Just as any annual event should be, the 5th La Bicicletta Gran Fondo was bigger and better than ever. Lots of advance planning yielded a host of amazing prizes, an improved route (with plenty of clear signage), our best jersey design, and one George Hincapie coming up from North Carolina for the day. The only thing working against us was the forecasted cold rain, but that miraculously passed by sunrise on the day-of for clear sunny skies, a mild wind, and 18° temperature. Everyone knows God is a cyclist, and this was no time to be messing about.

 

As riders arrived, they were treated to a loot-bag of goodies, cool Diadora sneakers, and a warm breakfast. Those not shmoozing got to play with the new Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 electronic groupset, and try out Assos Zegho sunglasses. Soon enough, Heath gave his last-minute pre-ride chat, and then the ride was off. Each group, the Gran- and Medio Fondo, had a BMW motorcycle as a lead, and three support cars in tow, with extra food and spare wheels. ‘Gruppo compatto’ was the order of the day, with team riders from Jet Fuel Coffee and RealDealRacing controlling the pace, and even helping riders fading in the rear with pacing, encouragement, and a good push when needed. Autumn colours were in full effect, and at the top of every hill many riders were seen staring at the sweeping countryside views.

 

Once back at the Endras BMW dealership, a carb-heavy lunch with lots of wine and cool beer awaited. Everyone rolled in in great spirits, and mostly together. The one exception was David Kim (who abandoned last year’s ride after 10km), who received  a round of applause as he came in  well over an hour behind. Chapeau, David!

 

After everyone was satiated, many raffle prizes were drawn, and then George Hincapie’s jersey and BMC Impec were auctioned off. To serve as a reminder of where the funds were being directed, Kevin Davis retold the story of Ilija Petrovski’s life-threatening bike crash, and his current condition. All the money raised from the auction was being given to support Ilija’s family. It was very exciting to see the winner of the Impec throw it back into the ring, so it could be auctioned off a second time. Even George was impressed at the gesture. Finally, a massive cake was presented to George for his incredible career, and his just-announced retirement from the Pro peloton.

 

Overall, it was a very pleasant day, and had all the qualities of a great day on the bike: good people, a great route, a new kit, the chance to rub elbows with a pro rider, food a-plenty, and prizes. Plus it feels good to raise money for someone so integral to the local cycling community. It’s too bad we have to wait another year to do it all over again.

 

Thank you to all our sponsors (Endras BMW, Diadora, Enervit, Giordana, Pinarello, Shimano, Assos), volunteers, and participants- you all contributed to making it a very special day.

 

More pictures can be seen on our flickr page.

Nobody deserves to suffer from cancer, least of all kids. From this simple idea, our favourite change agent, Jeff Rushton, created a national organization to raise funds for childhood cancer charities which improve the survival rate and quality of life for children impacted by cancer.  We asked ourselves how we could contribute to such a noble cause, so for the second year running, we’ve proudly done mobile mechanical support for one of their events, Tour for Kids Ontario.

Tour for Kids Ontario is a super-well organized 4-day cycling tour which sees 550 participants have a boatload of fun, and raises over $5 million dollars. There’s 25 - 200km daily routes, flash mobs, Celtic bands, themed rest stops, massages, beer, yummy food, and skydivers, too.

But it’s also an emotional experience. Each day starts with heartfelt dedications, there are reminders at every stop about who you’re riding for, you meet caregivers and recipients of the funds, and hear first-hand what it’s like for kids with cancer (and their families) who just try to lead a normal life. The cause is made present and meaningful, each rider understands what they’re riding for, and it unites them all into a strong community- the feeling is palpable. Their passion steers them forward, and it’s no surprise many participants return year after year.

Fixing countless bikes for four days can be physically tiring, but it’s made easier when there’s a cause behind you. All our mechanics had to do, really, is keep the riders riding, which means they’d have a better time, which means they’d raise more money, spread the word, and come back again. We all win.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and we’ll see you again next year!

 

In 2008, Christian Vande Velde was a sensation at the Tour de France, especially in the mountains. Hailing from Lemont IL, it almost didn't make sense that he thrive in the high alpine environment, yet there he was with the best of 'em. Asked by a sportscaster how he learned to climb, despite the flat geography of his rearing, he said he would seek out any and every steep pitch, and repeated ascending them until it equaled the distance of a European col. That makes sense- make do with what you have. Armed with this little tidbit of motivation, living in metro Toronto does present some workouts for the aspiring mountain goat.

 

My favourite urban hill climbing circuit consists of five hills in the Don Valley, with each circuit taking ~30 minutes. This is a great ride for cyclists stuck in the city looking for fluff-free rides, and is best ridden in the morning before work, in the evening, or even during a lunchtime break (if your schedule allows).

 

There's several variations to this route, but here's how I do it: starting from Yonge & Aylmer, get the legs spinning quickly down Rosedale Valley Road, and then turn north on the Bayview Extension. With Pottery Road approaching, it's now time to bring your climbing legs out. Make a right onto Pottery (600m, 5% avg grade), and keep it in the big ring. This stretch was repaved last year, so it's now super smooth, with sharrows on the descent, too. When you get to the top, go back down and climb it one more time. Very good. At the top of Pottery, make a left, and spin a light gear for your couple minutes on Broadview.

 

After Broadview turns 90° to the right, go left onto the first residential street, called Beechwood Drive. This is your next climb (500m, 6.8% avg). Beechwood is a one-way residential street at the top, but its essentially empty, only used as access to a Toronto Police dog training facility at the bottom. Climb Beechwood twice, again in the big ring. It's a very steady grade.

 

Now reverse the route back across Broadview, and down Pottery, all the while spinning your legs out in an easy gear. When Pottery bottoms out at Bayview, you know what to do- climb. The Bayview Extension (1.3km, 3.9% avg) is best done only once, and on the wide shoulder, since it's heavily trafficked, even for my standards. Big ring it. The pitch of the road has slight gradation changes, but when it flattens out before the railway bridge, that's your chance for a brief breather before kicking it out of the saddle for the last, tougher 100m.

 

At the top, go straight into the Loblaws parking lot, and make a right onto Moore Avenue. Spin easily all the way across Moore (which changes names to Southvale Drive), until it ends at Millwood Drive. Turn right onto Millwood, and then your first right after that, called Redway Road. This road loops around another grocery store, but when you see a sign for an access road to the North Toronto Water Treatment Plant, what's down below is the steepest climb in the city (300m, 9.7% avg). Hopefully there's something left in the tank, because this one brings you close to 'empty'. It's OK to climb this in any gear you like, but at least do it twice. Even if you're really fit, this one will make you gasp for air.

 

Now that the workout is almost done, reverse your route across Millwood, and down the Bayview Extension, all the while restoring some speed in your legs. Shoot down Bayview, and go right onto Rosedale Valley Road (2km, 1.2% avg), which has a gentle rise to it, except from the stop sign in Rosedale until you hit Yonge again, which is a bit steeper. You know you're going good if you can ride Rosedale Valley Road back in the big ring, with a high cadence.

 

While this may, or may not prepare you for the European cols, it does tie in most climbs to be found in the urban core. I like doing this ride once or twice a week, just to log some quality time in the saddle, and I find it helps my endurance for some longer weekend rides.

 

Enjoy!

 

For the past four years I have been fortunate to be a part of the team of coaches and staff that take young riders from across the province to an early season training camp in South Carolina's Blue Mountains. Already running for ten years, the camp is now run by Mike Garrigan and Brendan Arnold of the OCA who are supported by eight other coaches. This year we had 37 athletes attend the camp ranging from 15-22 years of age, from all cycling disciplines: road, track, MTB and cyclocross.

 

The camp provides the athletes a safe environment to develop their bike handling, improve their fitness, learn about nutrition, and most of all have fun and make great friends. We all stay at a secluded summer camp in a little place called Rocky Bottom. The facility is very basic and there are few frills, but the environment challenges all riders and gives us a place to train with little distraction.

 

 

Every day is planned out well in advance, with ride maps for each group, post-ride activities, grocery shopping and meetings. Campers are housed in one of three buildings on site, and while the accommodations are tight for such a large group, they are adequate and comfortable.

 

Rides range from 40-180km and include plenty of climbing. Some of the more challenging rides cover over 6000 feet of vertical gain in a day! Riders are placed into groups of various length based on fitness level, experience, age and level of fatigue. Each group is fully supported, so if anyone ever needs some help getting home, help is never far away.

 

 

Some of the participants wrote trip reports, which can be found here: Days 1-4, days 6-7.

 

This camp is a fantastic opportunity for young athletes to train and learn. If you have any questions about the camp please feel free to contact myself or provincial coach Mike Garrigan by email.