Hey Club members,
No racing to report but I thought I'd drop all a note to tell you about the riding up here in northern Ontario. I'm visiting my family (just Kari and I, Tim is stuck at home working) in Ontario, near Sudbury. I was up in Thunder Bay which is on the north shore of Lake Superior this past weekend and got out for a super cool ride. Other than it being REALLY COLD (it did snow nearby on Sunday) the north shore of Lake Superior is probably the most beautiful place in the world (in my opinion it's even more breathtaking than the Grand Canyon). The light is incredible, super bright, almost piercing, and it goes on and on late into the evening (not really dark till 10). We saw all kinds of bear, deer and a moose (sorry Tim, since you weren't with us acting as moose repellent we really did see one) on our trip. The riding is flatter than NH folk would be used to, and really exposed (trees are smaller here), but the Canadian shield is rolling and the wind makes it challenging. Thunder Bay is about 100 000 people and, like Sudbury my hometown, really multicultural, you hear lots of languages and see a strong Aboriginal presence everywhere. And it has an incredible view of Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant land formation that protrudes into the lake at this point. I'll post pictures when I get home in case anyone is interested. It's just breathtaking. And there are lots of bike lanes everywhere and people riding and commuting around by bike, despite the cold.
Riding in Sudbury is similar but a bit less road friendly due in large part to the extensive mining operations here (Sudbury is the world's biggest nickel mine) which go hand in hand with lots of very very large trucks. Luckily t here is a great club here that focusses on road racing (and has produced no less than 3 Canadian cycling Olympiads, somewhat odd given how incredibly cold and longn the winter is here) They have a 1 km outdoor track (not a true track, but a twisting configuration for road bikes) where they have organized training rides coached by this super cool older Italian fellow twice a week. And they don't mind us ex-pats coming and joining the fun for a couple weeks in the summer. It's a lot of fun, although I feel like a noodle from the ride tonight. So I"m trying to stay in shape so I can hop back into our stage race when I return!
Hope all of you are enjoying warmer weather than I am, and also getting lots of great riding in.
Keep the rubber side down :> Loren

Loren
Sounds great there. Both Helen and I are from Michigan and have traveled quite a bit around the southern shore of Lake Superior but not the Northern, it's a place we have always wanted to see. We are keeping a close eye on Tim, as best we can. Something has happened to him over the winter he has turned into this super cyclist so mostly we see his skinny butt. We assume it's Tim.
Have fun
Dan

Loren,

Thanks for the post. Sound really nice there. I will remember to bring my warm clothes if I ever visit.

Ryan