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.