Riding by the DVP

Being a spin instructor sometimes takes a toll on your outdoor riding time. I enjoy spinning inside and out, but I would love to be riding more in the sunshine exploring different parts of the city. Luckily, a friend and I were able to take our bikes out for a few hours this morning. We headed down to Sherwood Park, then over to Sunnybrook. Recently, Toronto's city workers went on strike, leaving residents scrambling to find temporary trash sites. Well, riding through the park we fell upon one of the dump sites. Or better yet, we smelt it before actually seeing it. Very gross.

Unlike my first ride along this trail, I figured out how to use my gears on the hills and flats. We encountered a tricky little bridge with speed bumps and a steady incline. Instead of getting off, I made my way, slowly but surely up the bridge, huffing and puffing all the way up. The rest of the ride was pretty pleasant. We rode alongside the Don Valley Parkway, then headed back, by way of Sunnybrook park.

And i wore sunblock this time. Yes! No burning!

Look forward to more outdoor summer riding.

Going east on Queen

I dreaded going to the gym this morning, so I took my bike out for a quick spin. Or, so i thought. Instead of taking Yonge st., i headed down Mount Pleasant then crossed over onto Roxborough avenue. I tried to avoid Avenue road by way of Chicora st and then down Bedford. I was tempted to stop at Fragipani cafe on Dupont but continued south. I ended up at Queen street, then headed east, cycling past Moss Park, then across the bridge to Riverside.

After parking my bike around Broadview I walked over to the Dark Horse Espresso Bar. I ordered a chai latte. It was okay, nothing special. And it cost me nearly four bucks!! But, the atmosphere of the cafe was great. I didnt care for the area that much, so i headed back along Queen, and then north on Bevelery (which i discovered has a bike lane) and made my way home.

Overall, good ride. My legs are feeling a bit tired from this week. The bike also needs a break and some air in the tires. A good week of riding accomplished, and another week to look forward to.

Visiting Ezra's Pound

I was feeling pretty lethargic this morning, but i hopped on my bike anyways, and headed downtown with no particular destination in mind. I thought I would stop somewhere on College street for my mid morning coffee. However when I reached College i headed south by way of Palmerston avenue. It was a beautiful street with rows upon rows of well kept houses. I rode down to Queen st., then headed west and took a ride through Trinity Bellwoods park. I decided to head back along Dundas West, an area also known as Little Portugal.

At the corner of Bellwoods I saw a lady sipping her coffee on a cute little patio. I parked my bike outside and decided to check out the local joint named Ezra's Pound. I ordered a sweetened iced latte. It cost a whopping $4.50 but it was well worth it. The espresso was strong but not overpowering and it had a pleasant after taste. The cafe was really comfortable, with cozy little wooden tables and pots of sugar decorating each. Ezra's, is probably my favorite cafe to date. After a quick read of the Globe and Mail, I rode up to Kensington, my usual hang out spot grabbed a bit to eat, then headed back home. Another great discovery today, a new bike lane across Wellesley st. Yea!

Overall a good ride, feeling more energetic. Next time, I have to bring my shades, there is a lot of dust flying around.

A little bit of Luna

I was going to take a break from riding my bike today, but the weather was too nice to stay inside. I took my bike downtown to another new place, called Luna Cafe. I rode along College st and then went south on Ossington. I crossed over onto a side street (i think, Shannon st) to get to Dovercourt. The cafe sat on the corner of Dovercourt and Argyle st. My chai latte was so so. I asked for it iced, but they gave it to me steaming hot. I normally dont mind, but it was already so humid outside, it was not very pleasant to drink. After a quick read of the metro, I headed down to Queen st and on the spur of the moment decided to get a quick trim at Coupe Bizzarre.. Parking my bike close by, I stumbled upon the Community Bicycling network.

After a few trimmings, I headed west on Queen, up to Kensington. Riding along Augusta avenue, I started to feel the drops of rain coming down, closely followed by the rumbling sounds of thunder. People started to run for shelter. I decided to stop at Herbivore for awhile. Locking up my bike proved a bit tricky since my hands were slipping off the lock from the rain. However, after being soaked to the bone, I finally got it on and grabbed something to eat. After the rain stopped I headed towards Eaton Centre. Unfortunately, since i dont have a fender on my back wheel, all the dirty water from the road sprayed the back of my pants. So, I had to buy some new pants at the mall before heading home.

I probably should have taken the day off, but it was great to find a new cafe, get a hair cut and a new pair of pants.

Too hot to stop

The city weather, to everyone's delight has been exceptionally warm this week. Every day i've been able to ride downtown and find a pleasant new place to lime around. Today however, i just couldnt find a cool shady place to relax. I rode down Yonge st down to Bloor. Just before the intersection i saw Jeanne Beker walking along the street. I then made my way through Yorkville, but decided to head back to Bay st. to find a more central spot for my bike. After a quick recovery, i biked down to Kensington market, my new hot spot. I went through the Victoria campus at the University of Toronto, then across St.George to College st.

Unlike my previous visit to Kensington I was able to find a empty bike rail right next to Urban Herbivore. For refueling purposes I snacked on a hearty organic chocolate chip cookie and a thirst quenching pineapple lemonade before riding down to Queen and Richmond. I only realized after riding my bike along Richmond that it is a one way street. Woopsy!!! I ventured into Indigo to escape the heat and pick up the latest copy of Toronto Life. Finally, I hopped back on and made my way back uptown despite the intense afternoon heat. I wanted to stop every few mintues, but i knew I would never make it home if I did. I did have a bit of difficutly going up this hill around Summerhill but I plugged away, heavy breathing and all.

Overall, too hot to ride today. However,still a good afternoon downtown. Cant wait for the next ride. Maybe Dundas West again?

Checking out Cherry Bomb

I noticed that my bike had gotten really dirty from all the road riding lately. So, bright and early this morning, i gave it a good was and even lubed the chain, which was extremely greasy.
Fresh and squeaky clean, i decided to bike down to Roncesvalles.

I'm constantly searching for new coffee joints around Toronto and riding my bike eases the travelling part of getting there. Researching online, I found a quirky little place called Cherry Bomb. I set off around 9ish and followed Mapquest directions. I went south on Yonge st, turned onto St.Clair west, then down Avenue road which was pretty busy. I turned right on Bloor and kept going until I reached Dundas West. The ride along Bloor West was interesting, but i tried to keep my eyes on the road. I turned left on Dundas West and then went straight onto Ronscevalles from there. The cafe was easy enough to locate, especially with the crowd of people lingering outside it. The place was very spacious, light wooden floors, a few bar stools (limited seating area), and tons of fresh mouthwatering baked goods lining the counter. I opted for a iced chai latte. I was a bit disappointed that they didnt have skimmed milk, but what the heck, i needed the extra energy. I walked up the street and noticed a few polish places. I also popped into a cylcing place called West Side Cylce, to get my lock tightened.

I didnt stay too long in the area, becaue I knew I had a long way home. I cycled down Roncesvalles and turned left onto Queen West. I rode along Queen until Spadina and then made my way back uptown.

Once again, a very pleasant ride. The bike felt a bit faster, must have been the extra cleaning!

Riding to Kensington

Tired of my usual morning Starbucks, I decided to check out a new coffee joint on Bloor West called Green Beanery. I was a little disappointed with their menu and slightly annoyed that i was paying $3 for a latte, (basically Starbucks prices).

However, the place was very serene and had comfortable seating. Afterwards, I rode down to Kensington market. (Riding south on Major st, across Harbord and then onto College st.) Kensington was full of bikes. Luckily, I found a spot on Augusta avenue across from the Supermarket. Since it was lunch time I wandered over to Urban Herbivore to grab a small bite to eat. Strolling around Kensington i found a cute little gallery called Hotshot. Although it seemed pretty bare inside, they did have an interesting assortment of bike portraits. I also found a great Canadian bike magazine called Dandyhorse. I wanted to take the ferry to the Toronto Islands aswell, but the current stike has halted all service going to the island :(

Overall, the ride was pleasant, especially with the sun shining.

Riding to SCHOOL

After spin class this afternoon, my friend invited me to this quaint new brunch spot, called SCHOOL. A place with an interesting choice of name and a very tricky location to get to. At least on my bike that is. Checking out mapquest, i realized cycling down Dufferin st. would be my best bet. For the most part, it was downhill from St.Clair and Dufferin. But, I ended up riding on the sidewalk, to avoid all the traffic and the never ending line of orange pilons from the construction sites. When I reached Queen st. I realized that I had no clue where Fraser st was. I asked several people who directed me toward Liberty Village. After a few wrong turns, i found the cute little place and parked my bike, starving for some sugar.

After refuelling myself with a couple of sugary iced lattes and a delicious mango papaya crepe, I hopped back on my bike and headed home. Unfortunately, i had to take yonge st, which was packed with traffic. And even more congested with the Much Music Awards taking place on Queen st.

Overall, another enjoyable ride. Especially when you are riding to a school with lots of yummy treats rather than tons of homework.

Crashing on King street

Kicking my everyday routine out the door, I decided to try something new and bike downtown to a coffee spot for breakfast. I rode down to a place called Greenavi Organic Cafe on Queen st west. Being adventurous I tried a rice milk latte and a gluten-free sunflower seed and berry bar. Very health choices, and exceptionally delicious.

Once refueled, I decided to head to St.Lawrence Market to pick up some local goods. Unfortunately, while I was overtaking another cyclist on King st, my front wheel got stuck in the streetcar tracks and I swerved into the jeep. My legs took a good bashing and so did my new bike. The chain was totally off. Luckily, I was close to Urban Cycle on Queen st, so I walked (or rather hobbled) up the street to get it repaired. The mechanics were really nice and even bandaged my leg up. Soon after, I hopped back on my bike and headed once again, to St.Lawrence Market.

Turning onto Queen st, I nearly ran into Ben Mulroney from eTalk . Regaining some composure, I finally got to my destination and was able to pick up some delicious snacks at the candy shop downstairs. I was ready to call it quits after my shopping, but pushed myself to ride back up Yonge st to Eglinton. Despite the bruised legs, the ride was exciting. And I met some really friendly bike mechanics at Urban Cycle.

Riding to the beaches

Bright and early Monday morning, a friend and I decided to take a nice long bike ride to the Beaches. Starting just north of Yonge and Eglinton we rode through Sunnybrook Park and then passed the Ontario Science Centre. We followed a trial parallel to the Don Valley Parkway and proceeded down to the Lakeshore. Although the weather has been very topsy turvy, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in sight. The only drawback to the ride was the white pieces of fluffy pollen flying everywhere. And of course I forgot my shades, so I ended up squinting in between the pieces of pollen flying directly into me. My partner taught me how to use my gears, so I was able to make the steep climbs more easily. When we got down to Lakeshore, I found a bicycle sensor which activates traffic lights (similar to when you press the crosswalk light). Anyways the ride was great. My legs are killing me, but it was worth it. It was nice to see the city from a different angle. I can’t wait for the next one.

My first bike

The other day in my spin class, a student asked me about my bike. Unfortunately (and a bit embarrasingly) I dont own a bike. This is pretty sad since im a cycling instructor. With that in mind, I finally decided to splurge on a new set of wheels for the summer. At Bicyles on St.Clair I found a beautiful hybrid comfort Veneto 200. She is absolutely gorgeous. As soon as I walked in the store yesterday, I knew it was the one. Sleek, swift and super cute.

Although I've owned bikes before, this is the first time Ive had one in the city. I was pretty nervous to ride it home. Im always cursing the cyclists who ride on the sidewalks instead of the road. But, now that i had my own bike, I was hesitant to take my chances on the rode with all the crazy drivers. It didnt help either that I picked up my bike around rush hour. Ahh! But, with a few little pushes, I was off and running down St.Clair West weaving in between all the construction for the new streetcar line.

I got home safely, thank goodness. I was even brave enough to take the bike out this morning down to Yonge and College. It was all down hill from Eglinton, a piece of cake I should say. Unfortunatley, the ride was mostly uphill coming back. Great for my calves.

Anyways, I am finally spinning outside and hope to have some exciting rides this summer.