Cycling
Cycle in Niagara, Travel by Train
Us roadies are always looking for fresh rides in nice areas. A nice area can be very subjective: some prefer hills, some flats, others, perhaps, only scenic areas. One thing that all camps can agree on is that riding in areas that have quality roads and less traffic is ideal. For that you need to get out of Toronto.
Getting out of Toronto and in to the areas of quality riding can be difficult, especially when groups of people are involved. Carpooling is a great solution, but one car can only carry so many people and bikes. I don’t have a car, for example, and neither do a lot of my friends. Our group started to rely on GO transit more and more last year, figuring we might as well not spend 80k of our total ride just getting to the area that we want to ride in. We’d take the GO out to areas such as Oakville or Whitby and begin the rides there instead.
Another popular out-of-Toronto cycling spot is the Niagara region. Last year, our cycling squad made numerous trips to the Niagara area for rides. There you can find hills around the escarpment, quality roads, plenty of flat terrain, and certainly beautiful scenery. There is no GO transit to Niagara, however, which means the difficult part is getting there. Enter biketrain.ca.
Last year, a pilot program was put on by biketrain.ca and VIA Rail which placed bike racks in one of their train cars. Up to 56 bikes can be transported from Toronto to Niagara in this way. When you buy your train ticket, you also get a spot on the bike rack. Due to it’s inaugural success, this program is back in 2008 with an expanded schedule and new promotions. So the next time you’re looking for a new place to spin, consider that Niagara may not be as difficult to reach as you think.
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