Great Cycle Challenge - Day 26: A Perfect Day on the Elora-Cataract Trail
27 Aug 2026
What. A. Day! We went on a 109 km gravel ride from Inglewood to Fergus along the Elora‑Cataract Trail and it was spectacular. The scenery was beautiful the entire way, and for a gravel ride it felt pretty quick — we averaged 24.7 kph, which is fast by my standards.
I rode with Sandro and Peter. It was my first time meeting Peter, and what a great guy (but aren’t all cyclists?). He’s 68 years old, strong on the bike, and incredibly well‑travelled as a cyclist. As he told me about his adventures — mostly across Europe — all I could think was: I want to be as strong, as fast, and as well‑travelled on the bike when I’m 68. Truly inspiring.
The weather was perfect: sunny, temperate, and exactly what you hope for on a long gravel day. We stopped for breakfast at The Vault in Fergus, where I had a breakfast croissant, a chocolate‑chip scone, and a coffee — vital cycling food… LOL. It was great.
There was talk about doing this ride again in the fall when the colours change, and that will be amazing. I’m now just over 1,300 km with about 200 km to go. I’ve got another 150 km planned for tomorrow and Saturday. Sunday I have to jar tomatoes, so I’ll need to find another 50 km somewhere. I should probably take today off… unless I can find a flat, slow ride somewhere. Tomorrow will be intense. I’ll figure something out.
Posted 2 hours ago
Great Cycle Challenge - Day 25: Coffee in Kettleby and 30km of Exploring
26 Aug 2026
The weather wasn’t good on Sunday or Monday, so I stayed indoors and did a couple of longer virtual rides — one in Western Canada (52 km) and another in Korea (46 km). Those are long for virtual rides by my standards, but they helped keep the mileage moving. I also went for a short 4.5 km run on Sunday. With the focus on riding this month, it was my first run in August, and it felt pretty tough.
Today I finally got outside for a 45 km ride with some of the crew. It was windy and cool enough that I had to wear a jacket. We rode from Nobleton to Kettleby and back, stopping for coffee at a little bakery that one rider described as “going to the old Nonna’s house.” He wasn’t exaggerating — the place had that cozy, old‑school charm. The coffee was good, and the chocolate‑chip cookie was just OK.
When I got home, the legs still felt decent, so I added another 30 km with an easy spin around the neighbourhood. I turned in and out of a bunch of streets — some I hadn’t been down since moving here in 2009 — which made the ride surprisingly interesting.
Later in the day, I gave a couple of bikes some TLC. I washed my road bike, degreased the chain, and switched to wax instead of traditional lubricant. It’s supposed to be much better than lube. I also added wax to my gravel bike to get it ready for a big ride tomorrow. Now it’s time to get some sleep so I’m ready to go bright and early in the morning.
Posted 1 day ago
Great Cycle Challenge- Day 22: I’m back
22 Aug 2026
Today was my first outdoor ride all week. Work has been really busy, so most of my mileage came from virtual rides squeezed in whenever I could. Getting back outside felt great. I left the house at 6:30 to meet Andrew and Keith — two members of TD Tour de Friends — for a 7:00 start. It was a little chilly at first, but once we got moving, it was perfect.
We rode through Caledon, taking in some beautiful scenery. Just before Belfountain, we climbed the small switchback on Forks of the Credit, and the route had plenty of rollers to keep things interesting. We stopped at Higher Ground in Belfountain for coffee and butter tarts, and ended up waiting out the rain there for a bit — it came earlier than expected.
Andrew is an absolute monster on the bike. I’ve known him for years, and he’s strong, fast, and just a great guy. This was my first chance to ride with Keith, and he’s another solid addition to the team — easygoing, strong rider, and great company. Even with the chilly start, the rain, and Andrew’s two flat tires, it was still a great ride.
With today’s ride, I’ve just exceeded 1,000 km for the month. I’m off this week, and with a little over a week left until August 31st, it’s the final stretch to get to 1,500 km. Let’s goooooo!!!
Posted 5 days ago
