Bicycle! Bicycle!

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!" (Mercury, 1978)

Nigel Shardlow, Cycles, 16 Feb 2008, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharkstar/2269697430/

Hello Grade 5's and Parents!


As you may or may not know, in the past couple of years I have developed a strong interest in cycling.  It is an excellent way to see our beautiful Niagara countryside as well as save fossil fuels and get some exercise!

I thought I would share some of the online resources for cyclists that I have found particularly helpful.

First, you might want to visit Cycle Niagara's website (http://www.cycleniagara.com/).  Here you will find route maps of varying difficulties and lengths.  My favourite route is the Grimsby Mountain Loop.  It's a great training ride that I do in reverse direction.  I also climb the mountain as part of the ride, so it's a little extra challenging.

You might find Ontario Trails Council's website helpful if you go on family trips and might like to plan your destination according to good bike routes (http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trail-activities/cycling---roads-paths/).

And last but not least, you might need some gear to get yourself properly prepared for your ride.  One supplier I quite like is Mountain Equipment Co-op (http://www.mec.ca).  Everything that I've ever bought from this outfitter has always been of excellent quality and moderate price.

Hopefully we can organize a ride as a class, to experience some of the geography around us.  For now, visit Google Streetview to see what you might be missing!

Happy trails,

© 2011 K. Kerley

References

Mercury, F. (1978). Bicycle Race. On Jazz [CD]. Hollywood: Elektra