President's message

Summer solstice is almost here, which means longer days and evenings for enjoying your favourite cycling routes. We are pleased to announce that a few spots are still available for Cyclon 2025, so spread the word to your non-TBN cycling buddies and encourage them to join us for our second consecutive year at Trent University in Peterborough. I had a great time at last year's event there. Some issues noted last year have been addressed by the Cyclon committee so we're looking forward to an even better event this year. 

On another matter, we are still actively looking for volunteers for the  Presidential Nominating committee. This is a very important volunteer role to find the next President. Please see the item about the committee in this issue.

Finally, the TBN store is now closed. This was a very successful year, 26 short-sleeve jerseys, 18 long-sleeve jerseys and 10 shorts were ordered. Those orders will go ahead and the items should arrive in six to eight weeks, likely in time for Cyclon. I look forward to seeing these new jerseys and shorts on rides. The bib shorts did not meet the 10-item minimum, with only four orders. Those orders will be refunded. 

--Gord Irish

Cyclon registration is open

Hello TBN members, 30-Day trial members and non-members. Yes, It's that time of year again. Cyclon, set for Aug. 1-4 at Trent University in picturesque Peterborough, Ont, is still open for registration. To register go to The Toronto Bicycling Network Inc. - Cyclon 2025 then click on the Cyclon 2025 link (found under "Register for Cyclon 2025" and check out the FAQ link for all the information you'll need (including pricing) for an awesome weekend of cycling and socializing. As of June 13 there are still a few spaces available.

TBN board proposes bylaws change

As previously reported in Chain of Events, our current board President will be retiring from the board at the end of this year. As part of the process of finding a new candidate for President, the board decided to propose bylaws changes to create a Vice-President role that would share leadership responsibility and make future leadership changes smoother. At the upcoming Annual General Meeting in the fall, members will be asked to vote on the following bylaws amendments:

• Create the role of Vice-President to share duties with and be a backup for the President;

• Remove the temporary role of “Past President” as it has not served its intended purpose and the current President does not wish to assume that role after retiring;

• Clarify that board roles can be shared by only two people (previously the upper limit was not defined) except for the the President and Vice-President roles (limited to one person per role as they are expected to share their responsibilities as a team of two).

We invite member comments on these proposals. The current draft can be viewed online at TBN Constitution - Proposed Revisions. Comments and suggestions are welcome, either by adding them as comments in the Google Doc, or by emailing them to dal2@tbn.ca.

TBN Social/Education events

Please remember that very popular events fill up and may have waiting lists. If you register for one of these events, and you do not cancel if you can’t attend, you are denying someone on the waiting list the opportunity to attend.

Dancing on the Danforth, June 14. We had a great turnout and a lot of fun for this band in April, so let’s do it again.The Swinging Blackjacks have been entertaining Canadian audiences for more than 20 years with a mix of classic rockabilly, jumping blues, and old-school rock and roll. Come to Noonan’s Irish Pub and dance to or just listen to this great band. There is no cover. More information, music videos and registration can be found here.

Cindy Rogers' Australian/New Zealand tour, June 16. TBN member Cindy Rogers will tell you about pedalling along the southeastern Australian coast from Adelaide to Sydney with a lap around Tasmania and onward through New Zealand from Auckland to Queenstown, experiencing pleasant wine regions, limestone coasts of the Great Ocean Road, wild Tasmania, a few exciting cities and finally New Zealand’s rainforests, spectacular peaks and rushing rivers. The event is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. It will be held in the main floor meeting room at the Northern District Library near Eglinton subway on the Yonge line, 7 to 8 p.m. More information and registration available here.

Monthly Dining Out, June 19. This social event, where we eat at different interesting ethnic restaurants each month, has become very popular. This month’s dinner at Madras Masala has sold out, but please check the link below on or after June 20 for registration for July’s dinner. Information about the event, the restaurants and registration is available here.

TBN Pub Quiz, June 24. The May TBN Pub Quiz was perhaps the best yet. We had 16 participants and four teams. For the first time, we sat outside on The Prenup Pub's great patio. Registration for the June quiz is now open via the calendar. More details about the new participant-centred quiz format and about the Prenup Pub are available here.

Mary Kennedy's self-guided Quebec tour, July 7. TBN member Mary Kennedy will present her self-guided tour organized by Velo Quebec Voyages. It started at Montmagny and ended at Rivière du loup. She covered 360 km in around six days along the St. Lawrence river, riding her "Bike Friday" (see image below). In June she is doing the second leg of her trip. Mary's presentation on her trip is free and open to all TBN members and their guests. It will be held in the main floor meeting room at the Northern District Library near Eglinton subway from 7 to 8 p.m. More information and registration available here. 

Bring back Open Streets to Toronto

Does anyone remember the OpenStreetsTO and ActiveTO programs that temporarily closed down streets like Bloor, Yonge and Lakeshore Drive West so that people could walk and bicycle on them without being menaced by automobile traffic? Well, some people do remember it and they would like to bring it back next summer (2026)! Check out the online petition to Mayor Chow and the City Council for details.

The TBN board has endorsed this effort and we hope you will too!

Important notice about using RideWithGPS

Many of our TBN events offer multiple RideWithGPS route choices. These collections of routes are contained in what RideWithGPS calls Events. Unfortunately, a TBN Event (stored in our "Wild Apricot" system) is not the same thing as a RideWithGPS Event. Joining a RideWithGPS Event does not register you for the ride in Wild Apricot.

So for clarity, this is how you register for a TBN Event. You start by clicking on the Register button for the event in www.tbn.ca calendar:

Note that clicking (RSVP, and subsequently saying you will attend the event) in RideWithGPS does not register you for a TBN Event (the screenshot below is from a RideWithGPS Event):

Nor does clicking the  +Join Event button as seen on your phone (from the RideWithGPS app):

Backroad Rambles makes debut

Backroad Rambles is a new program that has been developing under Program-X for the last few years. Often these rides have been scheduled on Saturdays, but flexibility is key to the program. The line-up of the next 20 Program-X rides includes Backroad Rambles. Not all Saturdays have one of these rides. Please contact Program-X at program-x@tbn.ca to suggest one of TBN's existing ride routes or a ride of your design.

Be assured that Program-X is also the place for pop-up rides. Is beautiful weather coming up and there are no scheduled TBN rides? Like to have some company on a ride of your choice? Again, write to Program-X. All ride classifications are welcome. True, most of the posted rides are Tourist-class rides, but note that a Leisure Wheeler ride is scheduled on June 28. It's a new ride that we will be exploring, so it's a Program-X ride.

TBN members get discounts at Bike Depot!

Great news! Bike Depot is offering TBN members 10% off most accessories (some brands like Garmin aren't included) and 20% off services. Just show your TBN membership card from your profile (https://tbn.ca/Sys/Profile) to get the deal.

Head to the Bike Depot site through the link on the bottom of each page in the TBN website to check it out!

Overnight Trips 2025 

As of June 13 the events below with highlighted links have been posted, and the others are in the planning stage. For the latest Overnight Trip information please visit our overnight trips page. 

June 14-15: Toronto-Niagara-Toronto Overnight (TNTO) 
June 27-30: Simcoe County Loop Tour 
July 12-13: Lake Erie Shore Breezes Tour
July 18-20: Barrie: Ride, dance, swim (and ice cream!)
July 26-27: Niagara Winery Tour
Aug. 1-4: CYCLON 2025
Aug. 8-9: Mennonite Country Ramble
Aug. 8-10: Simcoe County Loop XL bikepacking
Aug. 12-14: 3 Days in Orillia
Sept. 6-7: Flesherton Hills Tour

Any questions or suggestions please contact the event leader/organizer or Greg Andre-Barrett, the Overnight Trips Director, at OvernightTrips@tbn.ca.

Emergency First Aid and adult CPR course for TBN ride leaders

The TBN board has decided it will pay for a limited number of TBN ride leaders to attend an eight-hour emergency first aid and adult CPR course, run under the auspices of the Red Cross. The course includes emergency scene management, shock symptoms, adult CPR and choking relief techniques. Available dates are Saturdays starting at 9 a.m. and the courses will be offered at 750 Spadina Ave, at the downtown Miles Nadal JJJ. There is an option for a blended course, where some of the theory is completed online prior to the in-person course. Members interested in attending should email TBN education director Andrew Paterson: education@tbn.ca with the title "First Aid course".

CAN-BIKE courses set for June and July

Martin Lansche, Bertha Hughes, Nik Efimov, Andrew Paterson and Fred Yagi will be teaching CAN-BIKE Level 3 (Core Cycling Skills) and Level 4 (Advanced Cycling Skills) classes for TBN members. 

Do you want to boost your cycling skill level? Be a safer and more defensive rider on the road? Whether you are a novice or a long-time rider, there is always something to learn. For the certificate, the entire weekend program on June 13 (theory session via Zoom) and June 14 and 15 (practical sessions in person), which will take place near Woodbine Park in the East End, or July 4 (theory session) and July 5 and 6 (in person), which will take place at High Park, must be completed. Level 3 involves just the first day of the practical course, Level 4 entails both days.

Visit the TBN calendar and consult those dates for details. Any questions, please contact Andrew Paterson at education@tbn.ca

We need your photos

We’d love to see all the amazing moments you’ve captured during our club rides and events. If you have any photos or videos from recent outings, please upload them to our shared Google album. It’s a great way to relive the memories, showcase our adventures, and help keep our club page lively and engaging. Whether it’s action shots, group selfies or scenic views, every photo counts. But pease be selective and upload only the photos you feel are your best. Let’s build a collection we can all enjoy and be proud of. Thanks for sharing your experiences—your contributions help tell the story of our awesome club!

We are all club ambassadors

Every member should be a TBN Club Ambassador and share the love of riding with someone new! It’s fun, it’s easy and you’ll make someone feel at home with us!

Be a TBN Club Ambassador on a ride, or at any event, welcoming and supporting new club members so they can enjoy TBN as much as you do. Help new members with information about our different rides and paces, finding events (rides, social, etc.) and registering, understanding club policies and rules. Talk up our events and simply get to know new members. Make sure they don’t ride alone. Kindness is contagious and the new members will appreciate it.

When you encounter new members who have recently joined the club:

• Welcome them

• Offer to tell them more about the club and the rides, and answer any questions they have

• Advise them about what rides might be good for them to go on, given their current riding experience

• Make sure they know about resources like the TBN website and Facebook page

• Invite them to attend any new-member events

• On rides …

• Be alert for new members and introduce them to at least three other people

• If you stop for coffee breaks or après-ride make sure they are not alone and ask them to join you or your group

• Make sure they don’t ride alone. Check in on them occasionally or ride nearby so they feel a part of the group

• Let them know about other rides and club events they might enjoy

Any questions or suggestions please contact experience@tbn.ca.

Committee volunteers needed

Presidential Nominating Committee. The President is stepping down at the end of this program year at the AGM. The board is looking for a committee of three to five members to search for and nominate a new President to be elected at the next AGM. The club must have a President to function so this is a very important volunteer position.

If you are interested in volunteering for the nominating committee or have any questions about it, please contact the President at president@tbn.ca.

If you are interested in running for President or nominating someone else directly, please also contact president@tbn.ca.

New “30-Day-Trial" membership

We are changing how we offer non-members a chance to try out TBN. We have heard feedback that non-members do not like the $10 fee to try out a ride in a TBN ride program that may or may not have been at their level. Or perhaps that specific ride was cancelled due to weather. So starting in 2025, we are changing to a new "try-us-out approach" to include a new “30-Day-Trial" membership class. For $10, an individual can ride on as many rides, across all our ride programs, during a 30-day window from the day of purchase. We hope that after trying us out, these Trial members will upgrade to full membership. When upgrading to a full membership, the $10 trial fee will be refunded to the new members.

For current existing TBN members, this new Trial membership option will be mostly invisible. Our future TBN calendar events will begin to have both the old "Free for TBN Members" registration option, and a new "30-Day-Trial members" registration option. You will continue to use the "Free for TBN Members" registration option.

Exclusions:

• Note that some events, with limited availability, may not be available to 30-Day-Trial members. 
• The Wednesday Evening and Friday Night ride programs will return with the "Free for non-members" option. 
• The Hairshirt ride will continue to offer a simple $10 fee, but will also be open to Thirty-day Trial members. 

Tell your friends who may be wondering about TBN, and who want to give us a try, about our 30-Day-Trial option.

Please share your favourite gravel routes

TBN is planning some upcoming gravel rides and we would love to gather your route ideas and suggestions! If you have any favourite gravel routes close to the Greater Toronto Area, please share them with Communications Director Italo Bravo at publicity@tbn.ca. We're especially interested in routes with a mix of scenic paths, safe road crossings, and some great gravel stretches.

Feel free to include details like distance, elevation, gpx files and any must-see spots along the way, such as stops for coffee or lunch. Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Reminder to update your TBN profile

Please ensure to periodically update your TBN club profile. Perhaps upload a photo of yourself (so other members know who you are), confirm that your email address listed is correct (as this is the primary way for us to contact you), confirm your phone and emergency contacts are still valid, and update your current (or former) occupation and let us know if and how you would like to volunteer with TBN. We are always looking for helping hands, especially those with needed skills. How to do this: Login to the website www.tbn.ca, click on your name, then click Edit Profile. When you are done, press Save to commit your changes.