Musselman Lake pt.2 (67km)

21 07 2010

Sunday was my last ride before I depart from Toronto and make my way to Montreal. A friend and I completed our usual route to Musselman Lake. Much cooler than Saturday, but still quite a beautiful day.

We rode up to Musselman and took our break at the Cedar Beach Variety Store , the home of the “Coolest Little Ice Cream Shop”… don’t believe me? Check out the sign! This place is mostly full of candy, but we were able to grab ourselves some beverages to quench our thirst.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit Musselman Lake, I strongly suggest you head out there. It’s close enough to the city that you can make a day out of it or just head up for ice cream!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Other Training, Road Challenges

Finch – Keswick (126km)

20 07 2010

Saturday marked my last official training ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally and also my longest ride this season, 126km! We rode out of Finch Station to the north and to the beautiful shorelines of Lake Simcoe.

There were a lot of long stretches on this ride that tested my staying power, but I worked through it and made it to Lake Simcoe with my best time yet.

We were joined at Lake Simcoe by our food crew, who had prepared a delicious bbq lunch for us with all the food you would need to refuel and be ready to make your way back into the city.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride, the morning gave us a light breeze to keep us cool and the sun was shining. The afternoon was a little humid without much relief from the sun, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

A glimpse of what was waiting for us in Keswick is found below. A few riders even took the plunge and cooled off in the Lake!

There’s just one week until I leave for Montreal. The journey there will definitely be an interesting experience. This week will be full of last minute preparations and packing to ensure that I have all I need during the ride. No more riding until Sunday, but keeping myself busy with other activities in the gym.

Thanks to all who have sponsored me and to those who have yet to, kindly visit my pledge page and make your donation!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Musselman Lake (67km)

17 07 2010

Wednesday was the first mid week ride I’ve done all season, slacker? Yes. Musselman Lake is a gorgeous place to visit so riding the bike out there doesn’t feel like work at all.

We built our own route, departing from Bayview and Highway 7 we made our way up Leslie and across Vandorf Side Road. Not many hills to climb on this route, aside from some gentle ones, but it’s just the right ride for after work. Clearly Musselman is a popular ride for cyclists as there were a number of others on the road at varying stages of their rides. It’s great to see everyone out on the road at this time of year!

This weekend will be my last set of rides before departing for Montreal. We’re off to Lake Simcoe on Saturday and a short ride back out to Musselman on Sunday! Can’t wait!


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Categories : Other Training, Training Rides

Rogue Ride – Kennedy to Ashburn (102km)

14 07 2010

Saturday I rode from Kennedy station to Ashburn, a rogue ride with a few team members from the Friend’s for Life Bike Rally. We were originally slated to ride up to Belfountain (my favourite ride), but I was convinced to do a side ride. Needless to say that once the bike rally is finished I WILL be doing the Belfountain ride!!!

We set out from the station at 8am and made our way through the city and out into the beautiful countryside and the Rouge Valley. Aside from a few climbs, this route was relatively flat! Flat rides are not my ideal as I like the hills, but, with the heat on Saturday, I didn’t mind at all. We had a quick break at a small country store in Ashburn where everyone refueled!

I’d done this ride a few weeks back in gloomier conditions and actually quite enjoyed myself this time around and, more importantly, no injuries or wrong turns to report this week!

Next Saturday is the ride to Keswick. I’m looking forward to this ride as it’s the last of our training rides before departing for Montreal on the 25th.


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Categories : Other Training, Training Rides

Kipling-Terra Cotta (102km)

10 07 2010

A little late with this post, but late is better than never!

A few weeks ago I rode with the Friend’s for Life Bike Rally from Kipling Station out to Terra Cotta. This was one of the only rides that I didn’t complete last year on the training rides and it was such a great ride! The road crew also joined us for this ride to cheer us on and lead the way to Terra Cotta.

There have been quite a few wrong turns on almost every ride this year and this ride was no exception. Even with road crew with us we still managed to make a wrong turn. We did get one extra hill in from our wrong turn so there’s always a positive, even if, for some, an extra hill is not a positive!

We had our lunch break in Terra Cotta and were joined by the fabulous Food Crew. Much thanks goes out to all the crews that join us for the ride, we couldn’t do it without you!

Only 2 weeks until we leave for Montreal! My bike will be going in for service this week and will hopefully be ready to go by next weekend and the final training ride to Keswick!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Finch-Holland Marsh (103km)

28 06 2010

While the city of Toronto was burning and dealing with mobs of protesters, I was completing my training ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally.

Not the greatest day for riding, but this fair weather rider braved the rain storm and rode out to Holland Marsh from Finch subway station.

The ride time improved drastically for this ride; I suspect mostly motivated by being cold and wet.

Still, the scenery along this ride does not disappoint – even on a rainy day. We rode through the town of Kettleby, where we usually stop for a quick break at the local bakery, and around the canal of Holland Marsh.

A few construction zones along the way left me covered in mud, but I made it back safely so can’t complain more than that.

No photos of this ride due to the weather, but more to come as this past weekend was also my back to back 100km rides!

Sent from my BlackBerry device.


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Hills & Skills Seminar

22 06 2010

Wednesday I attended the Hills & Skills Seminar, hosted by the Friends for Life Bike Rally and facilitated by Lucinda Wallace. Overall the seminar was very good and full of great tips for beginner to intermediate riders, maybe even some who think they are advanced.

We met at Sunnybrook Hospital and spent the first 45 mins going over theory and tips prior to heading into Sunnybrook Park for some practical experience on the bikes.

Lucinda did a great job of breaking down the tips and explaining how they will help every rider. One great exercise that everyone who attended is sure to be practising now was the single footed pedal; it really shows you how inefficient we as riders can be when not pedalling in proper form.

Here are a few of Lucinda’s tips:

1. Increase your cadence and use easier gears. A higher cadence is more efficient because you are engaging your cardiovascular system, which when trained can be near limitless, instead of the muscular system.

2. Pedal in circles. Mashing down on your pedals can cause damage to your knees; focus on form by pulling your heels backwards at 5 o’clock and then at 9 o’clock pull up and kick your feet over the top (pull your knee towards the handlebar).

3. Form. Climbing in a seated position uses less energy than standing and, over time, will strengthen your leg muscles.

Thanks to Lucinda for all the great tips and to the Bike Rally for coordinating! If you want to know more why not attend the next seminar this Wednesday, June 23rd @ 630pm.

Sent from my BlackBerry device.


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Road Challenges, Training Rides

Kennedy to Musselman 91km

8 06 2010

Saturday, a perfect day for riding, took us north, out of the east end, from Kenedy station to Musselman Lake for another great ride with the Friends for Life bike Rally. Again this week, I break the law along the way to photo document as I ride!

The sun was shining and the temperature was just right. The majority of this ride took us up Warden Ave, then into Aurora and across to Musselman Lake. The scenery along the way, as usual, did not disappoint. As I have mentioned previously, one of my favourite things about the training rides is that they take you into some really great and otherwise unknown areas… Who knew cottage country was this close to the city?!?!

Riding along side the lake is quite breath taking and there are some beatiful homes in this area, to weekend at anyway!

The Musselman ride offers a few glorious hills to climb along the way just to keep you on your toes!

Once at the lake we take a short break at the Cedar Beach Variety Store and each time we’re welcomed, with a smile, by the gentleman that works behind the counter.

Our route back into the city was changed slightly. Our usual route is only 87km, but, due to construction and a festival in Markham, we were forced to detour and head back the way we came.

Thanks again for visiting and a quick reminder to make your pledge! Please visit my fundraising page and show your support to Toronto PWA.

Next week is 97km from Kipling to Inglewood.


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Finch-Aurora (72km)

24 05 2010

A few mishaps along the way, but this past Saturday’s ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally was great! We rode from Finch Station north out of the city to Aurora.

As we do before every ride, we started the morning with a stretch! As you can see below, some are more involved in the strecthing exercises than others.

Most of the rides at this point take us out of the city and through some great green areas; lots of trees and farms – a problem for some that can’t handle some of the smells.

From Aurora, we rode west across Wellington and down Dufferin for a few “rolling hills”. Wellington has a special place in my heart ever since last year’s training ride took us into this area and I was attacked by a bird – I must have rode close to its nest in the ground.

The weather held out for us until the last 15km of the ride when we met the rain . It made for a slippery ride back to Finch Station, a few riders fish tailing along the way, but no accidents or injuries to report.

Next weeks rides take us to Kleinburg on Saturday (81km) and back to Aurora (72km) for a repeat of this weeks ride.

A reminder that my fundraising for the ride is still running! If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, kindly visit my fundraising page and make your pledge!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Kennedy – Pickering (63km)

16 05 2010

Completed yet another training ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally! This one was 63km – correction from my last post that stated 68km – and unfortunately the weather wasn’t the greatest for us. No rain, but it was very, very cold! I, along with a number of others, was not dressed in the appropriate gear given the temperature, but made the best of it!

We rode out of Kennedy Station to the east and through the Rouge; some beautiful scenery along the way as usual! Riding through this area is still one of my favourite places to ride – next to the Caledon area rides.

To get out of the Rouge and back out onto the road we had to use a small footbridge and then carry the bikes up a set of stairs, but well worth it given what was waiting for us in Petticoat Park!

Petticoat Park runs along Lake Ontario and brought us into Pickering. As I mentioned, the weather wasn’t the greatest on the ride so the views weren’t as spectacular as they usually are, but still great to get a glimpse of what’s just within reach of the city limits. If you haven’t visited it’s worth the trip.

On the way back to Kennedy we rode through some beautiful green space across Taunton Road and again back through the Rouge. A few wrongs turns along the way that increased our distance by a few kilometres, but we got some more hill climbing in because of them – no complaints from me about that!

Next weeks rides: Finch Station to Aurora (74km) on Saturday and a repeat of this weekend’s ride (Kennedy to Pickering) on Sunday!

See you there!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

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