Cycling can be a great way to tour our amazing city while getting fresh air and exercise!
Not sure where to start? If you are not an avid bike rider, the thought of cycling in the city can be a bit daunting. However, with the right resources and biking gear you will be safely cruising the city with the wind in your hair in no time.
To start – you need a bike. If your bike has a mountain of dust on it – you should take it to a local cycle shop get a tune-up. This will minimize the risk of being stranded on a trail with a flat tire or broken chain. Trek Toronto and Sporting Life Bikes are two cycle shops that offer a 360 degree tune-up for approximately $60.00. If you don’t have a bike, you can rent a BIXI Bike. This is a cheap and convenient way to have use of a bike for the day. Their website will allow you to enter your home address and display all of the BIXI bike pick-up/drop-off locations closest to you.
The City of Toronto provides amazing online resources for planning your route. You can also pick up cycling maps at local libraries, community centres, bike shops and civic centres. These maps will show you the on and off-street bike lanes and trails, suggested routes, bike lockers, bike shops etc. around the city.
Here are a couple of my favorite rides:
Don River: Starting from Sunnybrook Hospital – this is my fave. If you’re up for a long ride, you can go from here to Leslie Spit or the Beach. The Leslie Spit ride is breathtaking, especially with the city horizon as your background. Detour on the way back to the Distillery where you can grab a well deserved home made gelato/ice cream. Then head up the Bayview extension towards home. Riding the hill up to Moore is a bit of a grind, but if you can stick with it, you’ll feel amazing at the top! Really.
Kay Gardner Beltline Park: This trail will make you feel like you live in the suburbs. Originally a railway line, and converted into a path in 1999, this trail is not too long – but can be combined with the Mt.Pleasant Cemetery and Moore Park Ravine. The main access points are at Merton & Yonge, Oriole Park, and Bathurst just south of Roselawn.
Moore Park Ravine: This pretty trail will take riders all the way to Brickworks. The ravine passes through North Rosedale, Moore Park and Governors Bridge. Remember – riding northward on this trail will be all uphill!
Mt.Pleasant Cemetery: The Mt. Pleasant Cemetery is a series of beautiful winding paved roads. These roads warmly welcome cyclists, joggers, and walkers. A cemetery might not be your first choice for a cycling route but the privately owned grounds are gorgeous, welcoming and well kept.
Humber Valley Trail: You could spend endless hours on this long path. This path is made up of approximately 30kms of paved trails taking you from the lakeshore all the way to the northern border of the city. There are various access points including the foot of the Humber River, Old Dundas Rd and Eglinton Avenue.
Last but not least – don’t forget your helmet. Also, if you are heading out for a couple of hours you should remember to bring some SPF, H20 and snacks.
