Without getting into too much detail, in June of 2019, I joined a work colleague Kelly and headed to Barrie to meet a larger group of cyclists from the GTA to ride the Simcoe County Loop Trail (SCLT). This 160 km loop includes rail trail, city trails and some paved roads and has been growing … Continue reading Bikepacking the Simcoe County Loop Trail and More!
Tag: cycling in Ontario
Gravel Cycling near Kitchener-Waterloo
First: a brief history of my cycling life. Like many kids back in the day, I had a banana-seat 3-speed (I wish there were some photos of that bike). In high school, I got into road cycling and bought a nice Bianchi in about 1984 (I still have that bike, but I'm looking for a … Continue reading Gravel Cycling near Kitchener-Waterloo
Product Review: 2019 Cannondale CAADX 105 SE
Cannondale's CAADX line of cyclocross bikes have been around for years. While their SuperX line is designed for pro-level racers, the CAADX line offers more value for weekend riders. Cannondale advertises the CAADX line as "Cross Trainer" bikes, and although CAADX is in their cyclocross line of bikes, they are also very capable as all-road … Continue reading Product Review: 2019 Cannondale CAADX 105 SE
Indoor Cycling Training Software – A Review of Sorts
Only a few years ago, I scoffed at the thought of cycling indoors over the winter. I was one of those people who would ride in just about any kind of weather, particularly in winter. I've got a fat bike and tons of winter gear so there's no excuse for me not to get out. … Continue reading Indoor Cycling Training Software – A Review of Sorts
New Protected Bike Lanes in Waterloo – A First Look
My second outdoor bicycle ride of 2020 was a solo jaunt through the City of Waterloo on January 3. The weather was mild (for January in Ontario) and the roads and bike paths were clear so I decided to take out my gravel bike and ride around the city to explore the new protected bike … Continue reading New Protected Bike Lanes in Waterloo – A First Look
2020 – A Fresh Start
With a new year upon us, it seems like a good time to summarize my past year (and decade). 2019 was a year of ups and downs as far as fitness and cycling go. I started the year with a renewed focus on training and I had an indoor set-up that motivated me through the … Continue reading 2020 – A Fresh Start
Bikepacking in the Kitchener-Waterloo area
A lot of the online resources for bikepacking describe routes that take many long days to complete. Locally, July 14, 2019 marked the inaugural Grand Depart for the BT700 - a 700 km loop around south-western Ontario! Not all bikepacking trips, however, have to been multi-day epic adventures. Last weekend, I did an overnight trip … Continue reading Bikepacking in the Kitchener-Waterloo area
Perspective: Cycling after 50
There are a lot of articles (and probably books) about exercise and fitness and cycling after the age of 50. Many of them are written by exceptional people who have devoted a huge amount of time to staying fit and active. If you believe what you read on the internet, it was Bill Clinton who … Continue reading Perspective: Cycling after 50
Vulnerable Humans and Victim-Blaming
If you scour the internet, you'll find a quote that is attributed to Gandhi. It goes something like this: The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members. Other websites will refute that Gandhi ever made this statement, but they will quote a speech he made in 1931, where he said: The … Continue reading Vulnerable Humans and Victim-Blaming
2018 Cycling Summary
So.... here we are. Another year over, and a new one's just begun. And you know what that means? Numbers and maps - two of my favourite things when it comes to cycling and motivation. So here's my Cycling year 2018 in numbers (sources: strava.com, veloviewer.com, http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/annualSummary.php) Total distance: 5450 kilometres (most km's I've cycled in … Continue reading 2018 Cycling Summary