Steve's Cycling Blog
First, a bit of history: I started cycling in the 1990s as a mountain biker (discounting rides around the neighbourhood as a kid). I used to ride once a week in Dundas Valley before mountain biking was popular. When I joined the Waterloo Cycling Club in 2002, I bought a used road bike and joined … Continue reading The Simple Pleasures of Cycling on Gravel Roads
I've always thought that weather is perfect when we're not talking about it. It's easy to say it's too cold or too hot or too humid or too windy or too wet to go for a bike ride. 2017 has been an interesting year, weather-wise. Summer was probably "average, in terms of temperature and rainfall, … Continue reading October Long Weekend Cycling – Summer Weather
When I first took interested in bikepacking, a Google search took me to a review of a bikepacking adventure by a guy named Miles Arbour. In 2016, he rode a system of trails and roads called the Central Ontario Loop Trail, or COLT. His article got me interested, and my brother Greg and I started … Continue reading Bikepacking the Central Ontario Loop Trail
"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
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
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
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