Signature Rides, ECC Explorer of the Century

Club Ride Update, ECC Explorer of the Century

Signature Ride Updates

The second annual Tour D’Abernethy from Beaver Valley Ski Club was once again a great success. We had over 30 riders participating, and the event raised $17,500 for Camp Ooch. Jim’s wife Cathy and his daughter Nicole who rode, attended. Thanks to all who participated.

Watch for updates for the Steve Hancock Memorial Ride scheduled for Saturday September 18th. We should be offering at least two ride options. Steve’s Ghost bike has not weathered well and we are funding, and working with the organization, to bring it back to an appropriate condition in advance of the ride.

ECC Explorer Dr Event – Saturday August 28th

Our friends at ECC have been holding their club competition this month which culminates in the all-out bash “Explorer of the Century”. A 100 kilometre (25 laps) or 100 mile (40 laps) of Explorer Drive this Saturday starting at 8:45 am from Max Ward Park. Max Ward Park location

ECC has kindly extended the invite to VCC members. If you are a joint member, you already know this so you can sign up here. https://etobicokecycling.com/signup/?sheet_id=53.

If not, you can join ECC for just $10 and double your riding options. Or, just come out and check out the festivities which includes a hotdog vendor at noon time. Yum!!

If riding, aim to get there between 8 and 8:30 as the riding kicks off at 8:45am.

Need more information? Contact me at galfred@www.velocitycyclingclub.com or Chris Kirkpatrick at ECC at chris@twinpro.ca.

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

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Peloton rides added

Peloton Rides Return to VCC

We are pleased to add the regular Peloton rides back into the VCC fold on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s starting at 5:30pm. These rides will depart from the parking lot at Humbervale Park Baptist Church located at 763 Royal York Rd.

These rides will average 30-33 kph and include spirited sections at much higher pace. If you have not previously ridden with this group we ask that you contact Craig Tyndall at ctyndall@gmail.com to discuss your capabilities before registering. This is required as these rides require a high threshold of fitness and skill to ensure that these rides are conducted safely and all can enjoy the outing.

With this addition the club now has rides happening on 6 days of the week and more to follow.

Gravelocity update
Rick has some great try a ride options available so have a look at his website https://gravelocity.ca/product/oxford-county-try-a-ride/

Plan on attending a ride? Sign Up for a ride here before arriving:

https://www.velocitycyclingclub.com/club-rides/

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

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July Re-opening

Let's Get Rolling Together - VCC is Open Again

Hello VCC members

We are so pleased that Stage 3 has been reached and we can re-open club riding without unrealistic restrictions.

The remaining restrictions are that we are subject to our club mandated 18 rider maximum per ride (we are setting 10 for Clips and Tips), that the ride captain must verbally confirm at the start of each ride that no rider is feeling any COVID symptoms (but our club members are accountable and we are sure no one will attend if they are experiencing signs of COVID or have recently been exposed to someone with COVID) and participants must register through our reservation system. No walk ups (or non VCC members) are permitted as we are required to maintain a log of all riders for each ride for contract tracing purposes.

As with other cycling clubs, there will be no exceptions to the rules to comply with the regulations of the OCA and ensure insurance coverage provided is available.

As you have seen we originally had a very aggressive ride calendar and feel that we would prefer to ease into club riding and see the interest level from our membership and move forward from there.

Plan on attending a ride? Sign Up for a ride here before arriving:
https://www.velocitycyclingclub.com/club-rides/

Re-opening ride
What better opportunity to re-open starting with the annual Steve Hancock Memorial Ride which we are holding this coming weekend on Saturday July 24th with these rides.

 
 
  1. +/- 105 km route that we used last year SHMR 105km route
  2. +/- 45 km SHMR 45km

Regularly scheduled rides
We plan to commence regularly scheduled rides departing from the eastern parking lot at Humbertown on July 26th:

Monday evening at 6pm – Clips and Tips for those looking to get comfortable riding in a group or prefer shorter distances (25-30km) 
Wednesday evening at 6pm – Tempo paced, no drop ride from 45-60 km
Saturday morning at 8 am – our traditional DPH no drop ride to Oakville at Tempo pace with a distance of 75 km
Sunday morning – Our “Get Outta Town” rides return with the routes changing from week to week. For those interested in hearing about these rides please contact kluder@www.velocitycyclingclub.com to be added to the WhatsApp group chat.

 

We plan to gradually add additional rides, including some of our favourite gravel rides and our initial “Test Your Limits” rides, once we have a read on the membership wants.

For those who have not been riding in groups it is always a good idea to freshen up on your Ride Guidelines and Etiquette by accessing our club document  https://www.velocitycyclingclub.com/club/ride-guidelines/

Thank you to everyone for your patience in these unparalleled times and we look forward to some excellent riding.

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

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July Update

July Ride Update - Kit orders have arrived

Hello VCC members

Achieving Stage 2 did not offer any positive changes in the regulations for group riding and as such we will continue to wait for the reduction in restrictions to follow shortly when Stage 3 is achieved. We continue to believe that within a city cycling club context that 3 metre distancing is not only almost impossible to abide by, it makes group riding less safe.

Hopefully the news we are looking for will come soon with the expected achievement of Stage 3 during the month of July.

We spoke with the Ontario Cycling Association (“OCA”) about the lack of positive change and understand that the provincial regulations govern club rides. Further, as road and gravel cycling is not specifically referenced in the regulations, cycling has been lumped into a general category which includes indoor sports. That is of course not logical but explains the reason why the 3 metre rule is in place. The OCA advises that they continue to lobby the government for relief without success to this point.

STEVE HANCOCK MEMORIAL RIDE UPDATE
Given the message above and having tentatively slotted the SHMR in for Saturday July 10th we will re-schedule the ride once appropriate group riding conditions exist. Stay tuned.

TOUR D’ABERNETHY UPDATE
Plans are progressing for the 2nd annual Tour D’Abernethy currently slated for Saturday August 21. Expect to receive an update and opening of the calendar once the ride routes have been finalized.

Beaver Valley Ski Club will once again be the host of the event and we have been advised that they have increased the outdoor patio area and we are expecting to have on site catering for this great event.

KIT HAS ARRIVED
Good news, the Castelli order arrived on July 2nd at HQ and looks mighty fine. Please e-mail at pmartin@www.velocitycyclingclub.com to arrange pick up.

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

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Return to Cycling – June Update

Return to Cycling - June Update

Hello VCC members

As you may have heard, the Ontario Cycling Association has advised that group riding can officially resume under the following criteria:

  • Group size is limited to ten (10) inclusive of a required ride leader 
  • Physical distance of 3m [extended from 2m] must be maintained at all times
  • When more than one group is riding, and the course is a point-to-point, Group B can start 15-30 minutes after the last rider of Group A has departed. This rule would apply for any subsequent groups as well.
  • If the course is a loop (i.e. circular, square, rectangular or with a turnaround point), Group B can start 15-30 minutes after the last rider of Group A has completed their ride.

While the 10 number met our previous threshold to restart, in the Board’s opinion the spacing increase to 3 metres (10 feet) makes for an unmanageable group of 10 when riding in the city and managing through stop lights etc., let alone rotating riders.

As such, it is our determination to defer the recommencement of group riding until we see further lifting of restrictions which we expect should come soon as the vaccination rates increase and cases further decrease during the summer season.

Kit Update

Castelli has confirmed that our product will leave the plant on June 25th so expect us to reach out directly to those who ordered in the beginning of July to arrange pick up.

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

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Fall Ride Schedule

Fall Ride Schedule / Tanya's Ride

Late season ride schedule

We are working to extend the club cycling season with the following three ride offerings. The gravel option and Lumen’eers will start after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend:

Saturday morning

  •  Danish Pastry Ride (or similar route) will continue
  •  Gravel ride (out of town start with location advised several days before)

Wednesday evening

  • Lumen’eers returns so bring your front night light

Clips and Tips and our regular Wednesday evening rides are now closed for the season.

All rides are subject to ride captain availability and of course weather dependent. 

Please be reminded that reservations close based on the following times:
– for morning rides, sign up will close 12 hours before (night before)
– for evening rides, sign up will close 3 hours before

Tanya’s Ride For Brain Injury  – $24,000 raised and still counting

What a great day on October 3rd. The weather cooperated, we had 45 riders participating in four separate road rides (114 km, two rides of 80 km and one at 58 km) plus a gravel ride. Albion Hills Conservation Area proved to be the perfect spot for great ride routes and appropriate social distancing.

Care to still make a donation, please use this link : BIST donation

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Tanya’s Ride 2020 – details confirmed

Tanya's Ride 2020 in support of BIST

Tanya’s Ride For Brain Injury October 3rd – Details All Firmed Up  

Tanya’s charity ride in support of the Brain Injury Society of Toronto (“BIST”) is being held this year at Albion Hills on Saturday October 3rd. There will be three challenging routes in the beautiful rolling hills of Caledon including a gravel option for those who like to get dirty. The ride will be followed by a tasty light meal.

For those of you who didn’t know Tanya, she was an enthusiastic member of VCC and a leading fundraiser for the Tour for Kids. Tragically, Tanya passed away last year after struggling with a serious brain injury incurred in a cycling accident in 2014. 

With all the cancelled rides this year due to COVID we are optimistic there will be a strong turn out and support for BIST.

VCC will be covering the costs for this event but it is a fundraising event for a very important and unfortunately high risk area for the sport that we all love. As with prior years we are setting the minimum donation at $100 with 100% of the funds going to BIST.  To assist in the ease of the event BIST has set up a Race Roster registration site which will include all the choices you need to make. As such we will move away from our usual VCC calendar feature.

Sign up here – https://raceroster.com/events/2020/34775/tanyas-ride-for-brain-injury

We also have an initial club fund raising matching challenge that has been tabled. A lead donor will match all VCC donations up to $2000 so let’s make this donor pay!

The main points are as follows:

  • the first ride start time at 10am to accommodate a potentially cooler morning.
    • If the forecast shows promising closer to ride day we may advise on slightly earlier start times
  • To manage food choices we would like commitments to this event by September 24. We should be able to accommodate some late additions but meal choices will not be guaranteed.
  • Base camp – Albion Hills, 16500 Highway 50, Caledon, ON – Lakeview 1 picnic site. The permit does restrict us to 50 people (riders and support personnel). Please note that there is a roughly $7 fee to enter the park.
    • the site has a covered area, picnic tables, portable washrooms and a fire pit 
  • Ride choices (15 riders per group):
    • Road – +/- 120 km starting at 10am (30-32km avg)
    • Road – +/- 70 km starting at 11am (27-29km avg)
    • Gravel – +/- 70 km starting at 11am (gravel paced 😊)
    • Mechanical support and sag wagon 

Please note that the permit does not allow us to offer a mountain bike option. Yes, those are the facts.

Catering will be supplied by Fire It Up BBQ. As no onsite cooking is permitted at Albion Hills, we will be offering a selection of two choices (one vegetarian) which will be pre-ordered and delivered at a pre-set time. We will have additional sundry items including water, additional snacks etc.

Going forward we will be posting the actual routes (we tested the gravel option this morning). We must also be cognizant of any changes that the Ontario Government may make on social gatherings due to COVID. Our event has been set at 50 which is already half the maximum size currently permitted under Phase 3.

Further updates will be forthcoming as we get closer. 

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

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Steve Hancock Memorial Ride

Steve Hancock Memorial Ride 2020 - completed

Start photo

Green was out in full force in support

Thanks to all 26 riders who participated in the SHMR this morning. We had great weather and eventually we split into three groups to accommodate all levels of ride participants. Group 1 had the unfortunate experience of 6 flat tires but otherwise the rides all went without incident covering 105 km to 108 km.

All groups stopped at the ghost bike to pay their respects, fondly remember his Olympic and work achievements, his great character and commitment to family.

Safety on the road was also discussed including the need to be vigilant while biking at all times. While we can’t control all factors around us while cycling, it is essential to focus on the ones we can control and to do this throughout the duration of a ride.

Looking forward to a larger group of participants in 2021.

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

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