- Pedalhead Bicycle Works
The Return of the WNGR
We miss you.
We miss seeing our parking lot packed on Wednesday nights as people anxiously prepare for a fun evening ride on the trails. We miss the regulars - people who have become fixtures on the Wednesday Night Group Ride scene. We miss the newbies - people who come out for the first time to learn how to ride faster, discover new trails, and make new friends. We miss the 30 minute speech our fearless leader, Check, gives at the start of every ride, even if it does really seem to take forever. We even miss the rush of people coming into the shop 10 minutes before group ride starts, as we are hectically trying to shut down and change for the ride ourselves, and ask for a quick [insert ridiculous repair request here].
Just because we can't ride together this year doesn't mean our 25 year tradition of weekly mountain bike group rides has to end. That's right - 25 years!
We're stoked to be bringing you Virtual Wednesday Night Group Rides - VWNGR - where one of our regular ride leaders will plot out a route for you to ride. Simply follow the link each week to Trailforks. You can use the Trailforks app on your phone, or download the GPX file to upload to your Garmin, Wahoo or other GPS unit to find your way on the trails.
While you're out riding the route, make sure to snap a selfie or two, upload it to social media, and make sure to tag us. That way it's almost like we were all there together!
Check out the short video below, then scroll down for the VWNGR for May 20th. Happy Trails!
This week's VWNGR (click here to view) is a bit of a new take on an old classic route that has been in the rotation since the start.
Starting from the shop, it's off towards Fox Drive and Equestrian for a rip on some of the classics there. Don't drop all the way to the river though, as we'll be staying high and riding to the entrance to Machete. If you want to simulate a Fast-Intermediate or above Group, usually there would be a few attacks along the pavement, so feel free to put your head down and give'r!
After Machete, it's through Hawrelak, and back up on the pavement to the top of Six Shooter and Raygun. Then, time for another attack up the pavement climb to Saskatchewan Drive, where the ride snakes through some of the Canada Cup trails from that famed 2009 event.
From there, it's time to get an education on Masters Degree (Slow Intermediate or below, you may want to skip this trail, as it is quite challenging)
Time to double back to the LRT bridge, cross the river, and climb up above the Victoria Park Golf Course, because we're about to hit Victoria's Secret, connecting into Lover's Lane (that used to be called OJ's Out-and-Back before the invention of Strava or TrailForks).
From there, a quick meander through the fancy houses in Glenora takes us to Bobsled, where you might just spot some guy in a full-face helmet hiking his downhill bike up.
Take the pavement to the entrance of Root Canal and Backbreaker (old school names: Roots 1 and Roots 2) and practice riding the roots at speed!
Hightail it back to the LRT bridge on pavement, cross back over the river, through Kinsmen and up to take the 106th street bike lane back to the shop.
That's it! You've finished your first Virtual Wednesday Night Group Ride. Sadly, we can't meet up at Original Joes for beers like we usually would, but crack a cold one at home, upload a few selfies online, and make sure to tag us!
Thanks for riding - see you next week!