Climbs in the GTA

"David Conroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm heading out to Cape Breton for an 8-day tour and I'm hearing a lot of warnings about the
climbs....

Any suggestion for training rides within a short drive from Toronto. I'd like to put in some
serious road work before June to get ready....

Thanks

Rode across Canada from Vanc to Louisburg in 2001 and the toughest hill of the whole trip was going
up North Mountain riding clockwise around the cape.

Mike Latondresse <mikelat@no_spamshaw.ca> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"David Conroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm heading out to Cape Breton for an 8-day tour and I'm hearing a lot of warnings about the
climbs....

Kinda cold for that, this time of year... oh June! Should be better.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Any suggestion for training rides within a short drive from Toronto. I'd like to put in some
serious road work before June to get ready....

Thanks

Rode across Canada from Vanc to Louisburg in 2001 and the toughest hill of the whole trip was
going up North Mountain riding clockwise around the cape.

Counterclockwise is a real treat, too, but you get a great downhill run. I'd recommend clockwise in
hindsight, as (a) the wind is with you, (b) the turnoffs on the hills tend to be with you (and you
*will* want to stop occasionally), and (c) the wind.

As to the original GTA [Greater Toronto Area, I assume] question, I can't really help, but suggest
you contact the Toronto Bicycling Network (tbn.on.ca) as they have some nice hilly routes.
Personally, I just did Avenue Road, Dufferin, and other in-town hills, but really should have done
more, and taken less gear.

You aren't the first person to tell me we're heading the wrong direction (counter clockwise). I'm
doing the tour with Atlantic Cycling Network and they laid out the route. I was thinking of going
solo on my own route but they run support vans as well as luggage transport so at least I'll just
have to lug myself up the hills.... no excess baggage!

Thanks for the info..

--
David Conroy
P) 416.418.0577 [email hidden] "Brian Huntley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike Latondresse <mikelat@no_spamshaw.ca> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"David Conroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm heading out to Cape Breton for an 8-day tour and I'm hearing a lot of warnings about the
climbs....

Kinda cold for that, this time of year... oh June! Should be better.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Any suggestion for training rides within a short drive from Toronto. I'd like to put in some
serious road work before June to get ready....

Thanks

Rode across Canada from Vanc to Louisburg in 2001 and the toughest hill of the whole trip was
going up North Mountain riding clockwise around the cape.

Counterclockwise is a real treat, too, but you get a great downhill run. I'd recommend clockwise
in hindsight, as (a) the wind is with you, (b) the turnoffs on the hills tend to be with you (and
you *will* want to stop occasionally), and (c) the wind.

As to the original GTA [Greater Toronto Area, I assume] question, I can't really help, but suggest
you contact the Toronto Bicycling Network (tbn.on.ca) as they have some nice hilly routes.
Personally, I just did Avenue Road, Dufferin, and other in-town hills, but really should have done
more, and taken less gear.

David Conroy said:

I'm heading out to Cape Breton for an 8-day tour and I'm hearing a lot of warnings about the
climbs....

Any suggestion for training rides within a short drive from Toronto. I'd like to put in some
serious road work before June to get ready....

HIghway 6 going north from Hamilton to Guelph. IIRC the grade is 7% up the Niagara Escarpment. Do
circuits, and you will get your training in.

East of the city, try the ride up from Port Hope to Rice Lake. Can't remember which roads we used...
it was a TBN ride on the hottest day of the summer and I was to busy grinding to give the road
number more than half a brain. It is a rolling 500 ft ascent over 15 km.

Shirley Hicks Toronto, Ontario

"David Conroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm heading out to Cape Breton for an 8-day tour and I'm hearing a lot of warnings about the
climbs....

Any suggestion for training rides within a short drive from Toronto. I'd like to put in some
serious road work before June to get ready....

Thanks

Hockley Valley - in Mono area (townofmono.comtourists.htmOpen ↗ has a map of the local roads)
The signs in the area have steep hills warning for the cars. I've never done it on bicycle, looks
too challenging for me 🙂

Anywhere you are climbing the Oak Ridges Moraine - north of Port Hope, or generally heading north
from Toronto itself towards Lake Simcoe. Here's a route description with 6000 ft of climbing:
cervelo.comsimcoe.htmOpen ↗

"David Conroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You aren't the first person to tell me we're heading the wrong direction (counter clockwise). I'm
doing the tour with Atlantic Cycling Network and they laid out the route. I was thinking of going
solo on my own route but they run support vans as well as luggage transport so at least I'll just
have to lug myself up the hills.... no excess baggage!

If they ran a trip last August, I saw them going the same way as me
(CCW) up North Mountain. They were quite a mix of people, and seemed to be not quite pacelining each
other, but helping with the wind all the same (I tucked in with them briefly.) They stopped
for a breather/water break at the top. I think they were doing Cape North to Cheticamp that
day, so two big climbs - probably their toughest day.

No luggage does have its appeals.

Hello David,

You might want to look at joining a club which knows some of these routes.

I would suggest Randonneurs Ontario (www.randonneursontario.ca) or TBN (www.tbn.on.ca) as they have a good collection of people who ride long distances for the fun of it and routes to get it all done.

I hope that helps.