Paul Martin, Author at Velocity Cycling Club

Year end rides

Year End Charity Rides

5^th Annual Tanya’s Ride – Saturday October 1^st from Albion Hills Conservation Area

Tanya’s Ride is quickly approaching, and the planning is all set. Now we need commitments from our club riders and their friends (the ride is open to non-VCC members).

We have 15 commitments at this time and have raised almost $10,000 so far.

What is on offer:

A beautiful setting at Albion Hills Conservation Park Albion Hills for some great fall country riding
We will be offering at least three rides: two road rides and one gravel ride
We have an excellent site with covered picnic area (if required)
We will serve a great hot meal with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
Luca’s tiramisu is back by popular demand to finish off your amazing day

This is one of the primary fund-raising events for the Brain Injury Society of Toronto and requires a $100 donation.

Sign Up or donate here

Cycle for St Joe’s – Sunday September 25th from the Mattamy National Cycling Centre

And let’s not forget that our local hospital St Joe’s has its ride this coming Sunday from the Mattamy National Cycling Centre Find it here which includes a fully serviced 25km countryside loop that you can do as many times as you like.

Join the Chain Reaction Team here Sign Up here

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

5th Annual Tanya’s Ride – October 1st

5th Annual Tanya's Ride - details firming up

5^th Annual Tanya’s Ride – Saturday October 1^st from Albion Hills Conservation Area

Tanya’s Ride has become a core funding raiser for the Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) and VCC is a proud supporter. Last year the event raised over $20,000 and we are looking to reach this level again in 2022.

We are already off to a great start, as we previously announced, through the leadership of Rob Givens the former Prez of VCC, a $5,000 donation has been made to BIST on behalf of Arbor Memorial where Rob works.

Whether you can ride (a minimum donation of $100 is required) or not, please support this event by clicking on the link below. We are also designating the ride as a “Try-A-Ride“ event so please feel free to invite a friend or two. They just have to complete the additional link on RaceRoster to fully register.

Register or donate to Tanya’s Ride
Tanya’s Ride – Try-A-ride form

Food
We are working on another hot meal post ride. More on this as the event gets closer.

Rides
We’ll start with offering three great ride choices, and if warranted, add a shorter gravel option. We should be able to accommodate all rider distances and speeds.

Road (Tempo) – +/- 70 km starting at 10am
Road (Social) – +/- 50 km starting at 11am
Gravel – +/- 80 km starting at 10am

Please note that if the weather co-operates, and the temperatures are warmer than normal, we may move the ride start times back earlier so that we can get you home a little sooner.

Sign up now

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

TDA Update #2

Tour D'Abernethy Update #2

We are pivoting on ride choices for TDA 2023 – two shorter rides added

With just over a week to go, we are having great success in the fund raising and demand for the gravel ride but struggling on the road ride options. As such, we would like to hear back from the membership on whether a 50-60 km road and or gravel option would be of interest? This affords the rider the benefits of the beautiful scenery with more moderate ride challenges.

The additional benefit of the shorter rides are that people can leave Toronto at a more reasonable time.

We have decided to cancel the 120km road ride and added a shorter road and gravel ride at approx 50km to the calendar, so if you are interested, please sign up or simply email Paul at pmartin@www.velocitycyclingclub.com should you have any questions. Sign up on the home page by scrolling across to Aug 27th https://www.velocitycyclingclub.com/

Haven’t donated yet? Donate to Jim’s Preferred Charity – Do it Now

Thanks, and hope to hear back on some additional interest in this great and worthwhile event.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

Tour D’Abernethy Update

Tour D’Abernethy Charity Ride Update

Time to sign up / donate to this great cause!!

We are now closing in on the last two weeks before our 3^rd annual Tour D’Abernethy in support of childhood cancer. We have three great rides planned, two road distances and an exciting new gravel option.

First and foremost, this is a charity event, and we want to exceed our goal of $10,000 in support of Campfire Circle (formerly Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium), for kids and families affected by childhood cancer.

Donate to Jim’s Preferred Charity – Do it Now

Other important information:

This not restricted to only VCC members. We will work with the OCA to secure Try-A-Ride for the day. So, feel free to invite your cycling friends that aren’t members.
Food ordering will follow in the next update to ensure people get what they prefer, and we deal with allergies
The route for our gravel ride has been confirmed
The start location is at the hill top of Beaver Valley and al rides offer great scenery. Look for the new VCC club tent (thank you to the government of Ontario for their support) and sponsor thanks at the entrance. Start location

The ride options are noted below so sign up so we have a good understanding of the numbers attending. Go to the calendar on the home page and scroll over to August 27^th. It’s simple: https://www.velocitycyclingclub.com/

Ride options

120km Road Route

80km Road Route

80km Gravel Route

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

TDA Update

Tour D'Abernethy Update and More

We wanted to update the membership on the 3^rd Annual Tour D’Abernethy 2022 with our goal of having the largest turnout yet for this great charity event.

The charity proceeds go to Camp Ooch, which recently merged with Camp Trillium to become Campfire Circle, and was a special focus for Jim Abernethy as they provide support to children with cancer. Campfire Circle

Two significant changes include:

Date moved out one week to August 27^th
We are adding a gravel option for 2022

Our ride options are as follows:

+/- 120 km	Road	7:30am
+/- 80 km	Road	9:30am
+/- 70 km	Gravel	9:30am

Catering for the event will be Justin’s Oven which should increase the overall “fun quotient”. We’ll be providing a menu and asking about dietary restrictions closer to the event as well as the link to make a donation to the cause. We will open the ride up to non-VCC members but we will need to get approval from the OCA for each non-VCC rider.

We’ll keep you posted on updates but please sign up on the calendar on the website by scrolling across to August 27th and also get this event in your personal calendar.

Two other matters to update on:

Given the large demand for our Monday ride, we have now added a second ride to the calendar. Clips and Tips will remain at a social pace targeting 40km distance. The second ride is a tempo paced ride between 50-65km. Please sign up accordingly.
St Joseph’s Hospital for the “Cycle 4 St Joe’s” on Sunday, Sept 25th. This is our local Hospital so let’s show our support. If anyone would like to join you can register until Sept 25^th at Sign up for Ride 4 St Joe’s.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

Safety Tips

Safety Tips Update

First of all, thanks members, for the high attendance at our club rides this season. With more riders coming out, safety becomes even more important. Safety is key and our board, our sponsors and our membership demand it.

Let’s go through just three for now.

Tire maintenance – regularly check your tires. A good practice for frequent riders is to change them every year. Often tires dry out and crack after 2-3 years and become dangerous to ride

Examine the tread of your bicycle tire for any wear and tear. See if you can spot any nicks or cuts, and that there’s nothing sharp stuck in between the treads that could lead to a puncture. Also, check the sidewalls for any tears or bulges.

Check the air pressure. A good rule of thumb is to follow the air pressure range recommended by the manufacturer and adjust according to your personal preference.

Shoe cleats – regularly check shoe cleats and bolts. Replace them if they show signs of wear and tear. If you ride a lot with one pair of cleats (3 or more times a week), replace them annually and check them every 2-3 months.

Cleat wear depends on how often you ride, how many miles you put in, your riding style, how much you walk in your shoes, and whether your shoes have recessed cleats. It’s generally best to play it safe and not let your cleats get too worn out before you replace them.

Riding with worn out cleats can make you unable to clip into—or worse, unable to clip out of—your pedals.

Working front and back lights – this is not an option for club rides, it is mandatory

Operational front and rear lights are mandatory on all club rides (and should be followed when you ride on your own). Get accustomed to regularly charging or changing batteries.

Also, not all lights are equal. Have lights that are sufficiently large and bright enough to attract a driver’s attention. We recommend:

Rear light with at least 150 lumens
Front light with at least 400 lumen to ensure you can been seen during the day

Lastly, having a bell on your bike is key when riding in the city.

In the event you are not comfortable will making these assessments, take your bike/shoes into Chain Reaction or your local shop to have the professional take a look. At Chain Reaction, members get 5% off their purchase and another 5% off their next purchase.

Please follow these specific points and of course keep your bike well maintained by cleaning, lubricating your chain and checking your bike for any signs of wear and tear.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

SHMR 2022

Steve Hancock Memorial Ride

Thanks to all the participants on the Steve Hancock Memorial Ride this morning. We had a beautiful day and consolidated our three rides into one due to the high vacation period. I guess the 15 of us who rode all don’t have cottages 🙂

Next year we plan to move the ride into late June to hopefully increase the availability of participants.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

Summer Solstice Ride – ECC and VCC

Summer Solstice Ride - ECC and VCC

The summer solstice is soon upon us. To celebrate, Velocity and ECC are doing a joint club ride to Dundas for the “Longest Day of the Year ride” on Sunday June 19. The full route is approx 169 kilometres. It’s a 7:00am start from Sanremo and a 7:15am start from Humbertown.

If you want to join the fun but prefer a shorter route there is a 109km option that leaves from St Sebastian School (3460 Aquinas Avenue, Mississauga) at 8:30am. We will be stopping at the Café Domestique in Dundas for a well deserved break.

Full route https://www.strava.com/routes/2969392797290633428

Please contact Keith Luder at kluder@www.velocitycyclingclub.com if you’re interested

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

May Ride Update

Ride Updates

Just a couple of regular ride details to update on and some gravel updates in this message.

With the weather now clearly into normal temperature range, please be advised that we are moving the start time for the Saturday morning coffee ride to 8:00am. Sign up on the calendar for these rides.

Please note that Clips and Tips returns this coming Monday. If you are interested, please register on the website calendar.

Gravel Goats rides are starting this coming Thursday. Contact kvluder@gmail.com to join the WhatsApp chat group to receive location and times for ride starts.

Scrappy Badger Gravel Ride

On Saturday May 7th VCC members Rob Givens, Chris Medved, Matt Nowak, Pedro Caraballo, Alex Boisseau and Keith Luder had a blast at the Scrappy Badger gravel event set in the scenic hills of Northumberland County near Cobourg, Ontario. Badgers are known for their tenacity and power and our VCC riders had plenty of that on display as they rode over 80 kilometres of challenging terrain. As if the numerous steep hilly gravel roads were not enough there were lots of ATV trails to connect them together. These trails were made from every material nature can challenge a gravel bike with including stones and rocks of various shapes and sizes, deep sand and slippery mud. Check out the video below:

VCC Scrappy Badger video

If you’re thinking of joining the Screaming Squirrel gravel ride (SS Ride details here)
on June 11th our former prez Rob Givens has the following advice:

Leave your ego at home, the course will humble you.
Make sure your bike is tuned up so that you don’t drop your chain 6 times
And most importantly, gravel events are fun, don’t forget to enjoy it.

Sign up to VCC here

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

Sign up change

Change for Ride Sign-Up

Well, it didn’t take HQ very long to re-introduce the use of the calendar for signing up for certain rides. While WhatsApp works great in certain circumstances, particularly where there is a regular committed group of participants (Tues/Thurs, Gravel Goats and Get Outta Town Rides) going “blind” so to speak for Mon, Wed and Sat morning is not making sense.

Why? These three rides have a wider dispersion of ride participants making a WhatsApp chat group ineffective.

Additionally, this helps the Ride Captains plan, participants to see who is coming and the club to understand the participation rates. In the case of Tips and Clips, we want to restrict the number of riders early in the season until this group finds its groove.

So, starting this Wednesday, May 4th, the calendar will be back in use for:

Monday – Clips and Tips (first ride scheduled for Monday May 16th)
Wednesday – Tempo Ride
Saturday – Danish Pastry Ride (Social paced)

Find the Calendar here

The calendar is active now for these rides and those who used it last year will find it just as easy.

Sign up for 2022 here

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

Author: Paul Martin

Year End Charity Rides

5th Annual Tanya's Ride - details firming up

Tour D'Abernethy Update #2

Tour D'Abernethy Update and More

Safety Tips Update

Steve Hancock Memorial Ride

Summer Solstice Ride - ECC and VCC

Ride Updates

Change for Ride Sign-Up