Steve's Cycling Blog
In my hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo, we've been extremely lucky to have one of the best mountain bike trail systems in Ontario. The Hydrocut has been a favourite mountain-biking destination for many years, with as many as 40,000 riders visiting each year. I first rode these trails more than 20 years ago (around 1992) when I … Continue reading Mid-summer mountain biking at the Hydrocut
Last fall, the wonderfull staff at Arkel sent me one of their new products for my bikepacking adventures: the Seatpacker - a 15-litre waterproof seatpack. A couple of weeks ago, I went on my first over-night bikepacking trip with the Seatpacker, and here's my review (Disclaimer: This product was provided to me by Arkel at … Continue reading Product Review: Arkel’s Seatpacker 15
In addition to cycling, one of my favourite outdoor activities is camping. Since I was a kid, travelling to different provincial parks in Ontario has been a big part of each summer. This past weekend, I spent a couple of days at Awenda Provincial Park, near Midland-Penetanguishene, on the shore of Georgian Bay. As usual, … Continue reading Cycling at Awenda Provincial Park
Now that I've completed my "50 memorable rides for my 50th year", I've been thinking about what to write about as I continue this blog. One topic that people have asked me about is bikepacking. In my previous post, my 50th ride involved my first attempt at bikepacking. I'm still learning about bikepacking and there … Continue reading My Introduction into Bikepacking – Packs and Gear
When I started my quest to have 50 memorable bike rides in my 50th year, I purposely avoided any specific goals. I also avoided the use of the word "epic", since it's relative. I simply wanted to have 50 rides that were memorable to me. And "memorable" could mean any of the following: A new … Continue reading Ride 50! Bikepacking to Turkey Point
Finally the nice weather is upon us! And I've been able to enjoy the sunshine by riding more. This includes some city riding to local destinations, and a nice weekend gravel grinder with my riding buddy Ron (founder of Contrabean - a local coffee roasting company). Ron and I used to ride a lot together … Continue reading Mid-June update – Destination Cycling
With the month of June upon us, cycling season is in full swing and despite the rainy May that we had, the weather has been good to get out on the bike. On this first weekend in June, I was able to add two new rides to my nearly-complete "50 memorable rides in my 50th … Continue reading Rides 47 and 48: KW City Trails and 2017 Ride for Heart
As the end of May approaches, I thought I'd blog about my week in cycling, my continued recovery and some other thoughts. After a nice long weekend camping at Killbear (and riding to Norse Brewery), I decided to take a few days off cycling to let my head rest. As such, I didn't commute to … Continue reading End of May Cycling Thoughts
I'm getting closer to completing my "50 memorable rides in my 50th year". If you've been following, you'll recall that my original goal was to complete all 50 rides in the calendar year when I turned 50. After my crash on Labour Day weekend, however, it became clear that I wouldn't be able to complete … Continue reading Ride 46: Social destination ride on fat bike
It doesn't seem like too long ago when I only needed one bike. My rides were to and from school, or friends' homes. My bike riding season was spring until fall, when I'd put the bike away over the winter. I'd ride only on roads, sidewalks (gasp!) and paved trails. This was on a road … Continue reading How many bikes is too many?
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