Posts Tagged ‘Cycling’

Cycling the Camino de Santiago, June 2011

Posted on: June 24th, 2011

The Camino de Santiago, or Way of Saint James is a Christian pilgrimage that goes back over 1000 years. It can be walked or cycled, so we thought it would be an interesting cycling trip and a way to discover Spain.

We traveled 805 km in 2 weeks on fully loaded mountain bikes, which were converted to semi-trekking bikes. The roads and trails were much more difficult (hilly and rough) than we expected, so this was definitely a pilgrimage. But well worth it.

Aside from the beautiful scenery, villages, and the friendly locals, I think the best thing about this trip was the many people we met from all over the world. Our paths kept crossing, sometimes 3 or 4 times, which made for great friendships along the way.

Many people have personal reasons for doing the Camino, but we didn’t seem to have any, except maybe for the cycling trip. So, I asked people we met what were their reasons. Some had deep personal reasons, but most seemed to be there for the adventure. So that’s it! Adventure!

I’ve set the photo album up as a chronological ride across northern Spain, so please enjoy, and please read the captions, as that’s where the story lies.

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Biking and Hiking on Manitoulin Island, August 2010

Posted on: August 26th, 2010 No Comments

We’d never been to Manitoulin Island, so we thought that this would be a good time to visit. We took the Chi-Cheemaun ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth, which was a very relaxing trip. We set up our camp at Mindemoya Court and had a great first 2 days.

However, on the 2nd night, there was a very scary thunderstorm, which pretty much destroyed our tent. We had to spend the night in the car, and were  ready to leave in the morning. But the campsite had a fully equipped 24-foot trailer available, which we rented for the rest of our trip. This seemed like pure luxury!

The cycling is good because the roads are quiet, but not outstanding. But the hiking is very good, as you will see in the photos below. Manitoulin is difficult to get to because of the distance, but a trip there is well worth it.

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Toronto High Park Bicycle Club

Posted on: July 26th, 2010 No Comments

High Park Bicycle Club Click on image for large view

Visit site: torontohpbc.ca

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Bells on Bloor, 2010

Posted on: May 29th, 2010 No Comments

Am I now a cycling activist?

Back in the 1980′s, there was a study done in Toronto which recommended that bike lanes be installed on Bloor Street. This is one of the main commuter arteries, covering a large area in central Toronto to downtown.

Well, because of city hall politics, and the general feeling in Toronto that bicycles are just a nuisance, this recommendation has been ignored and put-off ever since. Toronto, compared to many other cities, is in the stone age, regarding cycling routes. So every year, there’s a parade that starts off Bicycle Month (June). This parade starts at High Park and goes to Queens Park. There has been up to 3000 cyclists.

Because of CAN-BIKE involvement, we were asked to volunteer to be bike marshals, and we did. So yes, I guess I am a cycling activist!

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CAN-BIKE Instructor

Posted on: November 19th, 2009 No Comments

Yes, this year, I completed the CAN-BIKE 2 course, and went on to get my instructor certification. I’m now qualified to teach all CAN-BIKE level courses. For 2010, I’ll be teaching possibly in Toronto and Oakville. I took this training with my good friend Bent Fink-Jensen, who is in the process of setting up programs for Oakville. Visit him at tailwindtouring.com.

I got involved with this because commuter cycling is becoming more and more widespread in the GTA and there is a huge vacuum in education, both for cyclists and motorists. There are, increasingly, a lot of very nasty things happening on the roads.

I think that in-traffic cycling education should start at an early age, which is already happening in Toronto, and hopefully very soon in Oakville and Mississauga. I believe that this training for children will eventually make them better motorists, as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if motorists were more cyclist friendly and cyclists were more motorist friendly? Well, it’s happened in Europe, so why not here?

CAN-BIKE has courses to cover everyone starting at the age of 9. I want to be part of this, where I can perhaps “make a difference“.

For more information on CAN-BIKE visit canbike.net and toronto.ca.

Le P’tit Train du Nord

Posted on: August 11th, 2009

The P’tit Train du Nord is a rail trail in Quebec which is part of the “Route Verte” bicycle trail network. It’s 200 km in length and extends through the Laurentian Mountains from Mont Laurier, through Mont Tremblant, to St. Jerome, just north of Montreal. The Route Verte is probably the most extensively developed cycling system in Canada.

We took the early morning shuttle from St. Jerome to Mont Laurier, then cycled all the way back over 3 days, spending 2 nights in B&B’s, or gites or auberges as they’re known in Quebec.

This trail has many facilities along the way — more than anything I’ve seen in Canada. I think Quebec is doing an outstanding job on bicycle trail development with the Route Verte, approaching the quality of Europe.

This is a ride that has many luxuries along the way; good for beginners, but can also challenge you because of the distances, rolling landscape, and gravel surface on the southern half (translates to sore butt!). I say luxurious, because being a person who keeps track of my all time 10 best dinners, can mark one up for the dinner we had at the Auberge Chez Ignace in Nominingue. Many of the B&B’s along the trail offer a fine dinner for an extra price.

We’ll definitely be riding this trail again in the near future. Please click below for the photo album.

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Cycling the Donauradweg, Sept 2008

Posted on: June 30th, 2009

After getting addicted to cycling in Europe on our German trip in 2005, we returned this year to cycle the Donauradweg (Danube cycle way). This is a system of trails and marked cycle routes that extend along the entire Danube River.

We completed about half (750 km) of the route, from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary on a 3 week trip, with several day stops in Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Munich. 650 km was completed by bike, and the rest by hydrofoil and train.

We flew from Toronto to Munich, rented the “trekkingbikes” and hopped directly on a train to Passau, where we spent the first night in Europe. Next morning we were off on the adventure of our lifetimes! When we finished our stay in Budapest, we took the train back to Munich, where we rested for a couple of days, and “re-hydrated”!

We hope you enjoy this photo album.

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Cycling weekend in Montreal, June 2006

Posted on: June 30th, 2009

I’ve cycled in Montreal many times, and it just about my favourite big city to cycle in. There are bikes everywhere, bike lanes separated from auto traffic (like the photo below), and even the car drivers are more bike friendly.

Add the great food, the nightlife, the French ambiance, the fabulous B&B (Chez Francois), and a bunch of cycling buddies, and you have one of the best weekends of the year. I think I’m going again next June.

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