Where: NOEL RYAN AUDITORIUM, Mississauga Central Library (FREE Underground Parking) 301 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. (map) (Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. and [...]]]> The City of Mississauga Cycling Office in collaboration with the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee is hosting two presentations with the theme: Building a Cycling Culture on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 @ 7 – 9 p.m.

Where: NOEL RYAN AUDITORIUM, Mississauga Central Library  (FREE Underground Parking)
301 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. (map)
(Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. and Duke of York Blvd.)

This is a FREE public event which will provide residents with the opportunity to learn about how Mississauga can be successful in creating a bicycle-friendly city.  Click for Press Release.

Jean François Pronovost, Vice president, Development and Public Affairs for Vélo Québec, will share his expertise and insight about creating bicycle-friendly cities.

Eleanor McMahon, CEO and Founder, Share the Road Cycling Coalition, will highlight current cycling advocacy efforts in Ontario.

NOTE: Public Q&A will follow after the presentations.

About Vélo Québec
Vélo Québec is a non-profit organization that has played an important role in the development of a bicycle-friendly culture and cycling route networks throughout the Province of Québec.  The organization encourages the use of bicycles in order to improve the environment, health and well-being of citizens.

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.

Click to view full-size POSTER. (PDF).

It is planned that casual bike rides will be held throughout the City beginning in Spring 2012, ward by ward, and including the local Councillor where possible. Councillor Fonseca, who sits as the Council representative on the MCAC, has kicked this series off in (her) Ward 3 by holding rides on August 5 as [...]]]>

It is planned that casual bike rides will be held throughout the City beginning in Spring 2012, ward by ward, and including the local Councillor where possible.  Councillor Fonseca, who sits as the Council representative on the MCAC, has kicked this series off in (her) Ward 3 by holding rides on August 5 as well as October 22, 2011.

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.

WARD 3 BIKE RIDE:  Saturday, October 22 @ 1:00 p.m. starting at BETHESDA COMMON PARK, 3311 Fieldgate Drive (map). Sponsored by:
Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca, the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC) and Smart Commute Mississauga.

The next ward ride is planned to be in Ward 1 with Councillor Jim Tovey, in Spring 2012, with the support of the TOPCA Bicycle Committee.

► Click image (or here) for full-size MAP of the Ward 3 route.

MCAC volunteers are busy debriefing and reviewing the considerable input coming in following the 4th annual Tour de Mississauga which took place on Sunday, September 18. We so appreciate hearing your comments to help us improve and [...]]]> NOTE: The 5th annual Tour de Mississauga will take place on Sunday, September 16, 2012.  See you then!

MCAC volunteers are busy debriefing and reviewing the considerable input coming in following the 4th annual Tour de Mississauga which took place on Sunday, September 18.  We so appreciate hearing your comments to help us improve and grow the event responsibly.  Final counts are still being determined, based on additional manual registrations and walk-ups on Tour Day, but over 1200 riders and 50 volunteer marshals meant this was our biggest event so far.  This was a key transitional year: while we had significant sponsors for the first time, we are still catching up to the fact that this is now a big event.  With yesterday`s demonstrated support from the cycling community, we can better attract sponsors in 2012 to fund the amenities that Tour riders expect and require for such a large ride.  WE HEAR YOU!  It was only 3 short years ago that we first had 30 riders meet in a parking lot, and last year we were basically all over the grass at Streetsville Memorial Park.  Your patience and confidence is deeply appreciated as we get ready for next year, which will focus on the Southeast quadrant of the City.  Thanks for taking the time to send your thoughts for an event that is truly being shaped by its participants. 

Please e-mail contact@mississaugacycling.ca if you`d like to add your input to our consultative process.

P.S.  The Tour jerseys (sold at cost) were a complete sell-out (in less than 24 hours!).

A reminder: All registrants will be reimbursed for the `tech`T-shirt orders which could not be fulfilled and we regret that we could not deliver on that project — next year, we will anticipate the issues further ahead (which means the cutoff date for online T-shirt orders will have to be sooner).

WHO WON THE FREE DRAWS at the BBQ? See the top of our Sponsors webpage for the names of the 14 winners and their prizes!

POST-TOUR BENEFITS: Please check out our Sponsors webpage to find out what additional benefits they are offering.  Take your 2011 Tour de Mississauga bike plate into the sponsors’ locations to be entitled to the discounts/special offers they have indicated.

Left: 2011 Tour organizing team with the Tour banner we`ll present at Council on November 23, 2011 when we make our annual MCAC presentation.  Click image for enlargement.

Many cyclists have an old bike or two in their garage, and often the question is how to get rid of them in an appropriate way.

There is an organization called Ride the Earth Cycles, located in the Niagara Region, which is dedicated to helping youth [...]]]> Donate your old bikes at the Tour de Mississauga!

Many cyclists have an old bike or two in their garage, and often the question is how to get rid of them in an appropriate way.

There is an organization called Ride the Earth Cycles, located in the Niagara Region, which is dedicated to helping youth develop skills and providing bicycles to those who need them through their Youth Development Project.

The bicycle is a powerful mode of transportation to individuals around the world — from the far reaches of Africa where it can mean getting an education, access to water and even access to health care, to the local Niagara region where migrant workers require bicycles to access meaningful work.  They will value your refurbished old bike!

Your donated bicycle will be distributed to organizations where youth are gaining the skills and experience in repairing bicycles to then be distributed to those in need around the globe.  In doing so they will also be gaining an appreciation for the bicycle’s immense power and importance to others around the world and discovering how they can effect social change.

And meanwhile…. the old bikes are out of your garage!  It’s a WIN WIN WIN situation!

DROP-OFF: We are so pleased that U-Haul has agreed to be a Tour sponsor and is donating the use of a truck to collect the old bikes on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 am – 2 pm (Tour registration package pick-up day) at Mississauga Celebration Square, Glass Pavilion, attached to the Central Library, and the day of the Tour itself: Sunday, September 18.  All the old bikes will then be delivered to Ride the Earth Cycles in Niagara.

NOTE: There is a drop-off location in Port Credit, should you prefer to drop off your old bikes there, during the week of Sept. 10-17.  E-mail: topca@topca.net.

LET’S FILL THE TRUCK WITH BIKES, and provide others in need with the joy and freedom of owning their own bike!

SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL CYCLISTS, September 15 at 11:59 [...]]]> The 4th annual Tour takes place on Sunday, September 18, 2011 and will introduce cyclists to the best off-road trails and on-road bike routes available throughout the north-east quadrant of the City, starting and ending at the newly renovated Mississauga Celebration Square.  Click for full-sized POSTER.

SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL CYCLISTS, September 15 at 11:59 p.m. THE DEADLINE FOR USING THE CITY’S ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM HAS COME. We are now getting e-mails from would-be registrants that they didn’t get their PIN in time to meet the deadline to register.  MCAC volunteer citizen members have decided to hold a WALK-IN registration on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 @ 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. YOU MUST COME IN-PERSON, YOURSELF, as you will have to physically sign the City waiver.  This is at the same time and place where we will be providing pre-Tour CHECK-IN for the over 1000 cyclists registered so far.  We are now developing a process to handle the manual registrations on Saturday, and appreciate your patience in advance!  We want everyone on the Tour who wants to come.  The weather forecast looks even better than 2 days ago!  See you!  E-mail contact@mississaugacycling.ca if you think you’ll go this manual route, so we can better prepare!  Thanks!  Click here for Registration info.

THIS IS NOT A RACE!  The journey is the destination! Cyclists of any ability or age (recommended 10+), on any kind of bike (including electric assist), are welcome to participate in this non-competitive cycling tour.  Discover Mississauga’s hidden gems which you can only see by bike!

Go to the TOUR HOME PAGE for complete information about the 2011 Tour.  Below is a synopsis.

ROUTE PREVIEW: MCAC volunteers were out since late Winter, scouting routes for the 2011 Tour through the north-east quadrant and taking photos.

Click to view the PHOTO ALBUM: Etobicoke Creek Trail (66p PDF — may take a few seconds to download), which shows the adventure in store on the 30km and 60km routes, along with some MCAC comments.

Note the 50m ‘land portage’.  Note also that the Edward Scarlett Park leg of the Trail was simply a meadow back in the Spring, and cyclists had to ride along a truck rut — trail construction has been proceeding all Summer, to prepare for the Tour riders!  Apart from 2 inclines (walk your bike if you like) the route is fairly flat.  HYBRID BIKES are fine to handle the trail.

The 100km route is on this trail for only 1km, and road bikes can handle that portion, as noted on the 100km map.

Much is new for this year, and we listened carefully to your comments from last year in making changes for the better….so read all about it and we will see you in September!

New Registration

We are really pleased that we have been able to keep the Tour Registration FREE again this year, and again provide a FREE BBQ compliments of the Region of Peel (open until 3:00 p.m. for later arrivals — we heard you!!).  There will also be SWAG from our sponsors, all delivered on one small convenient card (no waste or messy papers like last year!).  And to further streamline check-in on the day of the Tour, your participation package can be picked-up the day before, on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Square’s Glass Pavilion attached to the Central Library.  Yes, someone can pick-up for you if they have your registration receipt.

New Routes

We say it every year, but these are the BEST. ROUTES. EVER.  We have designed separate 30km, 60km and 100km events, leaving at staggered times from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.  Points of interest include the Airport, Britannia Farm, the Hershey complex and IceLand, and the downtown core.  Ride through vast industrial employment areas (very quiet on Sundays — you will be amazed).  Explore the beautiful natural areas along a 10km stretch of the Etobicoke Creek Trail (shown at left).  Discover the old village of Malton and see beautiful Wildwood Park.  Tunnels, bridges, natural areas and urban pavements: these routes have got it all!  Most of the riding is fairly flat: any reasonably in-shape adult will be able to complete the 60 km route (might be an idea to get out riding a few times beforehand…).  The shorter 30km route (ideal for families) is incorporated into the first leg of the 60 km Tour, which gives participants a chance to decide if they’d like to continue and do the longer ride, or take the shorter route back to the finish.  There is also a new 100km road-only route for this year, designed with last year’s roadie comments in mind.  There are ‘get back quick’ options for all routes, if you are in a hurry for the BBQ!  Maps will be posted online prior to the event and will be included in your registration package.  But of course we’re road-spraying the colour-coded routes again since that was so popular last year!  Click for full information and MAPS for the Routes.

New Apparel

By popular demand, a Louis Garneau cycling jersey will be made available before the Tour for $65.  We’re getting e-mails about size availability, and here’s what we ordered…. 77 jerseys: 1-XS; 3-S; 21-M; 23-L; 22-XL; 6-XXL; 1-XXXL (Pro Reflective, no elastics, full zipper, Diamond fabric).  We’ll have them FOR SALE on Saturday, September 17 @ 10 am – 2 pm (CHECK-IN DAY at the Glass Pavilion attached to the Central Library) and on Sunday, September 18 (TOUR DAY at Celebration Square).  CASH ONLY PLEASE AND EXACT CHANGE IF POSSIBLE.  After that, the jerseys will be for sale through the City’s e-Store.

New Venue

Mississauga Celebration Square is the new START and FINISH for all Tour routes.  The Square opened officially on June 22, and already it has become the premier destination in the City, with a summer-long schedule of events.  The City Centre has been featured as a ride-by on all previous Tour routes, but now we plan to fill the Square with bikes on Sept. 18 and send the clearest possible message that ‘Mississauga is Cycling’.  With two giant video screens to help convey information to participants and better facilities to keep us organized as the Tour grows, we sure plan to make ourselves at home, permanently!  How does the Square look right NOW?  Check it out 24/7 on the City’s LIVE WEBCAM.

VOTE WITH YOUR WHEELS

By participating in the Tour, participants can vote with their wheels for a bike-friendly City.  As the Tour grows, so does biking visibility and the impetus for more road and trail improvements.  Construction/upgrades are underway on key parts of the 2011 Tour routes even as you read this!  So, come out,  enjoy our City, meet others in a relaxed event and vote with your wheels for more cycling infrastructure.

Please stay tuned for ongoing updates from your cycling colleagues at MCAC!  Questions?  E-mail: contact@mississaugacycling.ca

Note:  There is even an opportunity to donate old bikes for a good cause as well!

Questions?
[contact-form-7]

PARKING: Naturally, we’re encouraging folks to bike [...]]]> Dear Cycling Colleagues – It’s a GO!  We’ve got a great weather forecast for Sunday, September 19, 2010.  Online registrations are still coming in and we are expecting a wonderful turnout!  We’re swamped, frankly, so hope you get a chance to see this e-mail before the Tour! 

PARKING:  Naturally, we’re encouraging folks to bike to Streetsville, and we know many locals will be doing just that!  NOTE: For those who need to drive their bikes to the event, we must ask you to park at the Streetsville GO Station (click here for map) which is practically across the street from the Registration area at Streetsville Memorial Park.  Please do not park at Streetsville Memorial Park or Vic Johnston Arena – with the numbers we are expecting, we must park off-site. 

REGISTRATION:  Check-in / Registration is at Streetsville Memorial Park (click here for map) beside Vic Johnston Arena starting at 8:00 a.m.  Riders start off at 9:30 a.m.  If you pre-registered online, just pick up your numbered bike plate on the morning of the Tour.  If you registered since Sept. 17 – PLEASE BRING A PRINTED WAIVER TO REGISTRATION, as you will be streamed with the in-person registrants, given the closeness to the date of the event.  We will have 10 volunteers working the Registration tables to try to process everyone as quickly as we can. 

ROUTES:  Route maps are online and will be handed out at Registration.  Yesterday and today our volunteers signed and marked 160km of roads and trails.  In addition to the Tour signs, green spray “chalk” has been used on the roads and trails to aid in navigating the 25/60km routes, and red “chalk” has been used for the 100km route.  Note the 60km route has a short cut (shown on the map) that reduces the distance to just over 40km — it’s virtually a fourth route!  The routes are really cool — not to be missed is the Levi Creek Trail (the northern tip of the 60km route), for instance, which is a surprising wilderness area in the midst of our City, and in its full September glory.

SNACKS:  You may wish to bring snacks (nuts, granola, dried fruit) along with you for an energy boost while riding, and a water bottle.  Peel Region is providing water fill-up stations for us.  The FREE lemonade stand in Old Meadowvale Village is gearing up for the onslaught!  Use your bike plate (get at Registration) as your meal ticket for the FREE BBQ when you return from your ride.

SNEAK PEAK:  Want a sneak peak of some of the sights you’ll see?  View our visual presentation made to Council last Wednesday (45p PDF).  And read our latest “editorial” Bicycles Boost Mississauga which addresses recent negative media about Mississauga as solely a car-oriented city with no identity. 

Hope to see you tomorrow!  Thanks from MCAC!

Be one of the first to ride this trail newly paved just days before the event!