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 As an ongoing initiative, casual bike rides will be held throughout the City beginning in Spring 2012, ward by ward, and including the local Councillor where possible.
Designing neighbourhood bike tours for residents is a great way to encourage cyclists of all abilities to ‘get out there’ and learn the local routes in a supportive group. Mississauga has so many recreational trails and it is important to learn how to ride to them safely. A GREAT WAY TO ‘TUNE UP’ FOR THE TOUR!
Ward rides are sponsored by: Councillor Chris Fonseca, the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC) and Smart Commute Mississauga.
SCHEDULE: The 2012 ward rides are planned to take place as follows. MEET 6:15 pm; DEPART 6:30 pm. Each ride will be 10 to 15 km.
May 11 – Ward 3 (Councillor Chris Fonseca) Start/Finish: Burnhamthorpe Library – 13.3 km.
May 25 – Ward 10 (Councillor Sue McFadden)
June 1 – Ward 2 (Councillor Pat Mullin)
June 8 – Ward 8 (Councillor Katie Mahoney)
June 15 – Ward 11 (Councillor George Carlson)
June 22 – Ward 7 (Councillor Nando Iannicca)
July 6 – Ward 9 (Councillor Pat Saito)
June 29 – Ward 4 (Councillor Frank Dale)
August 10 – Ward 1 (Councillor Jim Tovey)
August 24 – Ward 5 (Councillor Bonnie Crombie)
September 7 – Ward 6 (Councillor Ron Starr)
September 16 – Tour de Mississauga (SE Quadrant)
► Click image for full-size MAP of the Ward 3 route — try it any time!
 George Douzenis, Mississauga resident and teacher at Glenforest Secondary School, received the 2011 Phil Green Recognition Award from the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC) for his strong advocacy for cycling in the community. George has been a pioneer in raising cycling awareness and was instrumental in creating a school-wide cycling culture by encouraging students to participate in Smart Commute Mississauga’s annual Bike to Work Day. The Award was presented at Council on Wednesday, May 9 with members of the MCAC in attendance, as well as some of his students and Glenforest principal Cindy Horvath. George humbly accepted the award on behalf of his school, but of course we know how inspirational he has been to all who know him, and his efforts to involve youth in cycling. He also encourages his students to volunteer at the annual Tour de Mississauga as marshals and has been of tremendous assistance in this regard. CONGRATULATIONS, GEORGE! YOU’VE EARNED IT! We look forward to your continued involvement with cycling in the City, and your future visits to the MCAC meetings!
“Mr. Douzenis is a role model and cycling ambassador for his students, colleagues and community members,” said Jeff Wachman, chair of the MCAC. “Advocates like George inspire future generations of cyclists and enhance the efforts of our committee.”
At left: George Douzenis holds his award, which was presented by MCAC Chair Jeff Wachman. Click image for enlargement.
► Mississauga News article (May 9, 2012): Teacher earns cycling award (article includes group shot photo).
► City of Mississauga Press Release (May 9, 2012): City of Mississauga and Local Teacher Honoured with Cycling Awards.
About the Phil Green Recognition Award
The Phil Green Recognition Award is presented annually by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee to a person or persons who have demonstrated exemplary effort to the cause of promoting or furthering cycling or other forms of sustainable transportation in the City of Mississauga over the preceding year.
  The City of Mississauga was presented with the Bicycle Friendly Community Award – Bronze Designation by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition for the City’s active support of cycling. Mississauga was recognized for its progressive response to the growing desire of its residents to choose the bicycle as a mode of transportation or recreation. The award was presented at City Council on May 9, 2012, where Eleanor McMahon, CEO and Founder, Share the Road Cycling Coalition, made a presentation about her organization and how the award came about.
“We are so honoured to receive this award – it is a clear signal that we are making progress,” said Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati, manager of the Cycling Office. “The benefits of cycling are endless, and we are committed to making it a way of life in Mississauga.”
Since the approval of the Cycling Master Plan last year, the City has completed the construction of secure bike parking rooms at City facilities and constructed over 20 kilometres of new cycling routes. In addition, Mississauga has implemented innovative cycling safety pilot projects, installed new way-finding signage, and hosted several cycling events.
NEXT, THE CITY IS GOING FOR SILVER!
At left: Eleanor, MCAC Chair Jeff Wachman and Jacquelyn hold the award (also shown). Click images for enlargements.
► City of Mississauga Press Release (May 9, 2012): City of Mississauga and Local Teacher Honoured with Cycling Awards.
About the Bicycle Friendly Community Award
The Bicycle Friendly Community Award is presented annually by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition to communities that actively support bicycling. Municipalities are judged for the award in five categories: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation & planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award.
About Share the Road Cycling Coalition
Share the Road Cycling Coalition is a provincial cycling advocacy organization created to unite cycling organizations from across Ontario and work with and on behalf of municipalities to enhance their ability to make their communities more bicycle- friendly. The organization’s mandate is province-wide with a specific focus on developing public policy at the provincial level in order to provide the kind of legislative, programmatic and funding instruments such as exist in other Canadian provinces notably Quebec and British Columbia.
 Shift gears and choose to cycle! Join thousands across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area to celebrate Smart Commute’s 6th Annual Bike to Work Day on Monday, May 28, 2012. In conjunction with Smart Commute Mississauga and the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee, the City of Mississauga will be hosting a free breakfast event on Bike to Work Day to encourage area residents and employees to try cycling to work. The event includes bike safety check-ups, fun prizes, cycling vendors, a BMX demonstration and much more! Leave your vehicles at home on May 28 and live green, one bike ride at a time.
For more information on the event and group rides, visit SMART COMMUTE MISSISSAUGA.
Contact: Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati, Mississauga Cycling Office, 905-615-3200 Ext. 5107
MAIN GROUP RIDES meet at 7:00 a.m. and will take place rain or shine:
Riverwood Park Conservancy: 4300 Riverwood Park Lane (with MCAC members)
View Route Map
Ward 3: Burnhamthorpe Road and Tomken Road (with MCAC members and Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca)
View Route Map
BREAKFAST EVENT from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. at: Mississauga Celebration Square: 300 City Centre Drive (map).
Bike to Work Day is recognized by Smart Commute organizations across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, in partnership with Metrolinx and area municipalities. To mark the day, Smart Commute Mississauga is also organizing group rides and breakfasts at participating employers including University of Toronto Mississauga, Pratt & Whitney, Greater Toronto Airport Authority, Transat, Hatch Ltd, McCormick Rankin, and HB Group Insurance.
  HOT OFF THE (VIRTUAL) PRESS! The eagerly awaited update of the City’s annual bike map is NOW available online and will be available in hard copy in Community Centres and Libraries throughout the City very soon.
The City’s Cycling Office (one year new!) has significantly improved this popular reference with updated information of greatest interest to cyclists, and a crisper map presentation.
► Click either image (at left) to view the full-size 2-sided MAP and all the latest info for cycling in the City of Mississauga (2p PDF).
NOTE: The file may take a few moments to load due to size.
 The City of Mississauga’s Cycling Office and Sports Unit are teaming up with Gears Bike Shop to offer Can-Bike programming this Spring and Summer!
Courses will be offered for Youth/Adult (14+) and will include Gears Can-Bike Learn to Ride 1 & 2 as well as Advanced Gears Can-Bike Level 1 & 2. These cycling programs are posted on www.connect2rec.ca, enter “bike” in the keyword search function to view the available courses.
Registration is now open and can be processed online or in person at the Customer Service Centre (ground floor at the Mississauga Central Library) or your local Community Centre. You can find out more about the Can-Bike program at canbike.net or by contacting Recreation & Parks at 905-615-3200, extension 5347.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
Gears CAN-BIKE 1 (Advanced). Starts: Thursday May 3 — Gears CAN-BIKE 1 is for cyclists who already ride on residential streets or bike paths and is designed to develop skills and build confidence in low traffic neighbourhoods. The course covers bicycle care, equipment, handling techniques, group riding skills and riding on residential streets. Combination of classroom and on-bike instruction helps you cycle with greater skill and confidence and more safely in traffic. Essential skills for the recreational or commuting cyclist. The course is accredited by the Canadian Cycling Association. CAN-BIKE 1 is not a pre-requisite for CAN-BIKE 2.
Gears CAN-BIKE 2 (Advanced). Starts: Sunday June 10 — Canada’s premier traffic cycling survival course! Covers bicycle care, repairs, riding techniques, detecting and avoiding hazards, and practicing emergency manoeuvres. Combination of classroom and on-bike instruction helps you cycle with greater skill and confidence and more safely in traffic. Essential skills for the recreational or commuting cyclist. CAN-BIKE 2 is an advanced course in defensive cycling for commuters and recreational cyclists who already ride in traffic. This is an adult course for cyclists aged 14 and up with experience riding in traffic. This course will improve your confidence and skill in riding in challenging traffic situations. This course is quite often a requirement for jobs that involve cycling. CAN-BIKE 1 is not a pre-requisite for CAN-BIKE 2.
Gears CAN-BIKE Learn To Ride 1. Dates: May 5, 12, 19 or 26 — A course for adults who cannot ride a bike. You will learn to balance, start, stop and turn.
Gears CAN-BIKE Learn To Ride 2. Dates: May 12, 19, 26 or June 2 — A course for adults who cannot ride a bike or are too unsteady to ride. You will learn to balance, start, stop and turn and use your gears to ride steady and with confidence.
Gears Mountain Bike Camp. Various weeks in July and August — Young riders will be introduced to foundational mountain bike skills while exploring the forested pathways and trails of Erindale Park. Camp includes: bike handling skills & technical riding, bike safety & etiquette, simple bike maintenance and sports nutrition & fitness. Ride days will be mixed with fun recreational activities. Instructors are all skilled mountain bikers who specialize in child/adolescent supervision and care. A mountain bike and CSA approved bike helmet is required. Campers will ride up to 20km per day, rain or shine!
 MCAC has recommended to Council that bicycle licensing NOT be considered in the City of Mississauga. MCAC’s position paper was adopted by Council on April 11, 2012, and states:
The goals of the Mississauga Cycling Master Plan are to foster a culture where cycling is an everyday activity, build an integrated on-road and off-road cycling network as part of a multi-modal transportation system, and adopt a safety-first approach to cycling. The Cycling Master Plan is in alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan, particularly the pillars of MOVE, CONNECT and LIVING GREEN.
As this relates to free and unrestricted transportation choices, we feel that bicycle licensing would not be in alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan. In fact we believe that a licensing requirement for bicycles would be viewed as a deterrence to bicycle use.
Theft deterrence From a theft perspective, bike licenses can easily be removed from a stolen bike. Licensing would not provide an effective theft deterrence. As an alternative there are databases available where bike owners can register their bikes and where police can then find the proper owner of a recovered bicycle.
Minors How would the city enforce licensing of children’s bikes?
Visiting cyclists How would the city enforce licensing of non-residents. Would they spot check ID’s?
Costs Does the bureaucracy justify the potential revenue? The cost to administer such a program and maintain a database would be significant.
Precedents For many of the reasons stated above, no major cities currently have bike licensing policies in force.
In summary, we feel that the best approach to safe cycling is to focus attention and resources on education and infrastructure not on regulation. It is the position of MCAC that bicycle licensing would not serve to advance the goals of the Cycling Master Plan or the overall Strategic Plan for the City of Mississauga.
Photo: 1940s – A boy examines his new bicycle license. Source: www.copenhagenize.com
  It’s like riding a bike… Well no, not really, with speeds hitting over 60 km per hour and droves of riders fighting for space on the road. For more and more cyclists cycling has become a competitive sport which requires advanced technical skills. As the weather warms up, weekend cyclists are hitting the streets and participating in many charitable and racing events throughout the spring and summer, possibly ill-prepared for this extreme sport that has increasingly become mainstream.
Midweek Cycling Club, based in Mississauga, is making sure that new to advanced cyclists are racing safely as they kick-off the 2012 season on Monday, April 16 @ 6:30 p.m. with their flagship program, LEARN TO RACE. The unique program takes cyclists through proper racing techniques and real-life race practice to prepare them for their first or next race.
‘Learn to Race’ is held every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Tahoe Blvd at Buckhorn Gate (map), near Eglinton Avenue and Dixie Road on a closed-off road course. This is a great program for kids, beginners, triathletes, and intermediate racers. You will improve your skills and your fitness. CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL-SIZE MAP.
Every Tuesday, advanced cyclists can test their skills at the weekly criterium race which Midweek Cycling Club holds at the same location at 6:30 p.m. With record speeds around a circular course, criteriums is an intense, fast-paced event.
For more information on joining Midweek Cycling Club and the Learn to Race or Criterium programs, visit midweekclub.ca.
About Midweek Cycling Club
Midweek Cycling Club is a not-for-profit, volunteer-based nurturing club for riders wanting a home to develop their racing skills, and some friends with whom to race and train. We are also involved in organizing race events, so you are welcome to pitch in and help with this as well. We are completely independent and self directed. All ages, genders, skills, and disciplines are welcome.
The Tour De Mississauga attracts cyclists of all abilities from all around the region and is growing every year. Mississauga has an abundance of cycling trails and routes to discover. Cyclists of any age or ability, on any kind of bike (including electric assist), are welcome to participate in this non-competitive cycling tour which celebrates its 5th Anniversary in 2012. All routes leave from the Tour’s home venue, Mississauga Celebration Square, and this year we are exploring the SE quadrant of the City. Departures are staggered by route, starting at 8:00 a.m. rain or shine.
POSTCARD: ► Click image to view POSTCARD (2p PDF).
2012 ROUTES: All new! This year, the Tour de Mississauga routes will focus on the South-East quadrant of the City. This is the next quadrant in a four year cycle to explore the entire City by bike! The most popular course, the 60 km ‘Signature’ ride, features the best off-road trails and on-road cycling routes available throughout SE Mississauga. The shorter 30 km ‘Family’ route is growing rapidly in participation. And the 100 km road-only ‘Challenge’ ride is strongly supported by roadies and also has a brand new route which covers different parts of the City with a SE focus. All routes have “get-back quick” options which allow you to customize your route for 15, 20, 40 or 75 km distances as well. Maps and directions will be posted online prior to the event.
THIS IS NOT A RACE – THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION! Come out and see what you’ve been missing — learn a great route you can ride again and again and enjoy all of Mississauga’s hidden gems; plus – it’s a great way to meet other cyclists from all over the City and beyond! Bike clubs and corporate groups are welcome – compete online to get the most registered participants from your club or company! Mississauga IS Cycling!
SOUTHEAST ROUTES: Ride the City’s newest trails including freshly-completed sections of the Burnhamthorpe Trail at City Centre and the Queensway Trail. Learn on-road bike routes and discover the all-important connections. See the latest changes in the City’s urban skyline including the newly opened 55-storey ‘Marilyn Monroe’ building. This year the Tour highlights the popular Cooksville Creek Trail, the Mississauga Valley Trail, the Applewood Trail, and the world-renowned Waterfront Trail which provides breathtaking vistas of Lake Ontario. We will ride along both the Etobicoke Creek and the Credit River. Heritage landmarks such as the Small Arms Building and the Adamson Estate in Lakeview are featured. The new ‘Familia’ 9-piece sculpture installation in Port Credit will be a memorable rest stop. See local community centres, public art and gardens and many distinctive neighbourhoods — get to know the City! Tunnels, bridges, natural areas and urban pavements: these routes have got it all for cyclists to explore!
REGISTRATION: Registration is FREE. Register online beginning in Spring 2012. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Tour T-shirts are also available for sale with registration. Special Tour cycling jerseys were a sell-out on the Tour date last year, and will be offered again this year, starting in advance of the event.
SPONSORS: Sponsors and exhibitors will provide SWAG, special offers and items for a Raffle Draw and other prizes. On-site bike mechanics from Mississauga’s top bike shops will assist riders at the Celebration Square venue and via mobile services en route. DEADLINE for sponsorship requests: May 1, 2012. ► Click to download the 2012 Sponsorship Agreement (3p PDF).
BBQ: A free BBQ will be held for all riders at the Tour’s end, compliments of the Region of Peel (a valued Tour Partner) as part of their promotion of active transportation and healthy lifestyle choices. Refreshment stands and rest stops along the way. Draws and presentations at 1:00 p.m. – all back at the exciting Mississauga Celebration Square.
The Tour de Mississauga is organized by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC). For more information, please contact: contact@mississaugacycling.ca
For fast access from you mobile device, go to: www.bikem.ca/tour.
 CHARITY RIDE: Sunday, May 27 @ 7:00 – 10:30 a.m. (registration). 5th Annual event.
All proceeds go to Trillium Health Centre’s cancer program. This non-competitive bike ride will start and finish at PORT CREDIT MEMORIAL PARK (map), sticking closely to the Waterfront Trail bike path.
Choose a distance that is right for you: 2k, 15k, 30k, 75k or 100k.
► For further details, maps, sponsorship and to register: Bike 4 Betty website.
 Cycling trails in Mississauga bear few signs of the usual winter debris – it’s like winter never even happened this year! But we are nonetheless orienting our volunteer Cycling Ambassadors for this year, to ride the trails over the coming months and report any problems to Parks staff — including cracked pavements, trail washouts, graffiti, overgrowth of vegetation or debris on the paths.
REGISTRATION & ORIENTATION: Session for student cycling volunteers will take place on Saturday, April 14 @ 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Celebration Square Glass Pavilion (attached to the Central Library). Volunteers must RSVP to cycling@mississauga.ca ahead of time as lunch will be provided to the attendees.
NOTE: This is a great way to earn high school volunteer credits!
Photo at left: The Glass Pavilion is shown from Mississauga Celebration Square, with Central Library in the background, at 300 City Centre Drive (map).
 PROJECT OPEN HOUSE: Wednesday, April 25 @ 3-8 p.m. at Mississauga CITY HALL (Great Hall), 300 City Centre Drive (map).
The City of Mississauga’s Hurontario-Main Street LRT (Light Rail Transit) Project team will update the public on progress, timelines, next steps and provide information on LRT systems in cities around the world at this project launch for the next phase of the study.
“We are now underway with the design concepts stage, and will soon be engaging stakeholders and the public to help us achieve a sustainable system, thoughtfully integrated in communities and fostering vibrancy, accessibility and connectivity,” said project manager, Matthew Williams.
This is a large, complex city-building project from the lakeshore in Port Credit to downtown Brampton. MCAC wants to see cycling integrated into the design plan for Hurontario Street to ensure cyclists have a place on the road corridor of this critical north-south route. HELP US ADVOCATE FOR THIS!!
► Mississauga News article (March 28, 2012): City wants to be ready for LRT.
► City of Mississauga press release (March, 28, 2012): City of Mississauga’s Hurontario-Main LRT Project on the Move.
► Click for the City’s Hurontario/Main Street LRT WEBSITE.
► Click image for full-size POSTER.
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Jerseys for sale  Limited edition Louis Garneau bike jerseys - at cost! Buy online and we'll ship it to you.
These jerseys are made out of high-quality breathable material. Raise awareness of cycling in Mississauga and a healthy lifestyle ...in style.
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