Workshops for NHCC members—let’s up your game!
We have workshops coming up! Essential Bike Maintenance 1.0 for beginners who want to keep their bikes running smoothly (two different dates to choose from) , Gear Essentials: What are they and how do they work, Gears & Brakes: Ride Better!, and Bike Maintenance 2.0 (for the experienced crowd) designed for club members who have premium bicycles and want to know how to best protect their investments.
WORKSHOP: Essential Bike Maintenance 1.0
Monday July 10th, 6:00pm (8 person maximum)
Wednesday July 19 (8 person maximum)
It’s a two-hour session, with one hour devoted to hands-on maintenance that you’ll perform on your own bicycle, and the other hour for removing and repairing a flat tire. We’ll cover:
- How, when, and why to clean & lube the chain and related parts that make up a drive train
- How and when to check tire pressure and pump your tires
- How to remove the front or back wheel from your bike
- Change a flat tire
WORKSHOP: Gear Essentials: What are they and how do they work
Monday July 17th, 6:00pm
It’s a two-hour session. First we’ll put a bike up on the stand and learn what all those rings on the front and back of your bike actually do. Then we will head out onto the street and practise shifting up, down, and repeat!
- Identify how many gears your bicycle has
- Learn what the left and right shifters each do
- Tips for proper shifting
- Learn about cross-chaining
WORKSHOP: Gears & Brakes—Ride Better!
Monday July 24th, 6:00pm
It’s a two-hour session designed to build technique! It will be a practical mix of discussion, demonstration and riding. You’ll learn to:
-
- Improve your shifting skills
- Anticipate terrain and shift accordingly
- Use gears to maintain cadence and keep rolling smoothly
- Use your brakes efficiently
- Position & corner
WORKSHOP: Bike Maintenance 2.0
Monday August 21, 6:00pm
This two hour session is for the more experienced crowd who may have fancy schmancy bikes and want to know how to best protect that investment. Learn how to:
- Care for your carbon fibre bike
- Clean and wash safely
- Inspect your drive-train for wear
- Remove & replace your chain for deep cleaning of the drive-train
- Choose the right lube and how & when to apply it properly
- Inspect your brake pads (rim and disc)
- How to check your frame for damage
- Learn about chain drop or “suck” (and the damage it can cause!)
- Examine cables, check for wear, and understand the different available options
- Discussion of tubeless tires and paraffin chain waxing
- Q & A
NHCC Rides for the week of: Monday July 3 to Sunday July 9
Summer is upon is and with that, the sun starts setting earlier beginning on Tuesday (goshdarnit!). This week the 3/4s are riding from Whitby on Thursday and taking the Waterfront Trail from Whitby to the Rouge River, which is always a fantastic portion of the Trail (note the 9:30 start time). On Sunday, everyone’s riding the Millennium Trail— The Level 1 & 2s are merging their Sunday ride together into one and going as far as Wellington, while the 3/4s are taking it right to the end and back for 75km of nice flat riding. It’s a wonderful route with plenty of gorgeous scenery and of course there are always diversions to be taken to wineries or ice cream (though not in Wellington, we learned—unless you arrive after 12 noon)
Please, always note start times—they may vary from week to week!
The Quick Facts:
More details about all rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.
Tuesday July 4th: Evening Ride
Levels 1 and 2 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: Hamilton Township Municipal Offices, 8285 Majestic Hills Dr.
Thursday July 6th: Morning Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location:Grafton Public School, 654 Station Road, Grafton
Level 2 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St, Cobourg
Level 3/4 (Start time: 9:30am):
Start location: Waterfront Trail Parking lot near Rotary Sunrise Lake Park (249 Water St., Whitby)
Thursday July 6th: EVENING Ride
Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: Hamilton Township Municipal Offices, 8285 Majestic Hills Dr.
Sunday July 9th: Morning Ride
Levels 1, 2, 3/4 (Start time: 9:30am)
Start location: “Millennium Trail Parking Lot” on Salem Road just east of Hwy 33 in Consecon
RSVP:
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)
NHCC Rides for the week of: Monday June 26 to Sunday July 2
This coming weekend is Canada Day and that means the 2nd Annual Canada Day Ride & Pancake Breakfast for all club members! Guests of Members are welcome ($10 per guest) for this really fun & delicious event. On Wednesday evening there’s our third and final Bike Handling skills session—and everyone will learn & be challenged regardless of your experience. On Thursday the Level 3/4s have two distances to choose from and if you’re looking to get 100km ride in, here’s your chance—but if 50km is more your style, that’s also on the schedule with a one-hour later start time!
Please, always note start times—they may vary from week to week!
The Quick Facts: Upcoming Rides (June 19th to June 25th)
More details about all the rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.
Tuesday June 27th: Evening Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: St. Mary’s Church parking lot in Grafton, 103 Lyle St., South
Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: King’s Field Park at 28 Victoria St., South, Port Hope
Thursday June 29th: Morning Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location: Westwood Park, 665 Carlisle St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 9:30am):
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St, Cobourg
Level 3/4
(100km—Start time: 9:00am) at Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
(50km—Start time: 10:00am) at the Keeler Centre, 80 Division St, Colborne
Thursday June 29th: EVENING Ride
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: Haldimand Community Memorial Arena, 10766 County Rd 2, Grafton
Friday June 30th: EVENING Mountain Biking
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30 pm)
Start location: Woodland Trailhead (Northumberland Forest): Intersection of Hwy 45 and Woodland Rd., (a few kms north of Beagle Club Rd.)
Saturday July 1st: Canada Day! Ride & Pancake Breakfast (All Levels)
Start time: 10:00am (Ride), 11:30am (Pancake Breakfast)
Start location: 8303 Smylie Road (Please park on the side of the road)
RSVP:
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)
“Bike Handling” session on Wednesday Night: Signup now!
This Wednesday evening is the final Bike Handling Training Session for 2023, and we promise to make it fun. Heck, maybe we’ll find a place for some wings afterward if people want! We encourage you to signup to learn the skills to make sharper turns, emergency braking, crash avoidance techniques and other skills that will make you more confident on the bike. This is an in-person, on-bike safety skills session with no classroom work—it’s all hands-on! If you think you already have all the skills, think again—we’ll challenge even the most skilled! It’s for riders of all Levels, and some of our most experienced riders are coming out for a little refresher. Wednesday evening—June 28th, 6:30pm, at Cycle Transitions
Address: 740 Division St Building 17 South 4th Street off of D’Arcy southbound
The training is about 2 hours long and delivered by Bruce Bellaire (certified CanBike Safety Instructor from Cycle Transitions).
RSVP: Please use your Cycle Club account to let us know you will attend. If you don’t have access to Cycle Club you can email us to let us know Secretary@northumberlandhillscyclingclub.com
Rides for the week of: Monday June 19 to Sunday June 25
It’s shaping up to be a fantastic week—lots of sunshine and warm temperatures to make up for the past few weeks. This coming Sunday all the Levels (1-4) are going to start near Consecon and experience the Millennium Trail. Everyone’s going to pass by a winery or two, so feel free to talk your Ride Leader into a winery visit! In addition to the usual rides, there’s Helmut’s mountain bike ride on Friday night and a possible gravel ride with Paul on Saturday morning too if there’s enough interest. Please, always note your start times because they may vary!
The Quick Facts: Upcoming Rides (June 19th to June 25th)
More details about all the rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.
Tuesday June 20th: Evening Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: Diamond Head Industrial Mall Inc, 210 Willmott St, Cobourg
Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location:Beagle Club Trail Head, 101 Beagle Club Rd, Harwood
Thursday June 22nd: Morning Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location: King’s Field Park at 28 Victoria St., South, Port Hope
Level 2 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location:Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 3/4 (Start time: 10:00am):
Start location: Sylvan Glen, 3634 Sylvan Glen Rd, Port Hope
Thursday June 22nd: EVENING Ride
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: Memorial Arena in Grafton, 10766 County Rd 2, Grafton
Friday June 23rd: EVENING Mountain Biking
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30 pm)
Start location: Woodland Trailhead (Northumberland Forest): Intersection of Hwy 45 and Woodland Rd., (a few kms north of Beagle Club Rd.)
Saturday June 24th: Morning Gravel Ride
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 9:00am)
Start location: McDonald Trailhead, Northumberland County Forest, 507 McDonald Rd, Grafton (about 2Km north of Centreton Road)
Sunday June 25th: Morning Ride
All Levels, 1-4 (Start time: 10:00am):
Start location: “Millennium Trail Parking Lot” on Salem Road just east of Hwy 33 in Consecon
RSVP:
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)
Pre-Announcing: NHCC Canada Day Ride & Pancake Breakfast
It was so much fun last year, we’re doing it again. Canada Day is coming up in a few weeks and to celebrate, Club members (all levels) are invited to join in on the NHCC Canada Day Ride and Pancake Breakfast (no cost) on Saturday July 1st! First we ride at 10am—an out-and-back-ride for 45 minutes in each direction for 1.5 hours total, then we re-group at Randy and Anita’s for pancakes & the fixings at 11:30am! (sausage, strawberries & whipped cream, baked beans, fruit!). We’ll be all wrapped up by 1pm so you can catch all the other local Canada Day festivities. RAIN DATE: Sunday July 2
IMPORTANT: Bring a lawn chair to sit on.
RSVP: Of course we will need to shop for provisions, so please RSVP early using your Cycle Club account so that we can start planning.
Here are a few images from last year’s festivities.
Correction: Dates for the Safety Training
Ha! The very minute one presses the SEND button is when mistakes are noticed! All the dates for the upcoming safety training should say June.
NHCC Bike Handling Safety Training (three upcoming dates)
We encourage you to take part in one of three NHCC Bike Handling Safety Training opportunities that the Club is offering. This is an in-person, on-bike safety skills session where you’ll learn and put into practice some communication training such as proper signalling, crash avoidance techniques such as quick turns and threshold braking (emergency stopping) among other things. It’ll make you more confident in your bike-handling skills and you’ll be that much more capable of riding safely. There will also be an on-road portion where the group will put together and reinforce all the safe-cycling principles. We have three different dates to choose from, the first one taking place this Saturday morning and there are no prerequisites to sign up.
Saturday morning—June 17th, 10:00am, at Cycle Transitions
Saturday morning—June 24th, 10:00am, at Cycle Transitions
Wednesday evening—June 28th, 6:30pm, at Cycle Transitions
Address: 740 Division St Building 17 South 4th Street off of D’Arcy southbound
The training is about 2 hours long and delivered by two instructors including Bruce Bellaire (certified CanBike Safety Instructor from Cycle Transitions).
RSVP: Please use your Cycle Club account to let us know you will attend. If you don’t have access to Cycle Club you can email us to let us know Secretary@northumberlandhillscyclingclub.com
Rides for the week of: Monday June 12 to Sunday June 18
There was smoke, there was rain….there were cancelled rides! But it’s a new week and some have been re-scheduled for take two. On Thursday the 3/4s are going to try again to do the Waterfront Trail again from Clarington to Whitby, and on Friday night the mountain biking crowd are heading out from the Beagle Club Parking lot for some trail fun. On Sunday the Level 2s are starting from Shelter Valley Rd for a change. Level 1s have two choices for Sunday (so take your pick) and the 3/4s will be out in Campbellford to try that which was rained out on Sunday! Please, always note those start times—for example, the Level 3/4 evenings rides are 6:30 this week.
RSVP:
Members only: Please let ride leaders know you are in, using your Cycle Club Account.
Guests: Those wishing to ride as our guest may leave a comment on the website to let us know you are coming. Please bring a signed Guest Waiver with you (available in the right-hand column of our website)
The Quick Facts: Upcoming Rides (June 5th to June 11th)
More details about all the rides are found in your Cycle Club account Events page.
Tuesday June 13th: Evening Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 6:00pm):
Start location:Donegan Park, 25 D’Arcy St., in Cobourg.
Level 3/4 (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location:Beagle Club Trail Head, 101 Beagle Club Rd, Harwood
Thursday June 15th: Morning Ride (varied start times)
Level 1 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location: Westwood Park, 665 Carlisle St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 9:00am):
Start location:Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 3/4 (Start time: 10:00am):
Start location:Darlington Lower Hydro Fields (Soccerfields): 312 Crago Rd, Courtice
Thursday June 15th: EVENING Ride
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30pm):
Start location: Westwood Park, 665 Carlisle St., Cobourg
Friday June 16th: EVENING Mountain Biking, 6:30pm
Level 3/4 (only) (Start time: 6:30 pm)
Start location: Woodland Trailhead (Northumberland Forest): Intersection of Hwy 45 and Woodland Rd., (a few kms north of Beagle Club Rd.)
Sunday June 18th: Morning Ride
Level 1 (Start time: 10:00am):
Start location: Option 1: Cobourg Memorial Arena, 206 Furnace St., Cobourg
Level 2 (Start time: 10:00am):
Start location: 2182 Shelter Valley Road, Grafton
Level 3/4: (Start time: 10:00 am):
Start location: Kennedy Park in Campbellford: 179 Saskatoon Ave.
Hey there, future NHCC Director! Are you an ideas person? Do you like to help out?
We are looking to mentor some new future Directors—that could be you! We have seven dedicated and amazing people (aka “Directors”) who are simply enthusiastic volunteers who get together from time to time to help keep the NHCC rolling—but honestly, we would welcome some new faces to eventually continue the fabulousness and make the NHCC even greater. We’re hoping we can find a few new faces to work alongside us, learn the ropes and then eventually slide into a position with confidence when ready!
What if I’m a maybe, but not altogether sure?
Easy! We’ll invite you to attend our next meeting. You can meet the others (Randy, Anita, Freda, Debbie, Helmut, Bill and Jim!) and see what we actually do. (Ha! We talk biz but we also eat snacks, laugh a bit). If it seems like a good fit for you we’ll go from there. If not—no harm, no foul!
How and when do we meet?
Just 3 or 4 times a year in-person meetings—cuz really, we just want to ride our bikes! We also use WhatsApp and Email to keep each other current and in the loop!
What do Directors actually do?
We brainstorm ideas about how to make club rides more fun & more safe for everyone. We plan out social events and figure out how to best spend Club money.
What kind of experience is needed?
You don’t even need cycling skills to be a director. Just a willingness to help further the club’s mission of cycling for Fun, Fitness, & Friendship but from a leadership perspective! Here are a few things we’d be really excited about: Financial experience, Computer & tech skills, Communications with volunteers, organizing special events, and more!
So, do you feel like helping us out, making fantastic decisions? Just fire us off a quick email and we’ll be more than happy to tell you more, or even call Randy—(he likes to talk) 905-376-8696.
Email: Secretary@northumberlandhillscyclingclub.com