Saturday, September 21 will be the inaugural Wind-del to Port Dover ride! In conjunction with Cora at Hamilton Trike and Bent, we decided that it’s about time there was some kind of recumbent-oriented ride in SW Ontario - so we’re starting one.
The ride will start and finish at Wind-Del, the historic outdoor velodrome at Windham Centre, Ontario (about half way between London and Hamilton). The track is a little overgrown these days but it’s still complete, you can ride round it and it’s a great location to meet up. There’s plenty of parking too and it’s a neat place to see first-hand.
This will be a social, circular recumbent ride to the pier and lighthouse at Port Dover on the Lake Erie coast. It’s a 60km round trip, with Port Dover halfway for a break/lunch stop. It’s also a free event!
The route is available for download from RideWithGPS (you can load it onto a Garmin or smart phone) and we will have some printed maps if you prefer to go old-school - it’s the Lynn Valley Rail Trail for much of the route. It’s also quite flat and the rail trail sections are either hard-packed gravel or paved, it’s very easy riding and suitable for pretty much any bike or trike. There are sections through woodland and also several wooden bridges, it’s a very pretty ride. On the return leg, there are a couple sections on roads as well but these are quiet rural roads.
This is intended to be an opportunity for recumbent bike and trike riders to get together and ride together, in SW Ontario. However, it’s not intended to be exclusionary - partners or family members on regular bikes, friends on regular bikes, all are welcome.
The ride will start at 10:30am - please plan to arrive at 10am so that you can get yourself and your bike ready. This is a social ride, mostly on a public rail trail - we anticipate it will take 1.5-2hrs each way, riding around 15-20km/h, with a lunch stop. We will make sure we don’t lose anyone on the way and although there is no requirement to stay together in a single group (and if there are sufficient numbers, we may have to break up a little anyway), the nature of the trail is likely to keep speeds relatively modest. Enjoy the scenery and the company, racing is for other events! Finish time might be around 3:30pm or so, depending how long we take over lunch.
There is currently a porta-potty at the start/finish. There is also one about half way and there will be facilities available in Port Dover (Tim’s, restaurants, etc.).
There is no organized lunch as such but there are a number of options in Port Dover and there is plenty of seating on the pier. So long as the weather is good (and it should still be in September), everyone can bring or buy lunches and sit on the pier together. There will be other people on the pier, so please be friendly and courteous. You’re also welcome to meet us at the pier at Port Dover or get collected there if you cannot ride the whole way.
Bring plenty of water and any snacks you might want on the way (but please don’t drop any garbage). Don’t forget any tools or spares that you might need, spare tubes etc., sunscreen, cell phone.
We would like to have a rough idea of how many will attend, so please let us know if you think you will attend on Facebook (if you use that) or drop us an email.
This ride is not a formal event, race or official ride. There is no fee and no registration (beyond giving us some idea of numbers through Facebook). There is also no insurance and no-one is offering any liability to anyone else. It’s just a social ride for recumbent riders, with the start-finish in a really cool venue.
Normal rules apply - when on the ride, please obey all local laws, ride safe and be courteous. A bell is a good idea on a public trail. Just sayin’…
