by David Peebles, Ravine Ride Coordinator
Enjoy park paths without the weekend crowds. The Ravine Rides are a series of relatively short rides at a moderate pace, generally taking 1–3 hours. The rides start at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays beginning May 5 and continuing into October. All start points are near subway stations, and the 10:30 start gives a full hour for travelling on the TTC with your bike. The routes avoid busy streets as much as possible. Optional coffee and sandwich stop after each ride. .
Here is the schedule for 2010, so far:
| May-04 | Etienne Brule Park | The Humber Yo-yo - A great way to warm up your cycling muscles after a long winter: a paved path with gentle grades along one of the nicest stretches of the Humber River. The route is almost totally car-free. | 20 km | |
| May-11 | St. George Subway | The Secret Circuit - The original - and shortest - ravine ride: a half-hidden downtown route with a minimum of street riding and enough hills to make sure you get a good cardio workout! Some unpaved paths. | 14 km | |
| May-18 | Kennedy Subway | East End Excursion - This ride has a bit of everything: ravines, a cemetery, two cannons, an industrial park, quiet residential streets, and a stairway. All but 100 m on pavement. | 22 km | |
| May-25 | St. George Subway | Cedarvale Prospecting - Cedarvale Park, and the Beltline extension. Some unpaved paths and street riding. | 19 km | |
| Jun-01 | Old Mill Subway | Mimico Creek and the Humber v2.1 - Paved paths and only a few blocks of street riding. | 22 km | |
| Jun-08 | St. George Subway | Balfour and the Beltline - David Balfour Park, Moore Park, the Beltline, and Cedarvale Park. Some unpaved paths. $5 non-members fee waived. Helmets mandatory, as always. | 19 km | |
| Jun-15 | Dufflet's, 2638 Yonge Street | Tour de Dufflet - Inspired by Dufflet's generous tour offer during Bike Month, the route visits three Dufflet locations. Last year, there was a $5 registration fee, which Dufflet donates to charity. Much of the route is on bike paths, but there is some street riding. Helmets mandatory (as always.) | 39 km | |
| Jun-22 | Kipling Subway | Bloordale and Mimico Creek - Explore the western edge of the city. A bit of street riding takes us to paths in two nice long ravines. One unpaved road. $5 non-members fee waived. Helmets mandatory, as always. | 19 km | |
| Jun-29 | St. George Subway | Sunnybrook/Don Valley - Almost all of the route is paved. Some street riding, but two-thirds of the route is on bike paths and half is in ravines. Come and see the amazing half-elephants (or maybe they're giant molars!) $5 non-members fee waived. Helmets mandatory, as always. | 26 km | |
| Jul-06 | Finch | North by Northeast - A new route to L’Amoreaux Park. Some street riding, plus 2 km of unpaved paths hidden in the wilds of Willowdale. | 32 km | |
| Jul-13 | Oriole Park | Double Don - After some street riding, this route dips down into Hogg's Hollow to cross the west branch of the Don River, then climbs back up to follow Wilket Creek to the east branch. Includes some unpaved paths, a little bit of gravel, and the infamous Wilket Creek sand trap. | 27 km | |
| Jul-20 | Finch Subway | Perpendicular Lines: Finch to Kennedy - A one-way ride that takes a shortcut from Finch subway station to Kennedy station. | 23 km | |
| Jul-27 | Etienne Brule Park | Humber and High Park - North along the Humber, east through Smythe Park, south through city streets and High Park to the lakeshore, then west back to the Humber. Two short unpaved sections. | 24 km | |
| Aug-03 | Finch Subway | Parallel Lines: Finch to Union Station - A one-way ride the whole length of the Yonge line. Get full value for your subway token. Overall the route goes downhill. | 30 km | |
| Aug-10 | St. George Subway | Hill and Vale - Cedarvale, the Beltline, and the long, long glide down Moore Park Ravine. Lots of unpaved paths. | 18 km | |
| Aug-17 | Kennedy Subway | Parallel Lines: Kennedy to Kipling - A one-way ride the whole length of the Bloor-Danforth line. Get full value for your subway token. | 35 km | |
| Aug-24 | Midland RT Station | Richard's Route - Explore parks and paths in the far northeast. Some street riding. | 22 km | |
| Aug-31 | St. George Subway | Heart of Toronto - A heart-shaped ride linking ravines in the centre of the city. Some unpaved paths. | 28 km | |
| Sep-07 | High Park | Mainline: High Park to Main Station - A one-way ride along the lakeshore with about a kilometre on unpaved paths. | 28 km | |
| Sep-14 | Kipling Subway | Bloordale and Mimico Creek - Explore the western edge of the city. A bit of street riding takes us to paths in two nice long ravines. One unpaved road. | 19 km | |
| Sep-21 | Finch Subway | Parallel Lines: Finch to Union Station - A one-way ride the whole length of the Yonge line. Get full value for your subway token. Overall the route goes downhill. | 30 km | |
| Sep-28 | Etienne Brule Park | Mimico Creek and the Humber, v3.0 - Paved paths and only a few blocks of street riding. | 26 km | |
| Oct-05 | Kennedy Subway | Diagonal Lines: Kennedy to Union Station - All but a few blocks of this one-way route is in parks or on bike paths. Only 30 m of the route is unpaved | 24 km | |
| Oct-12 | St. George Subway | Heart of Toronto - Finish the summer with a ride linking ravines in the centre of the city. Some unpaved paths. | 28 km | |
| Oct-19 | Shoppers World, Danforth | Taylor, Martin, and Don - A water theme: the lakeshore, the Don River, and Taylor Creek. Paved paths with a few blocks of street riding. | 26 km | |
| Oct-26 | St. George Subway | Balfour and the Beltline Plus - Get the Halloween spirit by visiting two cemeteries. A lovely downtown ride with a few hills and some unpaved paths. | 24 km |