Thursday, June 9, 2011

High Park ride

Toronto has the Donut ride.  Every Saturday and Sunday a group of cyclists, usually racers or former racers (or just dudes who are just fast) meet at the corner of Eglinton and Laird.  9:00 am every Saturday and Sunday, even on holidays.  Basically all year around.  I have never done the ride past mid-December, but I have heard that there are guys who do it regardless of the weather.  It's generally known for it's no mercy style of riding.  If you get dropped, tough shit.  Get a flat......too bad.  Crash......same thing.  But one thing its also known for is being pretty fast.  Lots of guys get spit out the back.  I am guilty of being dropped a couple of years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Donut_Ride

In the last few years another ride has evolved.  It starts at High Park around 6:00pm on Thursday nights.  Heads west down the Queensway and then weasels its way through Mississauga .  It finds a cool loop along Indian Rd and South Sheridan Way.  Really frickin' fast along there.  They used to do 3 laps last year, I think it's been stepped up to 4 laps this year.  After that the ride goes up Mississauga Road and does a couple loops on a smallish hill that seems innocent enough, but is actually steeper and harder than it looks.  After that everyone heads back towards Toronto along Burnhamthorpe Rd.  I have to think if you start and finish at High Park it's got to be pushing 100 kms.



This ride is quickly getting a reputation for being the new fastest ride going.  It has so many stop lights, and so much rush hour traffic it's already a death wish, but sprinting after each and every light really keeps the pace high weeds out the weak, or soft.  From my own experience there are a lot more racers on this ride than the Donut.

Tonight Krys, Andy, Philly Palmer, Wes, and myself all tried to meet up with the whole crew but we were late  (Krystophs fault) and I guess the ride left late , as a result we somehow never met up.  We did the whole ride but without the Indian Rd speedway 500.  It sucked because we really needed to hammer it tonight in prep for KW on Sunday.


Then I got home and had some recovery juice.


a few more Tuesday pics