The weather is forecasting 40% chance of rain for the afternoon, which means there’s a 60% chance that it won’t! Hopefully everyone is hydrating well (drinking lots of water) today, and checking over your bikes.

Please note that we do not have a Support car accompanying us on this trip. So, it is essential that everyone has a “plan B” in the event that you can’t complete the distance. (i.e. have a cell phone and someone you can call to pick you up if necessary).

If you’ve done the distance before, you know what to expect. A long, hefty distance! As we cautioned first timers—if before, if you’re quite comfortable completing 60km+ distances fairly regularly, you’ll probably be okay. If your distances are usually 20, 30 and 40k then it might not be for you. Only you can decide!

Let’s hope for no rain! See you all at Donegan Park tomorrow morning. Good luck to all who are riding!

Maria Garrett has put together an Interclub ride (isn’t she awesome?) for August 25th at 10:00 with the Northumberland Hills Cycling Club, Cobourg Cycling Club, and the Ganaraska Freewheelers.

We’ll be using Brian Hedney’s 63 km “Trent River Truckin” GFW route but with a change. Rather than starting in Warkworth, we’ll meet in Campbellford. This will give us the opportunity to finish at Capers Restaurant where we can socialize over lunch and drinks afterwards. It will also allow for variations of the route such as a shorter and less hilly ride by cutting out the loop to Warkworth.

Start time: 10:00
Route Map: “Trent River Truckin” route map here
Start Location: Fisher’s No Frills parking lot, 15 Canrobert St., Campbellford

Parking: Behind Capers (around the corner at 28 Bridge St. West), or at the No Frills parking lot

Please comment below if you plan on attending the ride and/or lunch/drinks at Capers so that Maria can confirm numbers and make appropriate reservations.

For those who prefer something significantly less than 100km on Sunday, why not join Klaus (fellow club member) and others to make a 24 km ride by riding to Port Hope and back again? Read about the Ride for Hope below.

Ride for Hope
Heather Smith, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity North Day, and her friend Nellie have decided to bike from Newfoundland to her home in North Bay, raising money for Habitat for Humanity North Bay along the way.

Since starting their trek on July 15, Heather and Nellie have travelled through 4 provinces and crossed into Ontario on Sunday. The pair will be arriving in Cobourg on Saturday August 11^th, resting for the night and then setting off for Toronto Sunday morning.

To show our support and appreciation for their commitment to affordable housing, a group from Habitat Northumberland will be accompanying Heather and Nellie from Cobourg to our construction site on Harcourt St in Port Hope before wishing them the best on their trip to Toronto.

Start time: 9:00am
Start location: The Arena on Furnace St. in Cobourg
Route: To the Port Hope Habitat Build and then returning.

Randy has had a request for overnight accommodation from a cycling tourist through the warmshowers.org website (A community for touring cyclists and hosts) and that he can’t accommodate. The person is travelling 200km per day to circumnavigate Lake Ontario. Are there any NHCC members who are able to offer the gentleman a place to stay for the night while he passes through Cobourg? If so, please contact Randy. randyalbon@gmail.com (after 4pm) or randy.albon@opg.com (before 4pm).

This is the ride that essentially got washed out this past weekend due to the stormy weather that kept most of us at home, so we will do it on Thursday. The Rice Lake Ramble  is a classic Freewheelers route. Three distances to choose from, so there’s something for everyone. The start location will be at the Arena on Furnace St. rather than the Marina as indicated on the map

Start time: 9:00am
Start location: The Arena on Furnace St.
Route Maps Below:
Long route (87 km)
Medium route (74 km)
Short route (61km)

Please comment below to let others know which distance you plan to do. It’s the best way to ensure that you will have others to ride with!

The days are getting shorter so we will now start our evening rides at 6:30 pm. This will be an EASY ride, as we keep in mind that some may be  preparing to do the 100k this weekend.

Start time: 6:30pm
Location: Cobourg Memorial Rink and Recreation Centre on Furnace St.
Route Map: Wicklow Beach and Back
Ride Leader: Volunteer needed

Please comment below to say you’re coming to the ride. Does anyone want to lead this ride?

These rides will continue to start at the Town Hall in Port Hope for the month of August. The route and pace are adjusted accordingly to accommodate the least experienced rider making it ideal for new members and those who just want an easy ride with a little newish scenery.

If you wish to ride over there from Cobourg, meet at Canadian Tire at 6:20.

Start time: 7:00 pm (6:20 from Canadian Tire Cobourg)
Start location: Port Hope Town Hall
Ride leader: Volunteer Needed

Please comment below if you are riding, especially so if you think you could volunteer to be the ride leader.

This will be an EASY ride, with speeds appropriate for the newest riders, and certainly lots of fun for everyone. We’re getting ready for the Presqu’ile 100 this weekend, so you’ve got a few more opportunities to get in some mileage before Sunday.

Start time: 7:00pm
Location: Cobourg Memorial Rink and Recreation Centre on Furnace St.
Route Map: “Easy Route 2” 24 or 32 km route map here
Ride Leader: Volunteer Needed 

Please comment below to say you’re coming to the ride. Are there any volunteers to lead the ride?