Ride 4 Fun - Parkdale

On Sunday June 26, we rode down to Liberty Village to look at the new shops that had just opened and found a really neat cupcake store (expensive though). Then we visited with friends on Fraser Ave, and had a look at a California Lowrider all chrome frame with 26" wheels and super high ape-hanger bars!. Later in the afternoon we cut through the CNE grounds and stopped for pics at the fountain and then Queens Quay and home. 8km.

Bikefest June 25, 2011

Iron Horse went to the Distillery District down on Mill Street under very overcast and rain-threatening skies. Just like the weather, I was not impressed with the Bikefest this year, (could have been better) although the live jazz band was good (and I don't really like jazz)!
The usual bike shops were in attendance, an assortment of road and adventure tours/clubs looking for members. MEC had a big Community Bike Clinic at the back in tents to do minor repairs and adjustments to peoples' bikes (for tips), a few crafty-types, and bycycle delivery food vendors too. The U of T had their streamliner racing bike there with a scratched up fibreglass body; letting people sit inside it for photos. As expected there was very few choppers, and beachcruisers on display, and no one with r'bents except the 2 of us from Iron Horse (when we were there)! I find that the laneways around the distillery buildings to be too narrow with people pushing bikes, and the general public milling around, (not to mention the severe lack of bicycle racks and places to lock your bike to at a bicycle event).

We Go To Mass

Critical Mass is a bicycling event held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city streets in a mass on bikes.
More Info on Critical Mass: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

Friday June 24 Iron Horse Cruiser Club made it to Mass (like we have every month for over a year now depending on the weather); even in the colder months although the number of riders is drastically reduced! However this night the mass left Spadina & Bloor about 6:30 and headed for downtown. The main idea of the ride was to ride the (proposed removal of) Jarvis Street bike lanes by the Ford Nation, to show the motoring public that we needed the bike lanes to be left alone. We started at Jarvis & Queen and rode up to Isabella and then around back down to Queen where the Mass headed east on Queen Street. Iron Horse left the Mass at Parliament Street as I heard that they were heading up the Bayview extension to the Brickworks for some event taking place there, and since it was 7:45pm, it was past my suppper time; we headed over to "Cruise the Dub" at A&W for dinner! 10km.

MEC Bikefest

MEC Bikefest is a daylong community celebration of bicycles and all things bicycle related. A festival with something for everyone, MEC Bikefest features dozens of informative clinics, kid's activities, bicycle demos, a bicycle swap, the latest gear from bicycle retailers and manufactrurers, groups ride info booths, bicycle donation drop-off, community cycling groups, gear giveaways, food vendors and live bands.

Come join us in the distillery district for the best bicycle street party in Toronto.

We will be there about 2pm on our r 'bent cruisers!

Nice Day Beach Cruise

Since the Bells on Bloor Ride finished early at about 2:15pm I thought it would be a plan to continue riding since the werather was perfect. So after a quick stop at home for incidentals, we headed down to Dundas and took the bike lane east to Kingston Road, where we hooked up with the Martin Goodman Trail as it entered the Beaches at Woodbine. Then east on the trail to Victoria Park for a rest; then back west to the pit stop at Leslie & Lakeshore. The trail in the beach was just full of lolly-gagging people walking in groups and dogs on and off leashes and not to mention the little kids running all over the place kept us on our toes trying to pedal along the trail, making it a relief to get out onto the street-side of the trail!
After filling up with the Tims & coffee we headed back onto the trail, past the Spit and into Cherry Beach. Further along we stopped at the Docks nightclub to check out the Wine & Cheese Festival, but it wasn't free so we took a bench on the dock and cooled off in the shade. While there, a pro-model and her photographer happened by and started to pose and photograph right next to us. What a muscular build on that young chick!
25km.

Bells On Bloor 2011

This years Bells On Bloor ride had perfect weather as did last years. The Bells On bloor Ride is an annual event to call attention for the need of bicycle lanes on Bloor/Denforth here in Toronto( a major east west route across the city). We joined the ride just west of Lansdowne & Bloor about 12:30pm and rode slowly east to Bay Street (this year), then south to Wellesley and west to Queens Park. The (provided) bicycle police escort did a really good job of corking the intersections to keep the 1,000+ mass of cyclists moving along. The ride ended at Queens park about 2pm with speeches by the organizers.

Ride 4 Fun

Seeing as how the Ride 4 Heart was on today earlier and that its hard to really get a good ride on the downhills of the DVP with 20 - 30 thousand other cyclists, and little kids riding all over the place I missed doing it on purpose.

The weather for a ride was fantastic, high of 27 degrees, blue sky with the odd puffy clouds as we rode down to Liberty Village and then east on the Martin Goodman Trail.
Stopping at a couple of places on the way and having a rest at the Sugar Beach water park we met with my friend Wayne (from back in the old HPVSO days) on his Greenspeed trike. We then headed east to Leslie & Lakeshore for a pit stop and then west on Eastern to Logan and then Queen etc to home at Church & Wellesley. Great day, great ride. 13km.