I’m happy to announce that Graphic Arts Magazine is offering discounted advertising in exchange for sponsorship of my ride in the Friends For Life Bike Rally.

For a tax-deductible donation of $75, you can get $75 off a full-colour eighth-page ad in the September 2009 issue of Graphic Arts Magazine. For $100 you can get $100 off a half-page ad, and $200 will be applied to a full-page ad. [Read more →]

After hearing about the TBN TNT Hairshirt three years ago, I thought it was probably the craziest idea for an event ever. 200 miles (322 km) in one day, from Toronto to Niagara Falls and back. Naturally I couldn’t wait to be a strong enough cyclist to be able to enter it.

This year everything seemed to fall into place. I started training much earlier than usual. The only potential snag was the impending thundershowers. But as Owen the organizer said, “more good rides are ruined by bad forecasts than bad weather!” [Read more →]

Here’s how you can stalk me follow my progress for today’s 322 km TBN Hairshirt.

What I’m thinking on twitter.

What I see on flickr.

Where I am on Instamapper.

I’ll be pulling them all together on one map (hopefully) when I (hopefully) finish.

For an unplanned training ride a lot of thought has actually been put into it. Since I started thinking about biking long distances there have been three major rides that I’ve considered. One was Toronto to Montreal. Another was riding 250k to my grandmother’s. The latest has been to ride around Lake Simcoe. Technically I suppose I’ve done it by going to Ben’s cottage and back, but there was a day of rest between. I wanted to do it either in one shot, or over two consecutive days.

Since then I’ve spent weekend afternoons when I’m not riding, trying to figure out the best way around it. There are some gorgeous parts between Barrie and Orillia, and along the south shore, but connecting them can be a little messy.

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Flying over the handlebars can be fun in the right circumstances—crashing into a snowbank, or landing in a bush with a water-filled backpack to break your fall. It’s not so fun when you catch a root down a hill and tumble shoulder first on top of a rock. It’s like getting hit in the chest with a hammer. Luckily I was able to ride away with only a slightly bloody shoulder and knee and a sore chest—maybe a bruised rib.

It wasn’t the best way to prepare for Sunday’s 166k road ride with the TBN, and it from the outside it wouldn’t seem to get much better after that.

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Each weekend when I started cycling I would try to visit as many trails reviewed in my copy of a guide to Ontario’s trails. I completely dismissed the Don Valley set of trails. Never even bothered to visit. Too short, too busy, and too many people. Now that I live within 15 minutes, it makes the perfect good morning ride.

Here’s my daily hour-long loop. Check out the Google Earth option, it looks awesome!

don loop

Just calculated my cycling totals over the past three years. 2006 was 1254 km. 2007 was 1642. 2008? 426.

I registered for the 11th Annual Friends for Life Bike Rally yesterday. This year I’m booking the time off work well in advance. Like now. I think I’m going to concentrate on just cycling this year. I keep getting close to doing other things, like running, but I think that completely killed my ankle trying to do it last year. So it’s back to just cycling—and lots of it.