Next Sunday, May 1st we’ll begin our official cycling season! In anticipation, we want to make sure that everyone stays informed. We recommend that you Subscribe to receive email notifications so that you’ll never miss a detail about everything we do at the NHCC! Each and every ride gets posted on our website including details about start time and location. In case you haven’t seen where to Subscribe, it’s located in the right hand column of the website. Details about next Sunday’s ride will be posted in the coming days.

Regular Evening Rides:
Ride leaders will accompany each of the regular evening rides and will work with the group to develop cycling skills and safe cycling practices. Individuals are not required to carry a route map.
Monday: Level 1
Tuesday: Level 2
Wednesday: Level 3
Thursday: Level 4

Weekday morning rides:
Morning rides during the week will be informal, organized by a ride leader who will meet the group at a designated location and time (usually 9 or 10am) and head out for a group ride where everyone travels together.

Sunday Mornings: Mixed Level Group Rides are longer rides with options for distance and speed on Sundays. Though a ride leader will be available at the start, riders will break off into smaller groups according to chosen distance and ability and ride independent of a ride leader. All riders must carry a map and tire-changing equipment in the event of a flat tire. All are required to travel in groups of no less than two so that nobody rides alone. Usually you can pair up with someone of similar ability at the ride start.

To get the season started right and to keep you safe on the roads, we strongly encourage safety training for all riders. For the minimalists out there, we are offering a FREE NHCC Cycle-Safe Essentials Clinicnext Tuesday evening. We’ll cover the basics of cycling safely, and examine cycling principles designed to prevent the unthinkable. All delivered by Can-Bike certified instructors. It’s a great opportunity for all members to brush up on safety, regardless of experience.

The Cycle-Safe Clinic will cover essential safety principles and group riding techniques that will help build confidence in riding with a group and in traffic safely. You will be introduced to:

• Cycling and the Law
• Basic Bicycle Inspection
• Traffic Cycling Principles
• Where do you ride
• Lane positioning
• Intersections
• Rules of the Road
• Right and Left turns
• Group Riding

This two hour clinic will comprise of demonstrations, discussions, and off-bike simulations, and if time and weather permits, some on-road practice. Bring your bikes and make sure that you dress appropriately for a little outdoorsiness. All levels of riders are encouraged to attend! It’s not about learning to ride a bike….it’s about riding it safely, protecting yourself and those in the group you are riding with.

Date: Tuesday, April 26th
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Cost: FREE!
Location: Cycle Transitions parking lot, 739 D’Arcy St. Cobourg (behind the building)

If you simply can’t make it to the training, take a few minutes to review the following cycling safety videos:

For those who weren’t able to make it to Sandy Flats, we have a little visual of what you missed. It was nothing but glorious sunshine which made the hills feel that much flatter. Yummy delicious pancakes and all that maple sugar gave us just what we needed to get back to the start without too much moaning and groaning about our legs. Thirteen crazy people came out to ride today….who could resist the weather?

[Show as slideshow]

May 5th is the the 5-year anniversary of the Northumberland Hills Cycling Club! We’re going to mark this special milestone with a ride for all NHCC members followed by a BBQ afterward at Randy and Anita’s home. The ride will be of the out-and-back style (60 minutes total) that everyone rides at their own pace and finishes at the same time. We’ll have hamburgers (either beef or veggie) & cake afterward.

(Please note the date on the printed ride calendar you may have previously received was incorrect.)
Date: Thursday May 5, 2016
Start time (Ride): 6:00pm
Start time (BBQ): 7:00pm
Start location: Smylie Rd. and Burnham St. (Park along Smylie Rd.)
Route map:
RSVP (IMPORTANT): Please leave a comment to let us know you’ll come. Or, email us at: nhcycling2010@gmail.com. Let us know if you prefer beef or veggie burgers.

The NHCCs 1st Anniversary Ride in 2012.

For those who wonder what cycle touring is all about, and also for cycle touring travelers who have seen the world, the NHCC is presenting a Cycle Touring Workshop. Learn about what makes cycle touring different from a usual club ride–from bikes, to gear, to mindset! We’ll cover various styles of touring and an opportunity to network and share with others.

Our special guest will be Howard Pulver from the Ontario Bicycle Touring Network. Howard will discuss places to ride from the 2016 Ontario Bicycle Touring Atlas, share his Top Ten Cycle Touring Tips, and remain on-hand to answer questions throughout the workshop.

Come out and see some examples of gear and touring bikes, enjoy the presentations and slide show, and hang out with other members of our great club. Leave a comment below so we can save you a seat.

Date: Wednesday, April 20th
Time: 7 to 9:00pm
Location: Cycle Transitions, 739 D’Arcy Street (across from the CCC, entrance on the west side of building)
Cost: free!

Now we’ve got something to get excited about! Sunday is forecasting 17C and SUNSHINE! And for the NHCC that means The Sandy Flats Pancake Ride! Pre-season rides are always weather dependent so if the weather suddenly turns nasty things could change. Take a look at some photos from past Pancake Rides! This can be a challenging ride—suitable for level 4, or strong level 3 riders. We can pretty much assure you that your legs will be sore after this 60k ride!

Here’s what we do: We start the ride in Baltimore, bike to Sandy Flat Sugar Bush, devour some scrumptious pancakes with maple syrup then pedal home again. There are plenty of hills to start the season off right, no flatness on this route. If you are a little squeamish about hills because your bike has been hidden in the garage all winter, you may wish to start in Centreton rather than the Baltimore Community Centre, reducing the distance to about 30k.

NOTE about starting in Centreton: If you are starting in Centreton, be sure to have your bike ready to go as soon as the group passes through—warmed-up riders can’t stop for more than a minute or two without chilling.

Route Map: Printable Map here or Link to it on Ride with GPS

Date: Sunday April 17, 2016
Ride Leader: Anita Macklin
Starting place (for the 60k): Baltimore Community Center (10:00am)
Starting in Centreton (30k): Main intersection (10:30-10:45, approx. Be ready to ride!)
Anticipated arrival at Sandy Flats: 12:00-ish

Bring a little $$moolah with you if you want to partake in breakfast.

Please let us know you are coming by leaving a comment below. Let us know where you plan to start from (Baltimore or Centreton).

Cycling season is not quite here so the Tuesday morning hikes will continue for now. Rick Nonnekes will lead the way this week for a 7-8 km walk, followed by coffee and social time at Harden and Huyse. If you’re coming, leave a comment below.

Date: Tuesday, April 12th
Time: 9:30
Meeting Location: Westwood Plaza, Westwood just west of Burnham, in front of LeClerc’s Butcher Shop
Leader: Rick Nonnekes

Membership Night was a huge success yet again. The NHCC took in 55 new members on that night alone and lots of folks picked up a jersey so there’ll be a lot of NHCC blue on the roads just as soon as the weather permits us to ride.

In case you weren’t able to make it to Membership Night, you can still access the information by downloading it below:

• 2016 Ride Calendar
• Ride Levels Explained
• WelcomePackage2016

NHCC Jerseys: If you want a jersey, we still have some sleeveless as well as short-sleeved ones still available. Just send us a message and we’ll get you set up! nhcycling2010@gmail.com

Lots of people are asking when we’ll go for our first ride—Although the official season starts in May, prior to that we post rides on relatively short notice as weather forecasts permit. We usually eye up the weather and if it looks like a sunny warm Saturday or Sunday in the forecast you can expect us to post a ride to Sandy Flats for pancakes. So far….it’s been too darn cold!

The CanBike2 course is a comprehensive Cycling Skills and Safety course that is being offered through a partnership between the NHCC and Cycle Transitions. Participants will learn to ride defensively, and develop skills and attitudes suitable for riding either individually or a group, including:

• good traffic judgement and anticipation
• assertiveness in traffic
• knowledge of the rules of the road
• understanding potential hazards
• communication techniques
• collision avoidance techniques
• group riding dynamics and etiquette

Instructors: Rick Nonnekes and Anita Macklin are certified Can-Bike instructors and are confident that regardless of experience, everyone will learn something new and be challenged by the bike handling skills we cover.

Dates:
Tuesday April 5th, 7-9pm (Part 1)
Tuesday April 12,7-9pm (Part 2)
Saturday April 16, 9am-4pm (Parts 3-5)

Cost:
Members of NHCC or Cycle Transitions: FREE—Participants will be asked for a $25 commitment fee that will be fully refunded to those who complete the course.
Non-members: $25

Location: Cycle Transitions parking lot, 739 D’Arcy St. Cobourg (behind the building)

Important: Please bring your bicycle and helmet. Cycle Transitions has indoor facilities for bike handling skills training which we will cover at each session.

Can-Bike 2 Certification (optional):
CanBike2 certification is a pre-requisite if any person wishes to become a Can-Bike instructor at some point in the future. If any participants wish to receive an official CanBike2 certificate of recognition upon completion of the course, please advise us when you arrive tomorrow night. (small fee may apply)