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Ontario By Bike E-News: June
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Great Places to Cycle: Chatham-Kent
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| Waterfront Trail - Credit: Goh Iromoto |
With well-established cross-regional, signed cycling routes, such as the Great Lakes
Waterfront Trail (in both southern and northern sections) and over 200 km of the
Trans Canada Trail in Chatham-Kent, visitors now have more connectivity between trails and roads across south western Ontario.
Both trail systems are renowned attractions and offer scenic cycling along lakes and rivers and through picturesque rural landscapes.
There are also an increasing number of shorter trails suitable for recreational cyclists in the
Chatham-Kent region, including trails along waterfronts, wetlands and in natural settings. View or download the
Chatham-Kent Trails Map
, which features maps of 41 trails located across the region.
Cycle over 19 km of trails and park roads along the shores of Lake Erie in Ontario's second oldest provincial park, Rondeau Provincial Park. Download the park trail map here.
Tucked away in the southwest corner of the region, near the village of Wheatley and Wheatley Provincial Park is
Two Creeks Conservation Area with 10+ km of challenging single track mountain bike trails.
While in Chatham-Kent ride part of the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, a historical route mapped and published by the Adventure Cycling Association. Visit their website for more information. See "UGRR Detroit ALT" route, which includes routing through North Buxton, Chatham and Dresden. In it's entirety, the route extends from Alabama to Owen Sound!
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Announcing Ontario By Bike Ride:
September 24-25 ~
Simcoe County Rail Trails
Located just over an hour north of Toronto, Simcoe County has a rail trail network that loops and
criss-crosses the region, making it a fabulous destination for recreational riders looking to explore the region by bike.
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Midland Rotary Trail - Credit: Little Ed's Midland |
Join Ontario By Bike for a fabulous fall two-day weekend tour along some of the best trails in Simcoe
County.
Passing through several small towns and by historic sites along the route, enjoy an easy ride on trails of mixed surfaces.
Featuring primarily o
ff-road riding (approx. 10 km on roads) in Simcoe County the tour begins near Barrie, heads north to the rugged shores of Severn Sound in Georgian Bay and ends in your choice of either Orillia or Barrie.
With an average daily ride distance
of under 60km, this tour is suitable for cyclists with some cycling experience.
The tour includes one night hotel accommodation at the newly renovated Comfort Inn in Midland, breakfast, two lunches, snacks, booking fee, shuttle from Orillia/Barrie and more.
Just bring your bike and ride!
Book early - June Ride Sold Out
who offer a wide range of cycling tours world-wide
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Stay Connected with Ontario By Bike!
Share using the hashtag #OntarioByBike!
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100 Plus Club
Select 100km day trip routes in Ontario
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Credit: Peterborough & the Kawarthas
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'Century Rides' are a goal and training milestone for many. The
100 mile routes are offered at lots of cycling events in Ontario. So if you are looking for your next big ride, put some of these top picks on your list. (We've included some Canadian versions too, with a more modest ride distance of 100km.)
Halton Heat Map 100
- This ride starts just east of Milton, conveniently near GO Transit commuter parking lot at Trafalgar Road and Highway 407. Designed from GPS heat maps, the route is the collective result of thousands of rides logged using the popular Strava app.
Oxford Century
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Challenge yourself on the ultimate milestone ride and this 100 mile tour (156km) across Oxford County. The route uses rural roads through a scenic mix of farmlands, roadside forests, rivers and stream crossings.
York Century -
This 100km route starts off in Newmarket and takes cyclists along smooth paved roads up to quaint communities along south shore of Lake Simcoe and back. Jackson's Point is a popular rest zone just beyond the half way mark.
The Cottage Country - T
his 100km route will give you a feel for the farming communities east of Peterborough, as well as the wilderness and cottage country north for which the Kawarthas is renowned for.
South Baymouth to Meldrum Bay - At 125km this route is a full day of riding. Luckily Manitoulin is a picturesque destination for cyclists. Now`s your chance to find out why Manitoulin Island h
as been quickly growing in popularity as a cycling destination in Ontario.
Newboro - Parham Cycle Route
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A looped route of 104km starting in Westport, north of Kingston, has paved surfaces with some shoulders and steep but scenic Rideau Lakes topography. Depending on skill level, this route may be peddled in a few hours or over a full day.
Honourable Mentions
Saugeen River Ramble Cycling Route
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At 96km this route clocks in just under the 100km threshold, but offers a fantastic cycling experience for those looking for to ride riding in Grey County.
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Urban Cycling Experiences in Ontario
There is no better way to get to know an urban centre intimately than by hopping on a bike and pedaling through neighbourhoods, exploring downtown and beyond. Every year city centres across Ontario are adding more bike lanes, improving bikeway networks and creating more connections and opportunities for great urban cycling experiences.
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| Ottawa - Credit: Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (2016) |
This allows riders to meander through city streets, accessing incredible parks, trails systems and attractions. We've put together a selection of resources that will help you plan out your next urban cycling adventure in Ontario.
Check out our latest blog post highlighting cycling in urban centres like Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, Toronto and Ottawa.
Do you have a favourite urban cycling adventure? Share with us by sending an email to
info@ontariobybike.ca or tagging us at
#OntarioByBike on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
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June: Bike Month Continues ....
While Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Week early June dates may have come and gone, extend your ride time this month as June is officially Bike Month in Ontario. There are still lots events on and extending through till the end of June. Check out:
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New Cycling Maps and Resources
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Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism has released the 4th edition of the popular Peterborough & the Kawarthas Cycling & Trails map, which includes the new Peterborough & the Kawarthas Classics Road Cycling Routes.
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Available in print for purchase, this map book features over 30 detailed maps showing the Trail's route, on or off road sections, parking, washrooms, landmarks, trail connections, waterfront parks, wetlands, beaches, marsh and forests, vineyards, farmland, museums and shopping areas.
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Ride South Eastern Ontario Cycling Map
This cross-regional and bilingual cycling map features multiple cycling routes in both the United Counties of Prescott-Russell and within the Cornwall and
the Counties tourism region.
Download or request the printed map or access the Ride with GPS accounts listed on map for digital routing
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There are many good reasons to consider joining a cycling club, if you are not already a part of one. You may think the clubs are just for the pros, but while there are many long distance training types of clubs there are just as many recreational clubs that that offer rides of varied distances.
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Oshawa Cycling Club - Credit: Richard Oldfield,
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Club riding can
- Motivate you to go further
- Help you explore new routes
- Introduce you to new friends
- Mean safety in numbers
- Be fun !
There are clubs in most urban centres, many affiliated with local bike shops and all featuring social times often post ride at favoured coffee or patio stops. Find a club that fits your style and is centred where you want to ride by using our club listing page:
www.ontariobybike.ca/clubs
Read
this interesting take on cycling clubs in recent Globe and Mail article.
If you wish to have your club added to this list for free, please send an email to
info@ontariobybike.ca
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Upcoming Cycling Events in Ontario
A great way to get out and explore a new area by bike, enjoy a tour, have fun and depending on event, support a charity. Here is a list of just some of the events on over the next couple of months.
Be sure to visit
www.ontariobybike.ca/events for more complete listings
and search over 9
0 cycling event listings with something for every type of cyclist
!
Do you know of an event that isn't listed on our site? Send an email to
info@ontariobybike.ca
and we'll add it to our site!
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2016 Cycling In Ontario / Le vélo en Ontario Guide
Featuring Ontario's best road, trail and mountain bike experiences this free guide is published in both French and English and is a key trip planning resource for cyclists looking to explore more of Ontario by bike.
Visit
OntarioByBike.ca/2016
to view the guide online, download as PDF file or find information on how to request a copy by mail.
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E-Newsletter Archive
We have a lot of fun putting together content for you to read in our 7 annual issues, and hope to inspire you to explore more of
Ontario by bike.
Consider sharing the link
with a friend!
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Keep Spinning!
It's June and the great weather of an Ontario summer is upon us. There are so many fantastic cycling experiences, tours and events happening in Ontario this year and you're likely on the trails or roads experiencing it yourself. Enjoy!
We do always want to remind you to tell us about your experiences so we can in turn share these with others. So if you found a great cycling event in your community, w
e want to celebrate it too! If you have a great experience at one of the 1,100+ bicycle friendly businesses in Ontario, we want to let everyone know as well!
Whether Ontario is your home or your next holiday destination, we're certain you'll be thrilled with all of the great experiences in the province best served by bike.
Cheers,
From Louisa, Joanne & Michael
Ontario By Bike Network
Project of Transportation Options
850 Coxwell Ave ~ Toronto, ON ~ M4C 5R1
Office: 416-827-2774
Toll-Free: 1-866-701-2774
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