Peterborough Now Has a Mountain Bike Destination

Before the screening of Strength in Numbers, John Williams from the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority made an announcement. Peterborough now has a Mountain Bike destination as Harold Town Conservation Area (2611 Old Norwood Road) is open with Mountain Biking as the main focus. The new entrance-way and parking lot (shown above) was just finished so that cyclists could finally get off the road and park somewhere a little safer than the shoulder of Old Norwood Road. Over the course of the year there will be some signage going up as well. The conservation area's trails will be created and maintained by a volunteer based management program. Zac Wheeler was recognized for his hard work and dedication over the years to help launch this program and make Harold Town what it is today.

On June 9th at 10 a.m. there will be a Trail Building & Maintenance Day, so drop by to see where you can help out.

Learn more by joining the Facebook group and I look forward to seeing you on the trails!

Strength In Numbers Premiere in Peterborough

The Mountain Bike movie by Anthill Films, Strength In Numbers premiered in Peterborough on Saturday night at Splice to an enthusiastic crowd.

There were numerous door prizes throughout the night, including the grand prize draw for a Contour camera. We were quite dismayed to not win this prize.

Before the screening, there was plenty of time to socialize, while Red Bull handed out cans of their popular energy drink and posters to the moviegoers.

Numerous models of Trek Bikes were on display from Wild Rock, be sure to drop in to learn more about which line suits your riding style.

Mike Watt, owner of The Plush Boutique was on hand to show off the new line of Levi's 511 Commuter Line which are perfect for cyclists. Water resistant, 3M Reflective Tape on the interior cuffs, and pockets with features galore sure show Levi's dedication at gearing this to cyclists.

The movie itself was beautifully filmed and had something for every style of rider from the stunt jumpers, to downhillers to the singletrack X-Country riders. Kudos to Anthill Films who made ample use of slow motion video to capture the beauty of a few fleeting seconds of bombing through a trail.

Ryder Pride

The storefront at Wild Rock in Peterborough all weekend long

It was nice to see Twitter abuzz with Canadian pride for cyclist Ryder Hesjedal who won the Giro d'Italia this weekend. This accomplishment was especially prominent because Ryder became the first Canadian to win one of cycling’s three Grand Tour events. Even our Prime Minister offered his congratulations!

"We thank Mr. Hesjedal for this defining moment in Canadian sport and wish him well in his upcoming races, including this year's Tour de France."

Cheer him on this summer on Twitter.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

— Ryder Hesjedal(@ryder_hesjedal) May 27, 2012

Congratulations to @ryder_hesjedal on his incredible victory in the #giro. Gotta love it when the best man wins.

— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) May 27, 2012

Update on Monday, May 28, 2012 at 4:47PM by Evan Holt

Velo News just posted an interview with Ryder.

"VeloNews: How did you celebrate last night?
Ryder Hesjedal: We had a really nice dinner with the team and staff and some family and friends who came over from Canada in a nice family-style Italian restaurant. It was real cozy and nice. They had a big pink cake and some pink lobster. It was great."

Read the full interview online.

It's Bike Month in Toronto

It's Bike Month in Toronto with free guided tours, mechanical workshops, art installations and more.

Check out toronto.ca/cycling for more information, pull out the Toronto cycling Map, then head over to an event using the calendar of events online or download it as a .PDF.

Searching for Mantracker

Watching two hot-headed people think that they know how to foil relentless tracker Terry Grant, is a guilty pleasure of mine. Even if I've seen the episode before, I'll still have it on in the background as Mantracker will almost always catch his "prey". I was sad to hear that Terry was hanging up his spurs this year, which lead to the search for some new Canadian grit that could fill his cowboy boots.... and it looks like they found their man. If you missed Searching for Mantracker, don't worry, you can watch it online. Then tune in Monday at 9:00 p.m. to OLN for the premier of Season 7 to see how the new Mantracker fairs.

MEC Barrie Bikefest Today

Looking for a way to enjoy the sun today? Head over to Memorial Park in Barrie to enjoy Mountain Equipment Co-Op Bikefest.

Cobourg Bike Week Kicks Off Today

Cobourg Bike Week kicks off today with clinics, Bike to School Day, fitness and Yoga clinics, Big Bike Heart and Stroke Ride happening throughout the week and ending with the Bike Club night. Check out the Bike Shorts Film Festival on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. (tickets are $5).

MEC Ottawa Paddlefest Tomorrow

Head over to Mooney's Bay Beach in Ottawa tomorrow for Mountain Equipment Co-Op's Paddlefest. You can nab a .pdf schedule of the day's events which include numerous on-water clinics ($10 each, pre-registration recommended), on-land clinics, a marketplace, boat demos as well as seeing a Voyageur Canoe from Parks Canada and cardboard canoe races. Plenty of top notch speakers will be there such as Kevin Callan, Paul Mason, Becky Mason and Reid McLachlan and more. To top it off, there will be a gearswap to sell and find great paddlegear and prizes!