It's a Wrap - Cyclocross Chili Ride Season Wind Up

Another beautiful late fall day was perfect for the season finale, Cyclocross and Chili. A dozen riders were out for the final event and raised $100 for Bicycles for Humanity. Check out the large number of picture taken today - just click on any picture to the left and it will take you to the full album. Many thanks to the volunteers and riders who made this year so successful.

 

ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET & SOCIAL was held SATURDAY OCTOBER 29th

Pictures and news will be coming soon.

It's Cyclocross Season!

More Pictures have been added Larger pictures

Cylcocross Stage 1 was a great success If you weren't there, you should consider coming out for the next race; Sunday October 16th. Everyone who participated in today's event had a great time and loved the new course. Many thanks to the owners and staff of Centennial Golf Course who gave us such a warm welcome and to Rick Sklazeski, Dave MacIsaac, Gary Timmons, Kevin Paradis and company for all the work creating and preparing the course.

If you're interested in ordering a high resolution picture from the ones Matt Thomas took you can email him through his website thomasphotos.ca

Cyclo-cross update #2

The course will be inspected and prepped as usual on Saturday and prior to the event on Sunday. Please note the Centennial Golf Course clubhouse will no longer be open as the golf season has officially ended given the recent weather. For those who have not previously competed, registration will take place in the driving range parking lot located just past the clubhouse. As a result riders are reminded to bring appropriate clothing to the event. Sunday's weather forecast calls for a high of 11c and sunny conditions...here's hoping. Food and beverage to follow. See you there!.

Cyclo-cross update #1

With the course having previously been marked out for this Sunday's event, the course will be prepped this Friday. Again, these events are a continuation of the series started last year. Cyclo-cross is a growing sport and offers something different. TBCC is hosting 3 events are also be open to all Black Sheep members. Cyclo-cross racing is different than mountain bike racing, but shares a common ground. Anyone who only possesses a mountain bike will not be turned away. The principle of this series is to promote cyclo-cross and increase participation. There will be no entry fee. Washroom and concession facilities will be available. Stay tuned for further updates.

Again, the start time is 11:00 a.m. this Sunday. The location for all events is Centennial Golf Course. Follow John St. Rd. west, turning north onto Thompson Rd., which is located a few kms. before the intersection at Mapleward Rd. The golf course is at the end of Thompson Rd. (a very short distance)

Roubaix Results

The 2011 points have been totalled and we have a winner! Click here to see who it is.

Road Race Results

The 2011 points have been totalled and we have a winner! Click here to see who it is.

TBay Roubaix Update #4

Stage 3: The Candy Mountain Hop.
As of Wed., Sept. 28th, both the dirt/gravel sections of Candy Mountain Rd. and Aspen Rd. have been recently plowed. Both roads have compacted nicely with hard packed dirt, with sections of hard packed dirt along vehicle tire tracks with gravel in between. The turn onto Aspen Rd. from Candy Mountain Rd. is loose gravel at this time. There is also some slight washboarding along sections of Aspen Rd. Valley Central School will again be open to access washroom facilities. Thanks again to principal Glen Cunningham and the staff. The TBCC would also like to thank the Thunder Bay Police for their assistance with last week's event. Again, volunteers/marshalls/sag wagons, etc. required. Please contact Rick @ 577-9604.

Tbay Roubaix Update #3

Stage 2: The Slate River Sizzler.
As of Wed., Sept. 22nd, the recent rains have turned the dirt and gravel portion of the circuit, Monteith Rd., into a slightly muddy consistency with washboarding and sections of gravel prevailing in the centre portion. A marked change from last week. Definitely challenging if these conditions hold up. Thanks to the principal of Valley Central School, Glen Cunningham, washroom facilities will be available for use, and provide a place to change into warm gear after the event. Last week's event saw almost every rider puncture. Rider's are reminded to bring a couple of tubes as a precaution. Again, volunteers are required as marshalls, sag wagons, etc. Please call Rick @ 577-9604

Stage 3: The Candy Mountain Hop.
For the first time in 3 weeks, conditions have changed. The rains have turned the dirt portions of Candy Mountain and Aspen Roads into a slightly muddy consistency and washboarding has become prevalent. Update to follow next week.

TBay Roubaix Update #2

Stage 1: The Kamview Cruiser.

Candy Mountain Road has now been completely chip sealed between Gillespie Rd. and Hwy. 130 as of Wed. 9/14. The road surface is compacting well and is road race bike rideable. Despite washboarding in some areas, the remainder of Candy Mountain Rd. and West Riverdale Rd. dirt portions have stabilized, and are also road race bike rideable. Hannah Rd. is in good condition, slightly muddy in spots with the recent rains. Construction on Hwy. 61 continues. The paved shoulder has been removed with a compacted granular base put in place for future paving. It will be re-evaluated on Saturday and a decision will be made in time for race day whether or not the original loop circuit will be used. If not, the plan 'B' loop will be continuing along Candy Rd., past the original left turn onto Hannah Rd., out to Hwy. 130. From there riders will turn right, following Hwy. 130 north and then east to the intersection at the north end of Hannah Rd. Riders will then turn right, proceeding south to Candy Mt. Rd. to complete the revised loop.

Stage 2: The Slate River Sizzler. - The dirt/gravel portion of Monteith Rd. has compacted nicely since being recently plowed. Updates to follow next week.

Stage 3: The Candy Mountain Hop. - No change in course conditions.

Again, volunteers/marshalls/sag wagon drivers are required for all of these events. Please contact Rick @ 577-9604.

TBay Roubaix Update. For more information click here..

If you have not already done so, please check out the initial posting for all of the information on this series before continuing on. After checking the condition of the courses 2 weeks ago, a few things have changed. The continuing hot and dry weather, combined with vehicle traffic, has resulted in some sections of dirt road to become very rough. There are also some road construction issues. Riders are again reminded to survey/ride each course ahead of time. Volunteers are also required. Please contact Rick @ 577-9604.

Stage 1: The Kamview Cruiser.
Portions of the east end of Candy Mountain Road have deteriorated, while the west end section between Hannah Rd. and Hwy. 130, which was to have chip seal applied at the end of August, still appears to be in a loose gravel state. Oliver Paipoonge public works will be re-contacted on Friday for an update. In addition, construction has started on the Hwy. 61 portion of the course. (In regards to Hwy. 61, there is a 'B' option in place for the loop portion, should that be necessary ). Given present course conditions, a crossover/cyclo-cross, etc. type bike should be considered. Updates to follow.

Stage 2: The Slate River Sizzler
The Monteith Road section between McCluskey Dr. and Candy Mountain road which was road race bike rideable, has been very recently plowed with a very rough/ loose layer of sand and large gravel applied over top. The course is being monitored. At present, definitely not a road race bike type of course. Updates to follow with the race 2 weeks away.

Stage 3: The Candy Mountain Hop
No changes at present. Again, riders choice on the type of bike to ride.

Looking for Cycling Instructors!

Are you interested in becoming professional cycling instructor?

Safe Cycling Thunder Bay is offering free training to become a certified CAN-BIKE cycling instructor. If you have a passion for cycling, want to learn and share knowledge about safe cycling, and are committed to helping develop a better cycling community, this is the opportunity for you. Click to see a letter providing more details. If you have any questions, feel free to call Adam Krupper, at 625-2163. Resumes and cover letter must be submitted to EcoSuperior or Akrupper@thunderbay.ca, by September 11th.

Cyclist Scott Timmermann Enters Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

Scott Timmermann whose cycling career ranked him amongst the best in the world on road and track races throughout the 1980s will be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 24th. Scott started racing with the Club in 1982 and was named an alternate rider at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. For more information click here.

TBay Roubaix is almost here.

With the traditional road race season winding down, we enter the fall with a different type of racing to wrap up the season. TBay Roubaix is a race series designed to challenge the rider with a mix of smooth and rough pavement, dirt and gravel roads. A traditional road race bike should be able to tackle the venues, but...
TBay Roubaix will be a 3 event total point series combining flat, rolling and climbing stages. Categories and distances will be based on those of the regular road race season. Given rougher road conditions, the distances will be adjusted accordingly, i.e. 'A' category 60 - 70 kms., 'B' category 40 - 50 kms. The overall winner in each category will receive a paving stone with their name engraved. There will be no entry fee. Although it is a race, it is a series to promote fun and participation. Riders are advised to particularly ride the rougher sections of each course to get a handle on conditions. All races start at 10:30 a.m. For more information click here. Marshalls/Sag Wagons required. Please contact Rick @ 577-9604

Final Poker Ride Results

1st.CRISTINE SILLEN; Royal Flush AKQJ10 diamonds
2nd. CHRISTINE STOROZUK; Full House 2-Q's 3-4's
3rd. BARRY OLIVER; Straight KQJ109
4th. BESTY BEVERIDGE; 2 pair K's 9's 8 high
5th. BILL BOYCE 2 pair Q's 6's 5 high
Winners can pick up the prizes at Petries Cycle and Sport

Challenge Ride Wrap Up

The 2nd Women's 100k Challenge Ride was a great success. 43 women who participated, the majority of which completed the entire 100km. Well done! The ride would not have been the success it was without some very heartfelt THANK YOUs to the following people:

• Gay Becotte for providing a wonderful rest stop at her camp at Lambert Island. I think we would have been happy to finish our ride there and spend the afternoon on her deck :-)
• Margaret Rooney for another wonderful rest stop at her house on Essex Court. Her stop provided a chance to refuel and re-energize for those who were starting to run out of energy at the 85 km mark in the ride.
• Lisa Dawes and Charlene Bishop for manning our rest stop at Wild Goose Park. Thanks for helping out and keeping everyone hydrated and fed!
• Bill Boyce for driving our sag vehicle for the day! It gives us piece of mind knowing that someone is there to help with mechanical breakdowns and physical breakdowns!
• Clyde Tuyl (and his granddaughter Lara) for providing traffic control and helping with the rest stop at Wild Goose Park.
• Michael Shafirka for taking photos all day and then being there at the end to greet the riders as they came in and hand out buttons!
• Sue Petryna for inviting us back to her place for the apres ride party! Your hospitality was much appreciated!

The OMA has released a new report on cycling. Click here to read it.

Where in the World is WOW?"

Check out our newest page and see where the women have been.

The new clothing is In!

The new clothing is in and distribution has started to those people who pre-ordered. If you have not received your pre-ordered clothing or would like to purchase TBCC clothing please click here.

Polo Anyone?

Thunder Bay Bike Polo Open
After nearly a year of existence in the Thunder Bay area, the Thunder Bay Bike Polo club is launching it's inaugural open tournament this August 20-21, to be held at Frank Charry Park, 901 Pacific Avenue. The tournament, featuring two days of play, an alleycat race, and lots of pickup, is expected to draw teams from across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The club is looking to get some more local representation and invites any enthusiasts to register to play or just come cheer it on. For those interested in learning the sport, pickup games are held every Sunday at 2pm, and every Monday at 7pm, at Frank Charry Park, all skill levels are very welcome and mallets are provided. Aside from being the most fun you can have on a bike, polo is a great way to build balance and bike handling skills. For more information, tournament registration, and updates on pickup games, visit our Facebook page or our League of Bike Polo page at http://leagueofbikepolo.com/club/thunder-bay.Thanks for reading and we hope to see you out at pickup and at the tournament!

Registration is now Open. Sign Up Early - The Ride Sold Out Last Year! Click on the image.

Thunder Bay Cycling Club Adopts a New Logo

Our thanks to Generator Strategy Advertising for help designing a new logo for the Thunder Bay Cycling Club. We will be incorporting this logo into the club over a period of time so expect to see it soon in a number of places.

July 10th Poker Ride #3 Results

• 1st place Bernie Lacourciere- full house jacks and 7's
• 2nd place Guy Latimer- flush clubs king high
• 3rd place Jim Bindall- flush hearts 10 high
• 4th place Dan Preley- 3 of a kind deuces
• 5th place Tim Boulay- 2 pair aces & 10's
• Congratulations to the winners. Prizes can be picked up at Rolling Thunder

Looking for a Sports ID Bracelet? Bike Pure has teamed up with SportsTagID. Read Info here. Thunder Bay Cycling Club encourages everyone to have some form of ID on them when they are out riding. This is an easy way to do that.

New Program Youth Program Started

Introductory "Learn to ride for Youth" clinics/rides will take place every Monday (weather permitting) commencing at 6pm from the Lakehead University Fieldhouse parking lot. These rides are geared for ages 11 - 14 TBCC members or older juniors who are new to riding and want to improve both group riding and safety skills. Participating in these rides will prepare young riders to take part in the Tuesday evening Junior Development program. This program will be lead by experienced riders & instructors. Click here for more information.

Sunday June 19th

Father's Day Criterium had to be cancelled due to rain.

Sunday June 12th Poker Ride Results

1st.Tim Knudson- Full House ( jacks & kings)
2nd. Sophie Young- club flush (aces & kings)
3rd. Frank Luckai- heart flush (aces & jacks)
4th. Wendy Humprey- two pair (aces & queens, 10 high)
5th. Karen Bucci- two pair (kings & fives, three high)
Winners can pick up their prizes at Fresh Air Experience

Thunder Bay Cycling Club Adopts a New Logo

Our thanks to Generator Strategy Advertising for help designing a new logo for the Thunder Bay Cycling Club. We will be incorporting this logo into the club over a period of time so expect to see it soon in a number of places.

June 8th Bike Maintenance Clinic Very Informative

Many Thanks to Ben from Cyclepath!

Approximately 18 people attended the maintenance clinic. The participants learned what they should do before each ride, how to properly clean their bikes, how to lube a chain properly and numerous other tips to keep their bikes running well for many years. Ben has some great video tips on the web.

Cycle Lanes Presentation Made

At the June 6th City Council Meeting the Thunder Bay Cycling Club made a presentation to City Council in support of expanding Bike Lanes in the city. As a result City Council approved the creation of another 9.6 km of bike lanes last night despite receiving phone calls and petitions and a deputation in opposition.

A special thanks goes out to those people who came to the council meeting and showed by their presence their interest in cycling and the importance of a cycling friendly city. Adam Krupper, Active Transportation Coordinator wrote: "Thank You Frank, Dave, and Keith for standing up last night and expressing so many of your thoughts, concerns, ideas, and insights to Council. The TBCC had a really meaningful impact last night. I can give a lot of facts, figures, data, and examples, but you guys really brought it home. You made the issues real and relevant to the community. Your voices, faces, and stories made Council see that the work we're doing effects real people, and makes a meaningful, positive impact, and this inspires them to push on. It encourages those in support to speak up, and sceptics soften their views and start looking at the greater good. All cyclists in this fair City owe each of you a debt of gratitude - if only they knew!"

Womens Ride Sets a Club Attendance Record

Getting Organized

May 18th under cloudy skies with the threat of rain 87 women came to participate in our ride. You can check out more pictures here .

May 7th Skills Clinic a Huge Success

Clinic Participants

The first Learn to ride "the basics" took place Saturday May 7th with ten riders participating. Even though the weather was not the warmest and being locked out of our classroom the clinic went on as planned. The static part of the clinic included Bike terminology, Bike fit, a Bike Safety check and Riding position. We then rode over to Innova park and set up three hands on stations, One handed riding, Gear changing, and Braking. The feed back from this clinic was excellent and we hope to put on this clinic each Spring. Many thanks to Nathan Petrie and Dave MacIssac for helping me set up and put on this clinic. Respectfully submitted by Jim Bidnall.

Poker Ride Results

The sun finally shone on the touring group for this week's ride. It was a great day with approximately 30 riders completing the first poker ride of the season. Winners can pick up their prizes at this ride's sponsor Cyclepath The winners are:
1st Place - Maira Pieda had a full house, 3 aces & 2- 5's, which is the best hand of the day
2nd Place - Peter Young had a flush, ace, queen, 8, 6, 4 of clubs (5 cards of the same suit)
3rd Place - Bernice Parent had 3 kings, jack high
4th Place - Tim Boulay had 3- 7's, 3 high
5th Place - Bev Francis had 2 pair, aces & kings, jack high

The next best were;
Wendy Humphrey had 2 pairs 10's & 3's, 8 high
Guy Latimer had 1 pair, Aces with queen high
Laurie Leslie had 1 pair, Aces with 9 high
Vicki Churchill had 1 pair, Kings with 4 high
Roberto Bucci had 1 pair, queens with 10 high
Dave Anderson had 1 pair, queens with 4 high
The rest of the hands were close but not close enough. We hope this was fun enough to do again, any comments that can help improve something like this would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to Touring [at] tbaycc.ca

Congratulations!

Our fellow club member Andrew Ross was presented with the Thunder Bay Police Services Commendation. Last May Andrew without hesitation dove into the Kam River, swam 50 yards through the floating chucks of ice to reach a woman and get her safely back to shore. Andrew, you exhibited outstanding courage, selflessness and athleticism. On behalf of the members of the Thunder Bay Cycling Club, we wish to thank Andrew Ross for his life saving actions and congratulate him on receiving the Commendation award from the Police Services Board.

Volunteers Needed

The city is having another Bike Rodeo and is looking for help putting it on! It will be held at the Lakehead University Fieldhouse (shine) or the Hangar (rain)
June 12, 2011 - 10:00 - 4:00
Like last year, we'll have a registration desk, helmet fitting station, bike repair (we hope!), bike handling stations, and an HTA course. We're looking for about 30 volunteers to make the event a success. If you're interested please contact Adam Krupper, Active Transportation Coordinator Tel: (807) 625-2163

May 2011 Active Transportation E-Newsletter

Help Out in Under 5 Minutes

Help the City of Thunder Bay learn about transportation needs and how we get around our community. The Thunder Bay Travel Options Questionnaire results will help the City understand what needs to be done in Thunder Bay to improve transportation options for all citizens, whether you walk, cycle, use a wheelchair, drive, or take the bus. Survey results will be presented to City Council as part of a larger plan to develop new transportation programs for the citizens of Thunder Bay.

Report on the Thunder Bay to Nipigon Multiuse Recreational Trail Proposal

The 2011 Cycling Season is now underway:
For non-members the Thunder Bay Cycling Club has a program where we have free "Try-Out Rides".

• Road Touring Try Out ride - July 17th
• Women's Only Try Out rides are May 18 June 15th
• Junior Development Try Out ride May 17th.

Try-out rides are for new riders (no current or previous membership) to determine whether or not you would like to join. New riders can come out and try one ride on the specific dates listed above at no cost. You are under no obligation to become a member. If you want to do a "Try Out" on another night, you can do so for $25. Should you decide to join, the $25 will be put towards your membership fee. Note that only one Try Out, free or paid, is allowed. Membership and waiver forms must be completed and turned in to us for try out rides (for insurance purposes).