Yearly Archives: 2012

Ride for Rob

 

On June 19, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford finished his much-publicized weight-loss challenge. His ‘Cut the Waist Challenge’ was a good way to raise awareness of the medical perils associated with being overweight. But his personal result was less than inspiring. Over the course of 6 months he lost a mere 18 pounds.

Perhaps if he rode a bike to work he would have fared better.

It’s unlikely that Rob Ford will ever get on a bicycle. But with RideForRob.com, Dukes’s Cycle has done just that.

RideForRob.com—created by Canadian Ad Agency DentsuBos—features an animated Rob Ford, pedaling a bike. Toronto riders can ‘donate’ their bike commute to his waistline. Over time, and with each ‘donation,’ the Rob Ford avatar becomes more and more fit.

Since 1914, Duke’s Cycle has been dedicated to the local cycling community. The intent of RideForRob.com is to demonstrate the fitness benefits of bicycling in the city. Health Canada recommends 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily. A bicycle commute usually meets this.

Visit RideForRob.com or Facebook.com/RideForRob

Let’s make the Mayor of Toronto more fit for the job!

Oakley… Style, performance and function.

 

Written by Giordano Piccolotto, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team Member (he’s the guy seen above on the right)

Oakley, the name is synonymous with quality athletic eyewear. I remember being a kid and seeing Andre Agassi with those original Oakley sunglasses and thinking they were the coolest looking shades around. Well Oakley has never deviated from it stylish roots and continues to this day to deliver awesome looking glasses that are still top notch when it come to athletic design as well.

This year the Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDog Race Team has been lucky enough to partner with Oakley, something that a lot of us were excited about. I chose to go with the “Racing Jacket”, renamed this year from “Jawbone”. A few of the racers received their orders in time for this year’s Ontario Cup Provincial Championships. I was one of them and looked forward to seeing how they preformed. I’ll skip to the conclusion now.

I was impressed.

I’ll let you know I’m a new user of contact lenses and I am still getting used to them so my eyes are prone to feeling dry. A cyclist’s glasses are used as much for keeping the wind out of their eyes as the sun. Compounded with the issue of contact lenses drying out in the wind I was curious to see how the Oakleys would fare. They didn’t disappoint. Even with the vented lenses I found them keeping almost all the wind out and a great deal of water too. I forgot to mention the Provincial Race this year was nothing short of epic, taking place during a lightning ridden, torrential downpour. Add in a big climb and a long, fast descent in the wind and you’ve got the ultimate testing ground for cycling eyewear.

With the race starting in the bright sun I found that the lenses did a great job of keeping the sun’s glare to a minimum while adding a lot of contrast, impressively so. Note; I was using the VR28 Blue Iridium lenses. Once the rain started it came down hard. I was surprised at how well the Oakleys kept the water out, not that I thought they would fail, I just didn’t think any glasses would help through that kind of rain.

The Oakleys performed better than expected. At certain points they did become unusable though, the water whipping off riders wheels as we descended coupled with what was coming down from the sky rendered me sightless at times, I don’t blame the glasses though, that’s all on Mother Nature. I seriously doubt anything would have been able to cut through all that rain and splash. All of this being said, the water was not entering my eyes at all, something I was certain would eventually happen. I should also point out that Oakley sells a hydrophobic coating that can be applied to their lenses. I didn’t have a chance to try this out but I’m betting that it would have proved useful.

So far the glasses have done really well on all fronts; great light reduction and contrast, superb protection from the wind, and better than expected performance in the rain. I’m happy. Then there are the little things. They’re feather light, not that it really matters in the end, but you don’t even feel them when you have them on, and that’s not an exaggeration, it’s actually kind of cool. The material used for the frame constructions is pretty incredible too; it’s super pliable and bends back into shape immediately. The arms snap off to ensure that they won’t break and are easily snapped back into place. And all of the rubber nose and ear pieces are made of a special compound that becomes stickier when it comes into contact with sweat. Oakley has been really thorough in its design process. Everything is well thought out and very functional with all the details being paid attention too. On top of this, they’ve made the glasses totally customizable. You can pop out your current “O” icons and pop in a different colour. And the lenses are completely interchangeable; one of the main features of the “Racing Jacket”, and it’s very easy to do (they come with two lenses btw). You can switch out your ear socks for new ones if they wear out or if you just want a new style. I’ve already started adding splashes of white to my glasses and think they look even better than they did before.

All in all I’m seriously impressed with these glasses on all fronts. Oakleys may be a bit pricey but after wearing mine for the last few days I’d be willing to pay for them over again.

Chapeaux Oakley.

Photo credit: Peter Kraiker, Studio f-Stop

Racing the Provincials Road Race

 

Written by Edmond Mellina, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team Member.

The Provincials at the Holland Marsh was the last race on my road racing calendar for 2012. I had designed my training plan to bring me there with a second peak of form. Everything was going according to plan… until I got hit by a nasty bronchitis with less than two weeks to go. The doc put me on a 10-day regimen of antibiotics. The good news was that I would finish the treatment the day before the race, which hopefully would mean clean lungs to tackle the hills of the Holland March. I told myself there was nothing else I could do apart from getting as much sleep as possible, eating well and staying hydrated. At least I should have fresh legs.

The evening before the race I sorted the registration list on OCA’s website by team. The conclusion was clear: I could forget about the squads / competitors on which I keep a close tab when I race in M2. Indeed, the sorted list showed two large M1 squads: Wheels of Bloor and Sound Solutions. I knew there both were top teams. Since I didn’t know their strong men, I checked the latest O-Cup Master 1 standings as well as the results of the Master B Nationals in early July. I wrote down five names: Robert D’Amico, Ian Scott, Wieslaw Matuszcak and Chris Firek of Wheels of Bloor; and Chris Wood of Sound Solutions. I printed the headshots of the Wheels of Bloor guys (I found their racer profiles on their team’s website).

Given the hilly course and the fact this was a championship, I expected a hard race of attrition with a key move during the last three laps. At least one of my five-guys-to-watch should be in that move. So my strategy was simple: save as much energy as possible during the first five laps, stay near the front, move up for the last three laps, watch these five guys very closely, and try to go with the first one who makes a move.

I went to bed with mixed feelings: not sure I would have my legs given the antibiotics; but nevertheless confident I had done my homework in preparation for the race! Before falling asleep, I looked again at the headshots of the Wheels of Bloor guys to memorize the faces.

When I arrived on the circuit, the first thing I saw was fellow LapDogs racer Julie Marceau powering pass the finish line. She was leading a two-woman breakaway. I shouted some encouragement in French (“Allez Julie, vas-y!!!”). Given the gap they had on the peloton, I thought that Julie was on her way to collect a new championship jersey. I decided this was a good sign for all of us Lapdogs. At the signing table, I took the time to write down on my left arm the BIB numbers of the five guys I had decided to watch. The nice ladies handing out the BIBs must have thought: “What’s wrong with this guy?” In the parking lot, I recognized Wheels of Bloor’s Matuszak – thanks to the headshots I had memorized the night before!

Two other LapDogs were in the race: fellow M2 Roderick Grant and M1 racer Lorne Anderson. Unfortunately, we were unable to warm up together because the start time was fast approaching. As I completed my warm-up routine, I saw Julie who confirmed she was the Provincial Champion!!! Since she was going to take care of the feed zone for me, I told her she could find my bottles under the trunk of my car.

I went straight to the start line and positioned myself on the second row. I looked at the BIB numbers around me and was able to quickly spot the five racers I had decided to watch. In order to recognize them more easily during the race, I took note of the brand of their bikes, the colour of their shoes / socks and the shape of their legs. I was ready to go.

The race started at a good pace. As we climbed the steep hill for the first time, I did a quick check of my body: lungs were fine; legs not super, but not bad either. I had a brief chat with Roderick and Lorne. But as we reached the top of the hill the pace picked up so we had to focus on the wheels ahead. By lap four, I was finally able to move up near the very front – close enough to see a breakaway starting to form. I got concerned when I realized several teams were represented. I could see black jerseys – the colour of Wheels of Bloor! I spotted two of my five-guys-to-watch around me, but not the other ones. Were they in the nascent breakaway ahead? If such was the case, then I was missing the key move. Gasp!..

At that time the gap was only about 100 meters. So I decided to jump to try to bridge to the breakaway. I looked behind my armpit and saw that the peloton had not had any problem catching my slipstream. In an attempt to shake the racer on my wheel, I jumped again while moving quickly to the other side of our half-road. It didn’t work. I decided there was no point in pulling the peloton any further. Fortunately, during the next lap the bunch was able reel back in the breakaway. Phew…

Suddenly, as we started climbing the steep hill for the fifth time, I felt very hot. What was wrong with me? It was not a food or fluid intake issue. Indeed, I had been eating and drinking very well up to that point. Furthermore, I had the benefit of cold bottles: I had followed a friend’s advice by putting all my bottles in the freezer overnight. As we reached the top of the hill, a massive thunderstorm burst. There was nothing wrong with me, the humidity was simply at its maximum before the storm.

A few minutes later, the commissaire on the motorcycle drove up the peloton to tell us the race would be stopped at the end of that lap. So we rolled to the finish and stopped at the line. Another commissaire explained we would have a minimum of 30 minutes delay before the race resumed; and he strongly advised all of us to move away from the finish line: we were in front of the lightning-loving metallic structure used by the race announcer!!!

By then, we were drenched and starting to get cold! I took refuge under the Morning Glory tent (we didn’t bring our own tent that day!). Roderick was there too. He explained to me that him and Lorne had a technical problem: they could not brake anymore. They had opted for carbon wheels with carbon-specific brake pads – perfect for this hilly circuit in dry condition, but totally ill-suited to the same circuit under torrential rain!! I offered to go pick up my spare aluminium wheelset from the neutral car. But since the brake pads were not compatible with aluminum rims, my solution was not viable.

I got colder and colder. As I watched other racers keep warm on their home trainers under their tents I wished I had brought mine (I prefer to warm up on the road; the forecast was clearly saying no rain during warm up; and frankly I didn’t expect the commissaires to have to stop the race. Lesson learnt…). At that point I was so cold that I left the tent to go to the car. As I was about to get inside I heard the announcer say: “Racers, the race will resume in five minutes”!!!

Everyone was rushing back to the start line. I got there two minutes before the new start. The commissaire shouted a long series of BIB numbers, explaining these were folks who had fallen behind the peloton before the race was stopped and therefore would not be allowed to start again. I looked around to spot Roderick and Lorne, but I didn’t see them. I concluded they couldn’t resume the race given the wet roads and their equipment. I felt sad for them.

The commissaire told us we would just do two laps as opposed to the three laps that were officially remaining. He gave the new start. Right away a two-man breakaway formed. I had started in second row but with the yellow line rule and teammates of the attackers blocking, there was no space to try to join them.

I noticed the road was still quite wet. As we entered the first corner a Vinyl Bilt guy went down. As we got out of the corner, a Morning Glory racer did the same. We were going full gas and I was not cold anymore. I asked one of the Wheels of Bloor guy whether one of the two guys ahead was from their team, which he confirmed. I tried to move closer to the front but I couldn’t. With the yellow line rule, there was simply no space. A couple of guys tried to be smarter by passing from the other side of the line but the commissaire on motorcycle disqualified them right away. This kept everyone on the right side of the law!

We passed the finish line again and heard the bell – last lap. As we approached the first (right) corner, the bunch moved left in one big wave to cut across the apex of the turn. The Morning Glory racer immediately to my right decided it was the perfect opportunity: he jumped straight to the front of the peloton from the right. Remembering how the bike reacts in the tricky conditions of cyclocross, I thought: “With that speed there is no way he is going to make that corner on such a wet surface”. For a split second, I thought he was going to prove me wrong. But then his bike disappeared from under him and he hit the pavement quite hard. Things were starting to get pretty hectic. We were now descending at full speed. As we started to climb again, we could see the two breakaway companions just ahead. We caught them on the steep hill. With the yellow line, the positions were now set. Apart from a few guys who were losing their legs on the steep hill, it was impossible to pass anyone. We reached the top of the hill as a compact bunch. I thought: “Three kilometers left. Flat. Windy. Translation: bunch sprint. Conclusion: I’m stuck, nothing I can do now, no more opportunity at this stage…” I crossed the line in 26th position.

What about my five-guys-to-watch? Although one of them did not finish (maybe the same equipment challenge as Rod and Lorne?), the other four finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. At least I was watching the right guys!! Wheels of Bloor swept the podium. Kudos to them.

That’s it, my road racing campaign for 2012 has come to an end. Although I didn’t bring back the results I had trained for, I had lots of fun fighting out there with my teammates. My focus in now switching to preparing my cyclocross season. I will be chasing podiums in the fall!!!

Photo Credit: Peter Kraiker, Studio f-Stop

A Wild Ride… for a good cause

 

Written by Claire Humphrey and Bevin Reith*, LapDogs Cycling Club Members.

From the beginner mountain biker [Claire]:

It seems like everyone I know has a favourite charity event: the YMCA Relay for Strong Kids, the Friends for Life Bike Rally, WWF’s CN Tower Climb. I’ve always liked these events: they raise a lot of money for great causes, while also providing fun and fitness for the participants. But for years I limited my own role to handing out donations to my office buddies, cheering them on from the safety of my desk chair.

The turning point came when my friend, Jenn McCaw, began planning the inaugural Wild Ride for the Lung Association. “I’m thinking I should hold a mountain bike race,” she said. “You guys will ride, right?” She was looking right at me, and she’s my best friend in the world, so I stammered, “Sure, I guess.” And once the words were out of my mouth, there was no backing out.

Sure, I was reasonably fit, but I had no idea whether running, boxing or climbing could prepare me for a bike race, especially when I hadn’t touched my bike in about a decade. Bevin and I made sure to get out on the trails as early as we could that spring, but family events and business trips made it hard to log much distance. And I’m not what you’d call a naturally gifted rider. By the time the race rolled around, I still didn’t feel ready. What if I fell off my bike in front of everyone? What if I came in last, very last, hours behind everyone else?

…So what?

It was time to swallow my pride. I knew I wasn’t going to win that race. Heck, it might be a challenge to finish. But that wasn’t the point.

What was? Well, the Lung Association, for one thing. My grandfather died of emphysema. My mother suffers from asthma, and as it turns out, so do I. I had lots of motivation to raise money—so much that I ended up #1 fundraiser last year and #2 this year.

More than the fundraising, though, the point of an event like this is community. Everyone who comes out to a charity race is there to help others. The volunteers are there to help the event run smoothly, the participants are there to help the cause and the spectators are there to cheer on the participants.

So what happens when you come in at the back of the pack in a race like this? Your friend’s mom gives you the signal to dismount. Your sister-in-law is there clapping for you at the finish line. You get handed an electrolyte drink by your husband who finished an hour ahead of you. Your friend gives you a big hug and doesn’t even care that you’re all sweaty.

No one cares about your time. They’re just happy to see you.

There are a lot of ways to race. For the win. For your personal best. For heart, for the cure, or just for fun. Never raced before? Join me at next year’s Wild Ride, where I’ll be proudly bringing up the rear once again.

From the engineer [Bevin]:

Claire beat her last year’s time by 1 minute – with 2 stitches in her scalp after an out of control cyclist crashed into her 3 days before the race.

Our four person mixed team ‘The Fast and The Curious’ topped the podium in a field of one for gold medals all around.

111 folks participated in the event which is a 46% increase over last year.

Check out this great article and video – there is a split second of me at the 19s mark J.
http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/2012/06/18/wild-ride-raises-14k-for-lung-association

Most importantly, the Wild Ride increased their stature in the 2nd year and may have chip timing next year. The Lung Association matched last year’s fundraising of 15K in this tight economy and have some valuable lessons learned to apply for next year. Here’s hoping it won’t conflict with MTB fest in 2013 and we can send a mixed LapDog Cycling Club squad to give everyone some more exposure.

* Bevin is also a member of the 2012 Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team

Cannondale Flash Ultimate, a Racer’s choice.

 

Written by Mark Brusso, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Team Director and Racer.

Since joining the LapDogs Cycling Club back in the spring of 2008 I have been fortunate to be introduced to Cannondale bicycles through Duke’s Cycle. I credit Michael Cranwell for getting me hooked from the start as I noticed he and other racers back in the race team’s early days were racing on them.

Cannondale is my brand, and for a reason. They design with the rider, and function in mind.

When other bike manufacturers are spending time putting gimmicky twists, curves and non functional aesthetic features into bike design, Cannondale is innovating and improving on already fantastic technology. They are constantly refining and improving their processes. They are making bikes stiffer, lighter, stronger, and more efficient. Their technology and innovation is truly light years ahead of other bike manufacturers. Their frame designs are minimalist, but are also some of the most beautiful looking frames in the industry.

My review is on the new Flash 29er Ultimate, which I am currently racing for the 2012 Season.

The Flash 29er Ultimate is a pure race bike, and it is meant to be ridden hard and pushed to the limit.

This year, the Ultimate build features some of the absolute best of the best components available on the market. A full SRAM XX drivetrain including the XX World Cup edition brakes and ENVE Composites wheels and bar. SRAM XX just works, plain and simple, and it works with a bang. The shifting is very aggressive and fast. SRAM is known for this, and the XX is no exception, as both the front and rear derailleurs are equipped with very powerful springs, so shifting is always crisp and precise. The ENVE wheels are super stiff, and roll incredibly well, and look great paired with the white DT Swiss Aerolite spokes. I’ve always loved the DT swiss hubs as they are extremely smooth and easily serviced. The 240 hub on the rear wheel is a workhorse, and I know from experience in racing the 190s from my Flash 26′er, that the star ratchet design is bomb proof. It was nice to have the new Racing Ralph 425 HS tires spec’d on this bike, as they are new, and an improvement on the old Racing Ralph design. As usual, the Racing Ralph is one of the best race tires out there, and is known for it’s smooth rolling resistance, and incredible grip due to the EVO rubber compound technology found in the tires.

Another amazing component of this bike is the S.A.V.E seatpost which is critical in this hardtail’s setup. The deflection of the S.A.V.E is absolutely amazing and is one of the best features on the bike. The S.A.V.E really smooths out the ride, and it’s benefit can only be realized when you jump on a Flash paired with one. It is like having a little bit of suspension on the rear of the bike, without paying the price for weight, and the inefficiency of a soft tail on climbs.

Last but not least, the Lefty Fork. Not just any any Lefty – The Lefty Carbon 29er XLR. The Lefty, in my opinion really is the benchmark of suspension in the bike world. My first two mountain bikes had conventional suspension, and when I purchased my first Cannondale in 2009 (A Scalpel Team), my eyes were opened to a whole new world of what suspension can do. The Lefty is point and shoot.. A punchy climb full of roots? Aim your steering uphill right at those roots, and the Lefty will eat them for breakfast. It will handle corners and descents and washboard double track better than anything out there. The only way to understand it, is to try one and see for yourself. The Ultimate this year comes with a remote lockout which is essential to maximize your climbing efficiency. I use mine all the time, and it is a great feature.

The Ultimate 29′er gets 6 out of 5 stars because it exceeded all my expectations. When I decided to enter the world of 29 inch wheels I was glad I made my decision in choosing this bike.

LapDogs @ CHIN… Indy meets Rollerball!

 

Written by Rick Froner, Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Team Director and Racer.

For the first time this season, the M2 team had a chance to race with the Elite 3 senior men, and thereby bolstering our team with youthful legs. Gio was the lone entrant from the LapDogs in the E3 category, and perhaps our best bet at a win or podium, as this race normally comes down to a bunch sprint. Edmond, Roderick, Michael Bandurchin, Mark Besednik and myself were the entrants for the M2 category. Also on the line were the dreaded Juniors, a rag tag bunch of miscreants with no sense of decorum or self preservation. We would have to keep a sharp eye out for these young punks.

For those of you not familiar with the CHIN race course, it is best described as an amalgam of Toronto Indy meets Rollerball. The 1 mile course consists of no fewer than 8 corners, some wide sweepers, while others are very tight including the chicane located directly after the start finish line.

We were expected to complete 45 minutes of racing before being given the 3 laps to go directive. The plan, simple, stay near the front and attempt to have a presence in any break that went away. IF it came down to a bunch sprint, the lead-out train was to make its appearance. Edmund, then Roderick, then me and lastly Gio, the Cavendish of the group. Sounds easy right? Wrong.

Right off the gun, the pace was quick. I attempted to make the first move off the front and was quickly joined by wily veteran Elgar Vaivars. We managed to open a small gap and held it for just over a lap, but the peleton would have none of it. More attacks were made by various other teams, with Roderick and Edmond in the mix with numerous break attempts. Michael spent the first half of the race learning the nuances of the corners, and the sketchy riders before moving up the field and joining the mayhem up front. Gio meanwhile conserved energy for the sprint by staying in the top 15 riders and keeping his nose clean. Mark, unfortunately, had some problems with his injured knee and was forced to abandon three quarters thru the event.

It was at this point that a small break of two riders somehow rode off the front of the field without one of us present. With some big efforts from Roderick, Edmond, Michael and myself we tried to pull them back, but to no avail. With 3 laps to go it was clear that the break would stick and we were sprinting for 3rd. With two laps to go, Edmond unleashed a viscous attack, stringing out the field to make it more safe for our lead-out train. The elbows were flying and the pack was on the limit. Roderick and myself got separated at this point due to the crashes and near misses that ensued. I managed to pick up Gio with one lap to go and tried to haul him up to the front for the final gallop. All was going well until two riders directly in front of us decided that they wanted to lay down on the pavement for a rest on the back straight. Luckily, we both just managed to make it thru the blood and tears and crossed the line in the top 15 in the sprint. Edmond, Roderick and Michael also all made it thru the final lap carnage unscathed.

Although we did not manage to make the winning move, or feature prominently in the bunch sprint, it was a victory of sorts, given that we all survived with our skin still intact.

Good job lads!

 

Ours Team’s Results:

Master 3 Men
Colin Mcdarmont – 13th
David Chong – 16th
Mark Montgomery – 21st

Elite 4 Men
Mark Van Doormaal – 6th

Elite 3 Men
Gio Piccollotto – 8th

Master 2 Men
Rick Froner – 7th
Michael Bandurchin – 15th
Edmond Mellina – 17th
Roderick Grant – 22nd

Elite 1-2 Men
Christopher Bradbury – DNF

Bike Fit = Comfort, Power & Performance

 

Written by Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Racer and Club Member, Dr. Kate Morgan

Suffering through 5 hours of the 8-hour with a sore back taught me one thing: the importance of bike fit. Over the few weeks leading up to the race I had started a dangerous game of putting my saddle ever higher and higher to gain precious climbing power that I felt was getting more elusive as we got into the O-Cup season. Although my climbing got faster, my back started to complain. Loudly. Especially my QL muscles (quadratus lumborum is pictured below for those who are interested).

No foam roller or tennis ball self-massage could get out the kinks.

So, I bit the bullet and decided to have a bike fit done by Michael Cranwell at Dukes. I had invested in my dream bike, the previous summer and had bought a new Crank Brothers Cobalt 11 carbon flat bar that I was itching to try out and I wanted to get it all just right. Enter Michael with his goniometer, laser level and experience.

I can’t remember how long he spent with me, but it was a long time. He put my saddle back down to where I had started, moved my cleats, moved the saddle on the rails, fitted the new bar, measured the steam and voila… my back was finally quiet.

Through the most technical and bumpy course of the season at Hardwood, my back didn’t even enter my mind. I’ve never been so happy. Plus, I came second! This fit was the best value for money I can imagine.

I encourage you all to see Michael and his magic tools.

Editor’s note: To make a bike fit appointment at Duke’s Cycle, please got to the online Bike Fit Request Form.

Raising a New Generation of Cyclists

 

Written by Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Racer and Club Member, Barry Cox

I have known about the LapDogs for years and this season finally joined the club. I have found that like many things, the more I put into being a member of the LapDogs, the more I have got out of it. One of the ways I have become involved is by helping to launch the club’s new youth program.

Two of my absolute favourite things are being a dad and riding my mountainbike. Getting involved with the youth program has allowed me to combine the two. This is the youth program’s first year in many ways we have started off small. That said, after just a couple of months we have a core group of riders and a number of members have expressed interest in getting their kids involved.

One of the cornerstones of the LapDogs Cycling Club is group rides, and with this in mind, we at least one kid-friendly group ride a month (check the club calendar!). We had a really good turnout for our youth ride at the Spring Fling in May, and the weekend before the Canada Cup, Paul Reinis, Rob MacEwen and I took a couple of our more competitive kids, Max Chalovich (age 12) and Findlay MacEwen (age 9) – seen below – on a pre-ride of the race course. Rob, Paul and I had an absolute hoot coaching the boys, and as a bonus, Max and Findlay both placed very well in their categories the next day.

I have also found out the hard way that it is not easy to ride Albion Hills while towing my 5-year-old son Wesley on a trail-a-bike behind my singlespeed, although we both enjoyed every minute of it (although Wesley could probably have done without the somewhat shambolic descent of Tea-Cup…).

For those of you who have read this far, and are interested in getting your kids involved, here are some other things you should know about the program:

• Although some of the kids on the team (like Max and Findlay) do race, racing is definitely not the emphasis of the youth program. The emphasis is on riding with good friends and having fun, just the same as it is with the “grown ups”. Experienced members are on-hand to give tips if needed;

• Parents are welcome on the youth rides too. In fact, we prefer it if Mom or Dad come along, as we shoot for a pretty even ratio of adults to kids;

• Again, just like the rest of the club, on most youth rides it is necessary for insurance reasons for participants to be club members. The club has rolled out a new “Family Membership” for 2012 so that the kids can get out and get involved – more details on this at www.lapdogs.ca.

We have a lot of ideas for future events in the hopper as well. We want to do a couple of road rides (although probably on a bike path and/or back streets) to encourage safe riding and help kids develop proper group-riding skills, and you can count on us having an event at Joyride before the end of the year. If you have not ridden at Joyride, trust me – you do not have to be a kid to have a blast. We also hope to a couple of talks on basic maintenance and bike repair for the kids over the off season.

The great thing about this being a new program is that it can take whatever direction the members want, so if you have any ideas for youth program activities, don’t be shy – let us know. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be part of the Lap Dogs, and to be involved with this program. I hope to see you all out at youth events soon, and if I haven’t met you yet, please feel free to introduce yourself.

If you have any questions about the youth program, please feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] and one of myself, Andrew Ryan, Rob MacEwen and Adil Quereshi (who have all volunteered time and effort to this program) will get right back to you.

Happy trails…

Trek Summer Sale, July 12 to 24th

 

Every year Trek and Duke’s Cycle partner up, during the Tour de France season, to offer you special savings on current Trek Bikes.

The 2012 Sale will be taking place from July 12th to 24th

$100 off 2012 road bikes under $1500

$200 off 2012 road bikes over $1500

2012 Trek Road Bikes currently in stock @ Duke’s, include…

  • Trek Madone, 1.5, regular price – $ 1269.99 – Get an additional $ 100 OFF
  • Trek Madone 2.1, regular price – $ 1499.99 - Get an additional $ 100 OFF
  • Trek Madone 3.1, regular price – $ 2049.99 - Get an additional $ 200 OFF
  • Trek Madone 4.5, regular price – $ 2399.99 - Get an additional $ 200 OFF
  • Trek Madone 5.2, regular price – $ 3699.99 - Get an additional $ 200 OFF
  • Trek Madone 3.1 WSD, regular price – $ 2049.99 - Get an additional $ 200 OFF
  • Lexa SL WSD, regular price – $ 1269.99 - Get an additional $ 100 OFF
  • Lexa SLX WSD, regular price – $ 1499.99 - Get an additional $ 100 OFF

 

Join us for a Ride

 

We’ve been talking about this for the last little while… so its about time we got things going. Starting on Wednesday, June the 13th, we’ll be doing Duke’s Cycle Shop rides. Our plan is to try and offer at least two rides per week on the following schedule…

Wednesday Evening Road Rides: 6:00pm. These rides will start at the shop and will be planned around a 2 hour ride. It is our intention to make these rides a social opportunity as well and a chance to work on fitness and group road riding technique. Pace will be fun and social.

Sunday Morning MTB Rides: 8:00am. These rides will be starting at the Bayview / Pottery Road entrance to the Don Valley MTB Trails. Pace will be fun and social.

Throughout the summer, we’ll also be featuring several special rides with members of our Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team, local Reps [Cannondale, Cervelo, Trek, etc.] and a few other surprises. Yeah… we may even get Gary Duke out on a ride or two.

Be sure to checkout and “LIKE” our Duke’s Cycle Facebook page for all the latest Duke’s Cycle Shop Ride updates, details, times, locations, etc.

BTW: Helmets are manditory, no exceptions. Please be sure that your bike is in good working order. If not… maybe its time for a tune-up.