back on the bike at last

things are improving though still cold.

when i'm in shape this is my easy ride - right now it's not. about 70k that takes in the Martin Goodman trail, up Bayview, across on York Mills, down Pharmacy and Vic Park to the Beach, then back on the trail. there are a couple of easy climbs, otherwise flat or rolling.



the start of the Pottery Road climb - a ramp around 12%


the start of the Bayview climb


the climb past Don Mills Rd on York Mills


on the Martin Goodman trail looking West at Ontario Place

The wonders of Toronto - part 1 - the Leslie St Spit

finally we have had some easing of the weather and i've been on the bike now four days in a row, which is probably the most since before christmas.


yesterday i took a ride around the Leslie street spit - a Toronto treasure that is open to cyclists & pedestrians on weekends.






this is the writeup from the friends of the spit website:
"The Leslie Street Spit is North America's most remarkable public urban wilderness. It is a 5-kilometre long peninsula, built by lakefilling, that juts into Lake Ontario close to downtown Toronto. Started 40 years ago, it was intended to be a breakwater for harbour expansion, which was not needed due to a decrease in lake shipping. Now, the Spit - as it is lovingly called by the people of Toronto - has been transformed by nature into an extraordinary wildlife reserve, where humans can find a car-free refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a quiet time amid unmanicured vegetation"

at last - back on the bike

I'm not one to venture out in a snowstorm, and although yesterday was clear after a succession of snowfalls, it was minus 18degC in the morning & I could not get motivated enough to get on the bike. today however was another story - up to a balmy minus 5 and sunny. so, for the first time a several days i was on the bike. the ones i use in winter are my old Miele with added fenders for when it's wet, and a Fuji for when it's dry. the Fuji frameset was a great deal on eBay about a year ago and it's been fitted out with open pro's i built myself and a campy group. in winter i use eggbeater pedals which are great for riding in the city.

Fuji in my hall covered in salty crud.

So i took some more photos on the way in of the trail which runs along the lakeshore. the lake is frozen near the shore, and quite pretty in the sunshine.

i need to learn much more about setting up a page. i'm totally new to this. i'll get better.

snow snow & more snow - i'm officially po'd

here's the Martin Goodman trail in good weather, now its a track between snowbanks.

the good news is that the city has been doing a good job of clearing the martin goodman trail which runs the full length of the old city from Etobicoke to the Beach, except they've only been clearing as far as Parliament street when i tried a ride on Sunday. was planning to ride in today but faced with a heavy snowstorm, decided against it. next time i'll take some pictures.

i've been riding year round since 2002 and this is far & away the worst for me in terms of days off the bike and we havn't even made it half way through yet.