the little ones, led by certified Can-Bike instructors starting at Trinity United Church.

Start time: 7:30am
Start Location: Trinity United Church parking lot on Division Street

Notice of route change: Please note that as of 2:00pm we have modified tonight’s route due to the wind gusts of up to 50km per hour.

This week’s ride is a 25 km route and should be fairly flat except for the climb in Port Hope up to Telephone road. This ride is for relatively experienced cyclists who can maintain a pace of approximately 20km per hour and can handle a few hills. As usual, helmets are mandatory. The group will ride together, maintaining a pace of approximately 20 km per hour. Note that there may be guest riders, since the NHCC is opening it to participants of Active Transportation Week.

Start time: 6:00pm
Ride Leader: Mike McLellan
Route map: Printable route map here, or link to it on Ride with GPS
Start location: Westwood Park, on Carlisle St., Cobourg

Colin Banfield will be leading us from Westwood Park (Carlisle St) in Cobourg. We hope the showers will be over by 6pm. Just a reminder that NO RIDER GETS AHEAD OF THE LEADER. This will ensure that Colin can maintain the appropriate Level 2 pace of 16-18 KPH. We will be going the whole distance of 30 Kilometers so this will be important. Come join in the fun of riding with a larger group! We will go in two groups for safety if the numbers are as previous rides. A sweep will be provided. We ride together and no one is left behind.

Start time: 18:00 (6 pm)
Ride leader: Colin Banfield
Start location: Westwood Park (Carlisle St.) Cobourg

It’s been great to see the much-needed rain but we are hoping for dry roads for Monday’s ride. Dennis has a brand new start point for us so there are some roads to be explored!

Start Time: 6:00pm
Start Location: Chub’s Point. Chub’s point is south of Grafton. Take Station Road south to the lake and you’ll be there!
Ride Leader: Dennis Benson

For the out of town Level 1 start points, any Level 2,3, or 4 riders who’d like to hang out with the awesome Monday riders, you could ride from Cobourg (or wherever) for extra distance. Bear in mind that the official ride will stay within the Level 1 parameters.

Notice: Due to weather, this morning’s ride has been cancelled.

The forecast says rain, but just in case they are wrong and you want to ride, we have three distances to choose from. Lots of uphill, lots of downhill. All three routes are the same for the first part and the last part. The difference is in the middle:

36km riders turn right at 17k onto Speechly, everyone else turns left.
56km riders go right at the 26km point onto Broomfield, 69km riders continue straight for the long route.

Everyone should be equipped with route maps either printed or on your phone, and have a tire changing kit in the event of a flat.

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