July Update

July Ride Update - Kit orders have arrived

Hello VCC members

Achieving Stage 2 did not offer any positive changes in the regulations for group riding and as such we will continue to wait for the reduction in restrictions to follow shortly when Stage 3 is achieved. We continue to believe that within a city cycling club context that 3 metre distancing is not only almost impossible to abide by, it makes group riding less safe.

Hopefully the news we are looking for will come soon with the expected achievement of Stage 3 during the month of July.

We spoke with the Ontario Cycling Association (“OCA”) about the lack of positive change and understand that the provincial regulations govern club rides. Further, as road and gravel cycling is not specifically referenced in the regulations, cycling has been lumped into a general category which includes indoor sports. That is of course not logical but explains the reason why the 3 metre rule is in place. The OCA advises that they continue to lobby the government for relief without success to this point.

STEVE HANCOCK MEMORIAL RIDE UPDATE
Given the message above and having tentatively slotted the SHMR in for Saturday July 10th we will re-schedule the ride once appropriate group riding conditions exist. Stay tuned.

TOUR D’ABERNETHY UPDATE
Plans are progressing for the 2nd annual Tour D’Abernethy currently slated for Saturday August 21. Expect to receive an update and opening of the calendar once the ride routes have been finalized.

Beaver Valley Ski Club will once again be the host of the event and we have been advised that they have increased the outdoor patio area and we are expecting to have on site catering for this great event.

KIT HAS ARRIVED
Good news, the Castelli order arrived on July 2nd at HQ and looks mighty fine. Please e-mail at pmartin@www.velocitycyclingclub.com to arrange pick up.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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Cycle 4 St Joe’s – Join Chain Reaction’s team

Cycle 4 St Joe's

Hello VCC members

In an effort to increase the GIVE component of the clubs mission statement, Chain Reaction has entered a team into the charity ride for St Joseph’s Hospital on the Queensway. Bill Greene is captaining Chain’s team and has offered to have our membership join the event which, with a little luck should be held the old fashioned way, where we all get to start and ride together.

Cycle 4 St. Joe's 2015 - St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation

 

St Joe’s will be celebrating 100 years of community caring and is looking to raise $500,000. This ride is to be held on Sunday, September 26th from two different locations and multiple ride distances.

The half price entry fee ends this Saturday so if you are interested acting quickly makes sense.

Click on the link below and investigate the many options offered for this ride.

Cycle 4 St Joe’s

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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Return to Cycling – June Update

Return to Cycling - June Update

Hello VCC members

As you may have heard, the Ontario Cycling Association has advised that group riding can officially resume under the following criteria:

  • Group size is limited to ten (10) inclusive of a required ride leader 
  • Physical distance of 3m [extended from 2m] must be maintained at all times
  • When more than one group is riding, and the course is a point-to-point, Group B can start 15-30 minutes after the last rider of Group A has departed. This rule would apply for any subsequent groups as well.
  • If the course is a loop (i.e. circular, square, rectangular or with a turnaround point), Group B can start 15-30 minutes after the last rider of Group A has completed their ride.

While the 10 number met our previous threshold to restart, in the Board’s opinion the spacing increase to 3 metres (10 feet) makes for an unmanageable group of 10 when riding in the city and managing through stop lights etc., let alone rotating riders.

As such, it is our determination to defer the recommencement of group riding until we see further lifting of restrictions which we expect should come soon as the vaccination rates increase and cases further decrease during the summer season.

Kit Update

Castelli has confirmed that our product will leave the plant on June 25th so expect us to reach out directly to those who ordered in the beginning of July to arrange pick up.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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June Update

June Update

Well here we are on June 1st and still there is a lack of clarity on when group riding will re-start. However there are indications that we should be back doing more “normal” (define as you wish) activities in the latter part of this month.

VCC will be focusing on re-commencing group rides when the threshold approved by the Ontario Cycling Association sanctions a minimum of 10 riders. We will keep you posted as this threshold gets met.

Also, reminders to “Save the Date” for these key rides

  • Steve Hancock Memorial Ride – Saturday July 10th starting in the morning
  • Tour D’Abernethy – Saturday August 21st (from Beaver Valley)
  • Tanya’s Ride – Saturday October 2nd (from Albion Hills with road and gravel options

Lastly, for those OCA Members looking to have their individual training activities covered (non-VCC sanctioned rides), members have the option to purchase into the “Personal Accident Extension Program” for an additional $25 (+CCN Fees) to extend the Sport Accident coverage to these activities.

Click here for link to extension of insurance coverage

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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Last call for kit

Get Your Kit Before the Store Closes

Order your VCC kit here

 

So it is snowing and COVID has not yet left us but those are no excuse for not ordering your 2021 kit and the deadline is closing in on April 30th. We spoke with Castelli this week and the plant is awaiting our order. We are also having all kit delivered to HQ to avoid any delivery issues and save costs for our members.

Changes at Castelli now allows for lower minimums:

  • ladies we are looking for a couple of additional orders to reach the minimums, and
  • this affords us the opportunity to add some cooler weather kit for ordering later in the summer. More to follow on this.

The 2021 jersey has  been tweaked to add our new sponsors and the design layout slightly amended.You’ll look distinct, and the same, with last year’s jersey. 

 

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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Delay in opening the 2021 season

Hurry up and .... wait. COVID delays formal season opening

Folks, we were hoping we would be closer to opening up the formal riding schedule at this time for the 2021 season . However, COVID’s recent (recurring) flare-up has caused us, and other clubs, to pause for the moment and evaluate the situation before moving forward.

Your Executive are engaging with our Ride Captains on solidifying the re-start to the season and we will keep you apprised as our position becomes clearer.

But all is not lost. What can we do in the interim to be ready for that opening? Here are a few suggestions:

  • If you are new to the club, or simply want to re-fresh, please read our Ride Guidelines VCC Ride Guidelines. Also from the guide, here are our top 10 safety focus list Top 10 Safety Focus
  • Find your comfort zone and ride following the appropriate social distancing and group size restrictions
  • New to club or need some motivation? Feel free to reach out to me at galfred@www.velocitycyclingclub.com and we can arrange to help you get going on your club riding experience

                                                           
Chain Reaction has sourced a great deal on Skratch bars. Click on the link to get yours before they are all gone. Regularly $45 for $25. VCC members getting first dibs on them so act before they are all gone.
Get your discounted Skratch bars here

Registration continues
Register for 2021
– Don’t have an account? Simply create one when at log in


Castelli Kit ordering
Don’t forget to order kit. The store will close on April 30th with a mid-June arrival.  
Castelli kit site

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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A New Year With New Goals

Looking Forward to a Great 2021 Riding Season

With the turn of the calendar a new year begins and for us in southern Ontario we get to start thinking beyond riding our trainers over the next couple of months. We at VCC are looking forward to the riding opportunities in 2021 and know that we can manage through whatever COVID has left to challenge us with.

We will open 2021 registration in the next week or so and have been advised that the OCA is combining the 2021 COVID waiver with the registration process so that should reduce the back and forth on this matter. 

What we would like our membership to begin thinking about is the potential for greater group riding opportunities in 2021. To assist in this, we have prepared a provisional ride calendar, which of course will be subject to COVID, but where our commitment lies. See calendar here: VCC Provisional 2021 Ride Calendar

What to expect? 

  • More regular ride opportunities including gravel options
  • Commencing in late June through September, the addition of monthly Test Your Limits (TYL) road and gravel rides (>100km)
  • Promotion to our membership to participate in several of our favourite organized rides in southern Ontario that hopefully will not be impacted by Covid.
    • Jack Ride (whether virtual or not) – May
    • Cambridge Tour de Grand Bicycle Ride – June
    • Epic Halton Grand Fondo – September
    • Hastings Highland Hilly Hundred – October
  • The continuation of our club sponsored charity rides: the second rendition of the Tour D’Abernethy and continuation of Tanya’s Ride while we await to see if T4K returns in 2021. And of course, the Steve Hancock Memorial Ride.

Please note that due to the continued COVID restrictions, and as the board is not proposing any matters that require membership voting, the Annual General Meeting will be held as a matter of record with the directors on January 12, 2021. If any member has any matters to raise please feel free to reach out to me at galfred@www.velocitycyclingclub.com.

Registration should be opening soon and we will update you on that and kit ordering in the very near future.

Greg 

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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VCC Year end awards

VCC 2020 Awards

Well, the year is quickly coming to a close and despite the challenges imposed by COVID, by all accounts cycling has played an extremely positive role in maintaining fitness and overall mental health for many of our club members.

The last and final inconvenience from the pandemic is the cancellation of our annual get together where we share a cold beverage or two and tell some stories..

But we will conclude our messaging for 2020 with our annual award winners. With a new board in place, we have modified things slightly. One change, given the number of fatal and near misses on the roads across Toronto this year, is the removal of the Ouchie Award. It just does not feel right.

So your 2020 VCC award winners are…

Steve Hancock Award – Craig Tyndall

  • and no explanation required here folks! Thanks, Craig, for all that you have done to improve the lives for all who participated with what started out as the Flatten The Curve challenge in April and culminated in August. We cannot thank you enough.
  • And for all those who did not directly participate in the monthly events, please find below a link to the “COVID-19 Response Manual” celebrating this journey. Each participant received a hard copy of the manual. Have a look as there are lots of great recipes in the manual to try over the winter.

            Covid-19 Response Manual link

Domestique of the Year Award – Agnes Lipski  

  • for completing the Butter Tart 700 bike packing challenge in 5 days. She topped out at 730km and says she will not be doing that one again!
  • If you do not know much about this challenge, please check it out at http://www.bt700.ca/the-bt-story.html

                                                           
Domestique of the Year Award – Alessandro Bonciani

  • for exceeding 21,000 km and still counting. This was accomplished with 494 rides (the committee asked “aren’t there only 365 days in a year?”) and a trivial 157 km of elevation gain. 
  • outstanding by any standard and considering he only did a “mere” 9,000 km last year
New Awards in 2020


Fashionista Award – Pedro Cabrella

  • award for consistently being decked out in the finest matching kit
  •  oh those blue shoes

Lanterne Rouge Award – Luca D’Aprile

  • award for perseverance under trying conditions
  • justified after completing a 85 km group ride with +700m of elevation gain with only his hardest gear after his battery died early in the ride. Get this average cadence for the ride – 49

 Rule #4 Award – Ken Beattie

  • award for the person who attended the most VCC rides

 Rookie of the Year – Diana Knight

  • award for demonstrating enthusiasm, participation in VCC events and testing her limits while promoting VCC values

Congratulations to all for making the club that much better.

We will be back to you early in 2021 with our thoughts for the upcoming riding season and gravel will be prominent. Happy Holidays everyone and remain safe. The COVID is showing that it just isn’t quite ready to go away in advance of the vaccinations. Remain vigilant and this will all hopefully be gone in 2021.

If you have questions about the article above, send us an email.

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