We are now using CycleClubApp!

Electronic Pre-Registration will now be required for all CCC Rides. As an OCA affiliate club, we are required to manage our group sizes and keep a record of all participants. CycleClubApp is registration method chosen by the CCC.The App is free to download and easy to use. You can follow the link below to access the app via the website, or download from the Apple Store or Google Play for Android. People not registered for a ride (“Event” in the app) will not be permitted to participate unfortunately. As mentioned above it is now an OCA requirement.

https://cycleclubapp.com/

Once downloaded, select Sign Up to create a User Name and login password, then search for our Club. When you have joined our club, you will be able to access your Profile where you can upload a photo of yourself, as well as complete the emergency contact info. Our Ride Leaders will need that info in case of an incident.

Joining an Event is easy- look for the options on the calendar, then check yes or no for attendance, If there is space, you will see your icon appear in the Event. Once you are confirmed for an event, you will have access to Discussion (Weather call, route map, etc) about that event in the app. The App will become the primary communication hub for all future CCC Rides.

Don’t have a Smartphone? The app is usable from a web browser as well through the website www.cycleclubapp.com

If you are planning on joining in this week’s Wednesday or Thursday rides, registration through this app will be mandatory. We are excited to be a part of the Beta version of Cycle Club which is a project born in Peterborough by people who love to ride their bikes. How cool is that?!

Hope you all had great rides over the weekend! We have another fab week of rides lined up for you. Come to one, come to 3!

Monday, August 10th 6:00pm : Skills Night

Monday Night Skills is a 1 hour ride where we work on Bike Handling Skills. Last week we had a great turnout for an exhilarating evening! We worked on Pace lines and Cornering, many of us learning to corner at speed for the first time.

All members welcome, this is a great night for riders of all levels to learn or brush up on their skills. Don’t miss it!⁠ All that is required is a road bike in good working order, helmet and water bottles

Ride Leader : Brent Aquino

Meeting Details: 6:00pm start, Diamond Head Industrial Mall (the Old Coke Plant) located at 210 Willmott Street. https://goo.gl/maps/pdZ45NreDBUx9ZeYA

Wednesday, August 11th 6:00pm : Group Road Ride

Wednesday will see us back out on a group road ride. Join us as we Hunt For Hills! 42kms with 664m of elevation. This will be a great night to practice your climbing skills. If you haven’t been on these roads before, the views are spectacular. Keep that in mind as you are climbing up Community Centre Road, it will be worth it!! This ride will be an intermediate pace (25kph+) no drop ride.

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2718103675676096662

Meeting Place : 6:00pm from St.Mary’s CSS https://goo.gl/maps/piggKB9cpMD3jMbz9

Thursday, August 12th, 6:00pm : Dirty Thursday

We had another great turnout for our 2nd Dirty Thursday. A fun time was had by all, including another gravel newbie, Jo-Anne who had a super fun time doing the Nasty backwards. This week, we will have a surprise route put together by our resident Gravel Guru and super awesome ride leader Pete Hennessy. A gravel capable bike will be required. This No-Drop ride will have an anticipated average speed around 21-23kph

Ride Leader: Pete Hennessy

Meeting Info: 6:00pm Baltimore Arena 23 Community Centre Road, Baltimore https://goo.gl/maps/7rppsQJwh3GJMnre8

See you out this week!

We’re baaaaaacccckkk with another Q+A! Today we meet our Past President and Life Member, Dave Singfield. Dave brings with him a rich history in cycling that includes racing and sport organization, which he shares with all us Club members.

1.How many years have you been cycling?

I rode my first race back in 1957, so I have been around for a while.

2. What is a highlight from your years of cycling?

I’ve enjoyed racing in the UK, Montreal area and BC.  I rode my last serious race in 1974, just before my son was born.  Then I started to get more into the organization of the sport.  Racing secretary and racing board chairman of the BABC (B.C.’s equivalent to the OCA back in the 70’s).  I have been an international race official in world championships, Olympic Games, Commonwealth games and University games.  I have officiated in many Canadian Championships Road, Track and Cyclocross.  Not done Mountain bike or BMX racing.

3. As a Board member what do you hope to achieve this year?

I have been a member of the CCC since 1983 when I moved here from Vancouver.  I am keen to keep the club going and pass on the enjoyment of cycling and cycling competition to Cobourg/Port Hope and surrounding area population, youth and old folks alike.

4. Any goals for the 2020 Cycling Season?

I still enjoy a good bike ride, but don’t go as far or as fast as I used to and usually ride with folks my own speed. For this year I am hoping to just get fit and give my legs a good work out.

5. Road or Off Roadie?

I keep to the paved road when I can.

6. Are you Team Short Socks or Team High Socks?

I am a great believer of “socks when worn should be white”. (As written in the rule book back in 1974).

7. Espresso or Americano?

I drink my coffee black and boring regular coffee.  Mind you when I was in Australia I drank flat white.  However I do drink much more tea than coffee.

8. What club rides can we find you on?

You will find me at the Time Trials when the Club starts them.You can also find me at at Cycle Transitions as I spend a lot of time there.

Holy Crackers do we ever have a jam packed week for you! We are offering 4 rides this week as detailed below. Super excited to announce our first Women’s ride of the year which we are calling WOW! Women On Wheels. This Friday night ride is a social paced ride. All levels welcome. Ladies, don’t miss out! Weather calls are made by 5:00pm day of the ride.

Monday, August 3rd 6:00pm : Skills Night

Monday Night Skills is a 1 hour ride where we work on Bike Handling Skills. Seeing as we were rained out last week, we will try again this week with the same programming of learning pace lines, echelon riding and cornering. Those that showed up to the start last week got to enjoy a 90 minute Q+A with ride leaders Brent and Janet- lucky them!

All members welcome, this is a great night for riders of all levels to learn or brush up on these skills. Don’t miss it!⁠ All that is required is a road bike in good working order, helmet and water bottles

Ride Leader : Brent Aquino

Meeting Details: 6:00pm start, Diamond Head Industrial Mall (the Old Coke Plant) located at 210 Willmott Street. https://goo.gl/maps/pdZ45NreDBUx9ZeYA

Wednesday, August 5th 6:00pm : Group Road Ride

Wednesday will see us back out on a group road ride. It’s back to the popular Vernonville Express route! This is an Intermediate (25kph+) no drop ride.

Meeting Info : 6:00pm at Donegan Park https://goo.gl/maps/CUBZhERjPBtw3xP38

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2712682734317317936

Thursday, August 6th, 6:00pm : Dirty Thursday

We had a great turnout to the first Dirty Thursday. 7 riders of different experience levels came out to enjoy some of Northumberland’s finest gravel roads. Let’s do it all over again this week! New to gravel? Curious about off road? Don’t hesitate to come out and give this a try. A gravel capable bike will be required. This No-Drop ride will have an anticipated average speed around 21-23kph. (We were slower last week to accommodate a gravel newbie -that was me, your chatty Comms Director!- and everyone was cool with that)

Ride Leader: Pete Hennessy

Meeting Info: 6:00pm Baltimore Arena 23 Community Centre Road, Baltimore https://goo.gl/maps/7rppsQJwh3GJMnre8

Route Map: The Shorty Nasty https://www.strava.com/routes/7655522

Friday August 7th : 6:00pm WOW! Women’s Night

Welcome to our first Women’s ride of the year- WoW! (Women On Wheels) This will be a no-drop road ride whose pace will adapt to the slowest rider. Suitable for all levels, don’t be shy to come out and join the other female members of the Club for an enjoyable cruise around the area. We’ll do a bit of climbing along Danforth, whip it down Gully followed by Station Road, out to the Wicklow Boat launch then head back to town along the flats. This ride will be a great opportunity to meet new people and enjoy the company of some familiar faces.

Ride Leader: Raff Melito

Meeting Info: Parking lot on Covert Street https://goo.gl/maps/kSoeTLDACHjNTKRu9

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2725048365946790902

See you out there!!!

The Cobourg Cycling Club Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we have adopted a new Mission Statement this year :

“Bringing a community together through cycling”

Our mission is to inspire, encourage, and grow the sport of cycling through skill development, recreational riding, social engagement and competitive events for all abilities.

This new Mission Statement is reflected in the programming that we are now finally able to put into effect. You’ll find Skill Development, TTs, Group Road Rides, Gravel and other Off-Road options, as well as Women’s and Club Social rides on the calendar, something for everyone. Whether you are new to the sport, looking to fine tune your skills, searching for connection in the community, or just looking for some great people to ride your bike with, the CCC has something for you.

We are always on the lookout for Ride Leaders. As a Ride Leader you have the opportunity to meet new people, mentor other riders, tour the group in areas you enjoy riding, and give back to the cycling community. We rely on these volunteers to keep the Club’s calendar full and varied. The Cobourg Cycling Club is one of the longest running clubs in Canada, we are proud to contribute to its longevity. If interested, drop us a note!

Looking forward to seeing you out on two wheels!

Radar shows significant rain to the north of us starting at ride time so we are cancelling tonight’s ride. Come out and join us tomorrow for the first Dirty Thursday of the season!

Who’s coming? We’re MAX 10 participants, first come first serve. Rain call being made at 5:00pm, stay tuned to our FB Group and Instagram account @cobourgcyclingclub for an update!

We’ll revisit a regular Wednesday Night route around the hills of Camborne and Baltimore, some climbing (ok, a lot of climbing) and some nice rewarding downhills. This is an Intermediate (25kph+) no drop ride.

Ride Leader: Raff Melito

Meeting Info : 6:00pm at the carpool parking lot at County Road 45, Highway 401 and Division St. North
https://goo.gl/maps/nQYV9Up9gqctGFXh6

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2714894878214135370

See all you Monday Night Skills folks, 6pm start from the Diamond Head Industrial Plaza at 210 Willmott Street!

What an exciting week we have in store for you! We’ve expanded the calendar to include Monday Night Skills, our regular Wednesday Night Group Road Ride and a Dirty Thursday. What are these other ride nights, you ask? Keep reading for more info!

Monday July 27th, 6:00pm : Skills Night

Monday Night Skills is a 1 hour ride where we work on Bike Handling Skills. This week will be focussed on pace lines, echelon riding and cornering. All members welcome, this is a great night for riders of all levels to learn or brush up on these skills. Don’t miss it!⁠ All that is required is a road bike in good working order, helmet and water bottles. Weather is looking iffy for ride time, so keep an eye on our social channels for a late afternoon update.

Ride Leader : Brent Aquino

Meeting Details: 6:00pm start, Diamond Head Industrial Mall (the Old Coke Plant) located at 210 Willmott Street. https://goo.gl/maps/pdZ45NreDBUx9ZeYA

Wednesday, July 29th, 6:00pm : Group Road Ride

Wednesday will see us back out on a group road ride. We’ll revisit a regular Wednesday Night route around the hills of Camborne and Baltimore, some climbing (ok, a lot of climbing) and some nice rewarding downhills. This is an Intermediate (25kph+) no drop ride.

Meeting Info : 6:00pm at the carpool parking lot at County Road 45, Highway 401 and Division St. North
https://goo.gl/maps/nQYV9Up9gqctGFXh6

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2714894878214135370

Thursday, July 30th, 6:15pm : Dirty Thursday

Dirty Thursday is for off-road adventures on gravel or MTB trails. To start off this series, Pete Hennessy (of the Shop Talk With Pete fame) will take us on a gravel ride (The Short Nasty) leaving from Baltimore Community Centre. Expect to get Dirty!⁠ New to gravel? Curious about off road? Don’t hesitate to come out and give this a try. A gravel capable bike will be required. This No-Drop ride will have an anticipated average speed around 22/23kph.

Ride Leader: Pete Hennessy

Meeting Info: 6:15pm Baltimore Arena 23 Community Centre Road, Baltimore https://goo.gl/maps/7rppsQJwh3GJMnre8

Route Map: The Shorty Nasty https://www.strava.com/routes/7655522

Which night will you come out to??

Interested in becoming a Ride Leader for the CCC? More Leaders means we can extend the calendar to include more weekday rides and start adding in weekend rides as well. Mountain Bike, Gravel, Road, whatever terrain you prefer! Live in Grafton and can’t wait to show other riders the beautiful routes around your area?? Want more rides out of Port Hope?? Then sign up! You can design the routes for your rides or refer back to already established club routes from the archives. Ride Leader Training is offered Virtually by the OCA with some date options coming up soon. Being a Ride Leader is a great way to give back to the Club and also a great way to meet other cyclists in the area. Here are the deets:

Monday July 27 – 6-8pm, Registration Deadline is 12pm July 27

Thursday August 06 – 6-8 pm, Registration Deadline is 12pm August 06

Sunday August 09 – 4-6pm, Registration Deadline is 4pm August 07

Here is the link for Registration: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020OCAVirtualRLT

We’d love to have to you on board!

Wednesday Night Group Road Ride “Hunt For Hills” 42kms with 664m of elevation. This will be a great night to practice your climbing skills. If you haven’t been on these roads before, the views are spectacular. Keep that in mind as you are climbing up Community Centre Road, it will be worth it!! This ride will be an intermediate pace (25kph+) no drop ride.

We continue to be MAX 10 Riders, first come first serve as we aim to sort out Ride Pre-Registration. Thanks for your continued patience during this transition.

Ride Leader: Jo-Anne Magne

Route Map: https://www.strava.com/routes/2718103675676096662

Meeting Place : 6:00pm from St.Mary’s CSS https://goo.gl/maps/piggKB9cpMD3jMbz9

Just a reminder that you must have a signed waiver on record with the Club as well as having a copy with you in order to join in this week’s ride. If you haven’t done so yet, please email your waiver to info@cobourgcyclingclub.com.

We’re back again with another instalment of Shop Talk With Pete, our resident Bike Expert and Knower Of All Things Bike. The chain is a pretty important part of your bike’s performance, so here Pete is sharing how to care for that integral piece of equipment. Take it away Pete!

Hey All, Tips time again…..Today’s topic is your chain! Pretty simple thing actually. Plates, pins, bushings all pressed together to go around your gears.
When all is clean and lubed, life is great for your chain, but when it gets dirty or dry they get hungry. Their only meal is your rear cog and chainrings!!!!

So how do you keep your chain from devouring your gears?

It’s pretty easy to do, but a few essentials are needed. A water soluble degreaser like Simple Green, WD-40, dish soap, bucket, shoe shine brush, rags and chain lube .
I bet you’re thinking: WD-40 ???? It’s not a chain lube! No it’s not, but it is a water repellent that draws water out from inside the pins and bushings. Very important .

So Let’s Do This!

1. First start by applying the degreaser liberally to the chain, use the brush to scrub both sides , top and bottom of the chain. You may have to apply degreaser directly onto the
brush during cleaning. Also spray degreaser on the rear cassette and derailleur pulley wheels and give them a good cleaning .

2. Mix up some dish soap and water and wash the remaining grime and degreaser off the chain, rear cog and derailleur. Hose everything down, not much pressure is required , just enough to rinse.

3. Here’s where the WD-40 comes to play. Wipe the chain down with a dry clean rag, apply WD-40 directly to chain, best done on the front chainring to avoid getting overspray on Rims or Brake Rotors
This gets the water out from inside the pins and bushings! Let sit for a few minutes, then wipe chain down once again to dry .

Yes I know , almost done !!!!!!

4. Now it’s lube time. Dry lube is best for Dry conditions as it doesn’t pick up road dirt and dust, but doesn’t protect against moisture. Wet lube is best for wet conditions or where rust protection is more of a concern. Wet lube will attract and allow road dirt and dust to stick to it …..
Apply lube to the inside plates of the chain , on the inside of the chain. If using a wet lube , it is advised to once again , wipe the chain down .
The lube is meant to be inside the chain, not just on the outside .

A few sub pointers:
I do not use Aerosol spray. I use degreaser and WD-40 from hand spray bottles. Much easier to manage where it’s going. Do not get any on your brake surfaces, either rims, pads or rotors.
You will not have brakes if you do!

So there you have it ….
No pain, Clean chain!
Keep Zoomin ……

Thanks for all the expert advice Pete! A clean bike is a happy bike!

Toronto and Whitby is having some nasty weather and it is heading this way.

We have a Severe warning in Cobourg. Club rules say all events are off

Happy sunny Saturday! It’s going to be a hot one out there today! Yes, it’s true we are back with another round of Meet The BoD Q+A’s. You are probably wondering how many people are on the Board of the CCC?! This year we have the largest Board in the history of the Club, currently sitting at 13 full members, and 1 Youth Representative. Today we chat with James Barnes, Co-VP, Co- Ride Coordinator and all-around Doer of Things. 

1.How many years have you been cycling?

I have been cycling for 11 or 12 years.

2. What is a highlight from your years of cycling?

So many highlights. Becoming a part of the CCC is definitely one of them. 
The people I have met and the relationships. No matter how strange I am (or they are) once on the bikes and moving we become compatible. 

3. What do you like best about being part of this cycling club? 

The best part about being a member of this club it that can be a constant learning process. From the stories of Henri and Dave (some of the founding members of the club) racing Time Trials on fixed gear bikes to watching fellow club and Board members Pete Hennessy or Glenn Finlay make a technical MTB trail seem easy, to Brent Aquino grinding a gear uphill that I can’t use downhill, to Greg Cushing worrying the small nuances of training. Even if I only partially listen, I still learn.

4. Any goals for the 2020 Cycling Season?

I would like to regain a little of the competitive enthusiasm. 
Stay out of the Poison Ivy.
Stay off the injured list. My willingness to exceed my ability sometimes (very often), can cause problems. 

5. Roadie or Off Roadie? 

Yup! All the above! 

6. Are you Team Short Socks or Team High Socks?

Up to the calf muscle. Traditional, and it just looks clean.

7. Espresso or Americano? 

A cup of coffee for me. Nothing fancy thank you.

8.     What club rides can we find you on? 

I will take a little of everything. I seem to prefer distraction more than familiarity.

Thanks for this James, but who are you calling strange?! LOL, just kidding! Looking forward to seeing you (poison ivy free) on the roads and gravel this year! 

Here we go, onto our second group ride of the year. Who’s coming?? We are once again MAX 10 participants, first come first serve again this week. We hope to have pre-registration up and running soon, thanks for your continued patience as we navigate through all these changes. This is an Intermediate ride (25kph + average speed), no drop ride.

Reminder to get your waivers into our email address info@cobourgcyclingclub.com as well as having a copy with you on your phone or printed out. Here’s the link to the smart waiver: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/5ed1003b165fe/web/

Meeting Spot : 6pm at Donegan Park on D’arcy Street

https://goo.gl/maps/yywwjbmv4Uz7rhc47

Route Map: The Vernonville Express https://www.strava.com/routes/2712682734317317936

This is a mostly flat route with a climb at the midpoint when we reach Vernonville Road. It’ll be a great opportunity to practice your climbing (up Vernonville) and descent skills (down Telephone Road). Shelter Valley offers a zippy return to Hwy 2 with its slight downhill.

Be there with bikes, seat bag, water bottles and lights ready to go. For a reminder of good things to have in your seat bag, read Shop Talk With Pete’s “What’s In Your Seat Bag” post from last week. Hope to see you there!

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope the weekend saw some epic rides! Today we continue with our Meet The BoD Q+A’s. Jo-Anne Magne leads Promotions, a position that is new to the Club this year, created to fit Joanne’s strength in recruitment. 

1. How many years have you been cycling?

I bought a used bike 5 years ago so I could cross train with my running. I did a few events  with Tri and Run out of Belleville then let the bike sit dormant for a year until I found a club to join. That is when my love of cycling began.

2. What is a highlight from your years of cycling? 

Along with all the great people I have met through cycling, I would say my cycling trip to Mallorca in the fall of 2018. 

3A. What do you like best about being part of this cycling club? 

This club has helped me improve my riding skills. Riding in a group and learning from others has helped me out tremendously.

 3B.  As a Board Member what do you hope to achieve this year? 

I would love to see the club grow and encourage new riders to learn the sport of cycling.

4. Any goals for the 2020 Cycling Season? 

To Ride as much as I can. 

5. Roadie or Off Roadie?

Mostly Roadie, but a bit of both.

6. Are you Team Short Socks or Team High Socks? 

I would say mostly high socks. 

7. Espresso or Americano?

Sorry, off coffee 100% now. Drinking Green Tea these days. 

8. What Club Rides can we find you on?

You’ll find me on most rides as I am always looking to improve. I’ll be missing the TTs when they start as you’ll find me playing volleyball on Tuesday nights.

Thanks Jo-Anne! We’ll see you on Wednesday’s Group Ride!

Resident bike expert and mechanic extraordinaire, Pete Hennessy will be sharing his knowledge with us on all things bike and tech. How lucky are we?! As the title suggests, this week’s article is on the seat bag, and what should be in it so you are prepared to deal with a roadside mechanical. Take it away Pete!

Hey All,

As our season is getting underway, we take for granted we can go out, do our ride and get home trouble free . That’s not always the case ….at some point we will all get the dreaded Flat Tire .
For this instalment of Shop Talk With Pete, we are going to explore “What’s in your seat bag “

Everyone who is planning on doing a club ride must have a seat bag with some simple repair items for their use along the way.

Seat bags come in different sizes to suit the bike or individual. I use a medium sized seat bag on the road /gravel bike and a larger bag for the mountain bike. This is to accommodate the larger tube necessary for the mountain bike .

So What’s in my seat bag ?????

• A tube of the correct size and valve length to fit my bike
• 2 flat edge plastic tire levers
  
• 2 CO2 cartridges and inflation head
  
• A small chain tool and spare chain links
  I find a bag that will tightly hold the above items and prevent them from bouncing around. As a side note, I leave the valve cap in place to keep the tube from piercing itself- yes learned by experience!
  
• I do also carry a small multi tool but in my jersey pocket for easy access .
  

So there you have it. If you’re out on a ride and have the necessary things to fix your flats, others will be happy to help you get going again!
If I could only find how to put a few more Watts and a few less Pounds in my seat bag, things would be great!

Happy Cycling All!