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

Cycling safety involves so much more than learning to stop at red lights. The NHCC has partnered with Cycle Transitions to bring the national CanBike examiner to Cobourg for an intensive 3-day 2-evening course to train and certify six candidates. The course is running all weekend long at Cycle Transitions as prospective instructors learn the theory, methods and techniques for delivering CanBike safety courses to adults and also children. Successful candidates will bring their newly acquired knowledge and skills to the rides they coordinate and lead within the NHCC.

CanBike is a nationally recognized Cycling Canada series of training programs designed to develop cyclists ability to maneuver effectively and safely through traffic, avoid potential hazards, be predictable in their actions on the road and to share the road effectively with all users.

Tuesday night is the first Level 2 ride of the season! Ride difficulty will start at the lower range of the Level 2 standard since it’s early in the season. We’ll build distance and add a few hills as the season progresses, but for now we’re keeping it easy. Total distance will not exceed 20km.

If you aren’t sure whether or not Level 2 is the right level for you, come on out and give it a try. The group will ride together and nobody will be left behind.
Level 2 rides follow CanBike safety principles and you will often have a certified CanBike Instructor accompanying the ride. Safe cycling principles will be reviewed prior to the start of every ride and also periodically as appropriate while out on the road. 

Bring your membership cards, wear a helmet and arrive a little early, we leave at 6:00 pm sharp!

Meet your Level 2 ride coordinator: Geoffrey Honey will coordinate Level 2 rides for the 2016 season. He’s the one who’ll ensure the rides stay within NHCC standards, coordinate ride leaders and basically do anything else that will make the Level 2 rides a success. Geoffrey is one of our newest qualified CanBike Instructors.

Start time: 6:00pm
Ride Leader: Geoffrey Honey
Start Location: parking lot in industrial mall, Wilmot Street, Cobourg

We’re going to tackle some hills up in the Warkworth area Friday afternoon and if this sounds like fun to you, come and join us! Freda has a nice 34.22km route planned out. Sure there will be some climbs (it is Trent Hills after all), but there will also be some descents, and the scenery is pretty!

Date: Friday, April 29th

Time: 2:00

Meeting Location: park at Mill Street and County Road 29 in Warkworth

 

It’s finally here! Our first official Level 1 evening ride of the 2016 season. If you are not sure what a Level 1 ride is, read about it here. Level 1 is the easiest, making it suitable for those newer to cycling, unsure of what level to start at, or even those who know they can ride faster and longer but welcome an opportunity for a casual, social, and supportive spin while perhaps coaching others on things like how and when to change their gears. The ride stays at a Level 1 pace, no one is left to ride alone at the back or ever gets dropped. Each Level 1 ride is preceded by a short safety talk covering different topics weekly. This is a very welcoming and supportive group of people and we have a lot of fun!

We usually get a huge turnout for this first ride. This week we are going to stay in the industrial park in the east end of town so we can offer some instruction and practice riding in a group setting in a relatively quiet area. Level 1 ride leaders are qualified CanBike instructors (a nationally recognized program for safe cycling education), or at the very least a CanBike 2 graduate. We always have a sweep — someone designated to stay at the very back of the group to watch that we stay together, help riders at the back, and ensure that no one gets left behind.

Please leave a comment if you plan to join us. It will help us to determine the format for Monday. If you want to know if someone else has commented after you, click on the box below your comment that you wish to be notified of additional comments. By doing so, you will also receive an email if the ride is changed or cancelled for some reason. Otherwise it’s up to you to keep checking the website for details of that particular ride.

Helmets are mandatory. If you wish to join but haven’t done so yet, you can bring your form and payment to any ride. Guests are allowed to try up to three rides with a completed guest waiver and $5 per ride which is a great way to try the club out without committing right away. If you decide to join up to and including that third ride, any money you’ve paid in guest fees will be deducted from the $45 club fee so you don’t lose anything! Please make sure your bike is in good working order. If you haven’t put air in your tires this year because you don’t know how to or don’t have access to a pump, come early and we’ll help you out.

Date: Monday, May 2nd
Ride Leader: Maria Siemiaszko
Time: 6:00 (which means get there before then)
Start Location: parking lot in industrial mall, Wilmot Street, Cobourg

Back by popular demand, we’re having another bike maintencance workshop at the start of the club riding season. Learn basic bike maintenance skills: how to clean your bike, clean and lubricate your chain, and change a tire. This is a hands on workshop so bring your bike and be prepared to get your hands dirty!

If you didn’t get a chance to sign up at Membership Night, leave a comment below to register.

Date: Wednesday, May 11th
Time: 7 to 9:00
Place: Cycle Transitions, 739 D’Arcy Street, Cobourg (across from the CCC), entrance on west side of building through chain link enclosure
Cost: free!

First ride of the 2016 season! This route is mostly uphill for the first half and downhill for the second. The three routes share the same portion for the first part and then diverge. Please arrive early and be ready to ride at 10am sharp.

36km riders turn right at 17k at Speech Rd., everyone else goes left.
56km riders then turn right at 26km onto Broomfield Rd. while 69km riders continue straight.

Important—Leave a comment: Leaving a comment lets the ride leader know how many to anticipate, and allows others to also plan ahead. Print out and bring a route map with you, or have it saved on your smartphone in the event that your group needs geographical reference. Be sure to have your membership card and a spare tube and tire changing kit with you.

Start time: 10:00am (postponed until 1:00pm due to rain)
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