Steve's Cycling Blog
I've been at my current day job for about six years, and when I started in 2011, the commute was a short 9-10 km distance that I didn't cycle enough. I even had the luxury of secure bike storage, a shower, and the Grand River Trail. In March of this year, my employer moved to … Continue reading Cycling – Kitchener-Waterloo to Guelph
"Gravel grinder" is a fairly new cycling term to me. It was about five years ago when I started seeking unpaved roads for cycling adventures. Saturday morning rides started by gathering friends via social media to ride any gravel roads we could find. The rides started in the fall after road riding was done and … Continue reading Exploring new gravel roads
I am a cyclist. I'm a mountain biker, a roadie, a gravel cyclist, a fat biker. A commuter, a touring cyclist, and an occasional racer I ride 12 months of the year. In temperatures from as high as 35 C to as low as minus 25 C. In snow, rain, wind, sun, clouds. Up hills. … Continue reading Finding Peace on a Bicycle
Cycling is a pretty easy activity to prepare for. Really, all you need is your bike, a helmet and your cycling shoes. Other extras include water bottles, snacks, tools, gloves, sunglasses, but the essentials are minimal (it's not like when I used to play hockey, when I've shown up to a game without a shin … Continue reading Product Review – Cat5Gear Cyclist Case
It's been an odd summer. We haven't had the normal heat wave, and it seems like we get a good rain storm every few days. I'm not one to complain a lot about the weather, but as a cyclist, I'm always paying attention to it. I'm finally at the point in my concussion recover that … Continue reading A Cycling Week in Review – Bicycalligraphy, Eager Beaver
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
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