For an account of the club's beginning, we quote from the "TBN Primer", the first club handbook mailed to members back in 1986. It reads: "The Toronto Bicycling Network was founded in March 1983 by a cycling enthusiast, Richard Aaron, who dreamed of a club in Toronto solely for touring and recreational cyclists. After a chance meeting with another cyclist, Norm Myshok, at the Great Canadian Bicycle Rally that year in Paris, Ontario, things really started to fly. Given the initial efforts of these two and many, many others who have come forward since then, the TBN has become a very successful realization of that original dream.
Successful indeed! From a handful of workshops, two tours and 270 members in 1983, the club had grown to more than 650 members by 1986 and offered up some 70 scheduled rides, regular social events, bike workshops, and a full cross-country ski program. Rides were held only on Sundays, and there were two to choose from: short (15 to 30 miles -- yes, we didn't go metric until the following year) and long (40 to 60 miles).
Weekend trips, both for cycling in the summer and skiing in the winter, were held regularly. The Pelee Wheelie was organized for the first time in 1986 -- held on the Labour Day weekend, as it is to this day -- and the Stratford B&B trip also made its first appearance. Other trips that have become TBN classics, such as TNT (Toronto-Niagara-Toronto) and those to Quinte, Manitoulin Island and the Finger Lakes, came later.
The following year, 1987, saw another big first: Cyclon! The first edition of TBN's premier three-day cycling event was held at Brock University in St. Catharines. Later venues included Guelph, Waterloo, London, and the Quinte area south of Belleville.
Another innovation for 1987 was the appearance, for the first time, of the "Easy Roller", "Tourist" and "Sportif" ride classifications. (Country Cruises first began in 1989, and by 1990 were offered every second Sunday, then weekly by 1995).
A spring potluck dinner/dance made its first appearance in 1988, to complement the fall dinner/dance and annual general meeting held each year in October or November. The TBN's fall hiking program also made its debut in 1988.
There was a huge growth in programs over the next few years, with ice skating and in-line skating added, plus the creation of the "Leisure Wheelers" class of rides, the Friday Night Rides, the Wednesday Wheelie day rides, and the Saturday Morning rides (some of these appeared in various forms in earlier years, but are now a more permanent part of the TBN program). In 1994, the club formalized the idea of après-ride spots to encourage socializing at the end of rides.
And finally, there was a major alteration to the July/August 1995 newsletter: a name change to "Quick Release." Membership has remained relatively stable over the past few years, and currently sits around 850. Some of the goals of the current executive are to increase the promotion and visibility of the club, encourage more weekend trips, and ensure that the current list of high-quality programs continues. Cycling unquestionably remains our core activity, but we're proud that through the years the TBN has become truly an all-seasons club.