Steve's Cycling Blog
"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
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
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
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?
I've blogged several times about the Paris to Ancaster (P2A) cycling event. I've blogged about my thoughts during the ride, how I prepare and even tips for newbies. Yesterday, I completed the shorter St.George to Ancaster event on my fat bike, and 2017 marked the 16th straight year I've entered the race. Back when registration … Continue reading Ride 45 – Paris to Ancaster – 2017 Summary
When faced with something new, we tend to react in one of two ways: we can embrace the change in a curious manner and learn about it, or we can turn our back on it and rationalize our fear of something we don't understand. After the fantastic Steaming Nostril cycling event a couple of weeks … Continue reading It’s more than just sharing the road.
My previous blog post was about the 2017 Steaming Nostril/Runny Nose event a few of days ago. I don't do a lot of racing, so when I do, these events tend to stick in my mind for a few days (maybe because my body is still reminding me of the effort). I am not a racer … Continue reading More on the Steaming Nostril 2017
I've been blogging a lot lately about this Ontario Spring Classic. The 2017 version didn't disappoint as over 300 riders entered the fifth edition of this event. In past years, there has been a wide variety of challenges in the Steaming Nostril and the shorter Runny Nose: slow, slushy trails, minus 20C wintery conditions, epic … Continue reading Ride 44 – 2017 Steaming Nostril/Running Nose
