Test Ride the Greenbelt Route: Saturday May 10th
The Greenbelt Route is a signed bike route extending more than 460km across the Greenbelt, inspiring recreational cyclists to connect with and experience Greenbelt attractions—from nature, farming, food and rural towns—more often and more easily.
This May they are beta testing the route in order to gain important feedback from people like us. We have been invited to join the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and Waterfront Regeneration Trust in being one of the very first to ride the Greenbelt Route from Cobourg to Alderville in a Mobile Workshop taking place in our region on Saturday May 10th.
There is no requirement to cycle—we are welcome to attend for just the morning presentations if we like. We are encouraged however, to get on our bikes for whatever portion of the ride we wish—morning, afternoon, or a full day. They have full support to pick up you and your bike if you have had enough cycling for the day. Please note there is a $30 workshop registration fee (to the organizers, not to the NHCC) for participation, which includes breakfast and lunch.
Date: Saturday, May 10th
Time: 7am to 5pm
Cost: $30 Registration and more information at www.greenbeltcycles.com
Monday May 5th: Level 1 Ride, 6:30pm
Last year’s first ride of the season
Finally! Our first Level 1 ride of the year is set to take place on Monday and will signify the “official” start of our cycling season. We’ll start with some basics: rules of the road, introduction to riding in a group, and we’ll also be there to answer any of your questions about how the NHCC works. We’ll take it really easy, cruising around, getting a feel for riding together on the road.
This year there may be a lot of new members unfamiliar with how it all works—we’d really love to see some of you experienced riders come out, meet and welcome our new NHCC’ers, and share the “fun, fitness, and friendship” part of our club motto.
Notes: Helmets are mandatory. Please bring your membership card with you. If you mailed in your membership forms, your cards will be issued to you at the ride.
Time: 6:30-8:00pm
Difficulty: Level 1
Start location: South end of parking lot at industrial plaza (see map)
Ride Leaders: Maria Garrett
Parasport Games Opening Ceremony: May 30th
The Parasport Games are coming up quick! The opening ceremonies gala is taking place in one short month from now. It’s hoped that as many as possible can attend and show support for the athletes and our community.
Date: Friday, May 30th
Location: Cobourg Community Center
Tickets: Cobourg Community Center, Northumberland County Headquarters, Capitol Theatre, and Jack Burger Sports Complex ($20)
Check the website for more information. www.2014parasportgames.ca
Pre-season club ride Sunday April 20th, 1:00pm
Tomorrow’s forecast: Sunshine! So if you aren’t still busy hunting for Easter eggs or preparing some big feast for family and friends we’re going to head out for a ride to Harwood and back during the warmest part of the day, the afternoon. We anticipate riding at an advanced pace suitable for experienced riders.
Note: The official season regular rides start in just two weeks at which time we will be posting rides for all the different ride Levels 1 to 4. (See the Calendar here). Until then, Pre-season rides are weather-dependent, do not formally have ride leaders, or conform to a standard start time and may be announced on short notice.
Start time: 1:00pm
Anticipated Level of Difficulty: Level 4
Route Map: Printable Route map with elevation chart or, if you are equipped with a GPS View the link on Ride with GPS (note that we start at Furnace St., not Precious Corners as the map indicates)
Start location: The Cobourg Memorial Rink on Furnace St.
How ’bout letting others know you are riding, by leaving a comment!
Monday May 5th: Official Start of the NHCC Ride Season
With around 85 members already and still growing, the 2014 season is gonna be great! And people have been asking, so here is the intel: as of Monday May 5th the official ride season will begin. We’ve already had one pre-season ride to the Sugar Shack, and soon we’ll be in full-swing with all of our regular rides as usual. (New this year: the Port Hope ride will take place on Wednesday nights)
In case your wondering about that Pancake ride, here’s a little bit of visual for you:
Regular Rides (Starting May 5th):
Level 1: Monday nights
Level 2: Wednesday Nights
Levels 3 and 4: Thursday Mornings and Sunday Mornings
Port Hope Rides: Wednesday Nights
Century and Other rides:
Occasionally the Level 2 rides will join in on Sundays for something a little longer. And of course there’s those Century Rides on all long weekends: 100k! The first will be to Presqu’ile on the May long weekend. The last will be Labour Day weekend where we are planning four distances this year: 50k, 100k, 160k or 200k (yeah, 200k! you read right!)
Can-Bike Safe Cycling Course
Can-Bike will run starting on Tuesday May 6th and run for the months of May and June. That’s where you learn how to ride safely on all roads in all situations. We highly encourage all levels of riders to participate. There isn’t a soul in our club, regardless of experience, who wouldn’t benefit from learning the safe cycling principles that will be club policy for 2014.
Subscribe to the Website to stay informed
Everyone can tell you! Subscribing to the website is the best way to never miss out on anything that’s happening. Every ride, every detail, every event—it all gets posted to the website and if you have subscribed to receive email notifications you’ll get an email with all the details dispatched right to your inbox.
NHCC Club Jerseys for 2014: Orders being taken
We only order them once per season, and this is it! For those of you who want one of those swell, snazzy jerseys, the cost hasn’t changed from last year and remains $68 (including taxes). There’s a full zipper down the front, making it easy to wear. And the fabric performs well, making you ride faster than you ever thought you would! 🙂 They are manufactured by Louis Garneau and take approximately 6-8 weeks to deliver from the time the order is placed. We will place the order on May 15 which should allow for delivery around the end of June.Continue reading
Sandy Flats Pancake Ride: Saturday April 12th
IMPORTANT: Due to weather forecast, this ride will take place on Saturday rather than the originally planned Sunday. ALSO: note that the start time in Centre was an error. We need folks ready to ride in Centreton between 10:30 and 10:45.
Usually we get out for a pre-season pancake ride in March, but this year it’s been just a little too chilly. We are however, going to keep our fingers crossed for some nice weather. Being a “pre-season” ride means that it’s weather dependent. As always, keep your eye on the comments section to monitor what’s happening. Take a look at some photos from the 2012 ride!
We ride from Baltimore to Sandy Flat Sugar Bush, consume a few deliciously decadent pancakes and maple syrup then pedal home. With that sugar boost, you’ll forget all about those hills. The ride is about 60km and it’s not exactly flat, if you know what we mean. Newer riders may wish to start in Centreton rather than the Baltimore Community Centre to cut down the distance to about 30k. NOTE: If you decide to start in Centreton, be ready to ride as the group passes through–warmed-up riders will chill quickly if they they have to stop and wait.
Check out the route: Sandy Flats Breakfast route map
Date: Saturday April 12, 2014
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 the Sugar Shack: 12:00-12:30pm
Bring a little money with you if you want to partake in breakfast (cost unknown). Location of Sandy Flat Sugar Bush map here
Please comment below if you are planning to ride. It’s nice for others to know that there will someone going, and they won’t be riding alone!
Reminder of Membership Sign-up Night
Just a quick reminder that tomorrow night (Thursday night) is our membership sign-up night. In addition to getting your memberships for just $35, we’ll also have some cycling-related supplies on-hand available for purchase to make sure you have everything you need to get the season started. Also, we’ll be drawing a couple of names during the evening for some freebies too. We can all mingle and moan about the winter weather that’s sure to leave us soon and get excited that we will be out on our bikes soon!