Companion Craziness

I don't often post pieces about my cycling addiction, but once in a while some neat happenstance occurs that I feel begs sharing, and one of those experiences happened on a recent gorgeous Saturday. While I thoroughly enjoy the solitude of an open road bathed in the sunshine of a cloudless sky with a soft cooling zephyr maintaining a state of bliss, you really can't beat the cathartic enthusiasm of a social ride with quality friends. When you share the perfect combination of banter, biking, and beauty, it makes for a memorable day, to say the least.

There's a small cadre that share a common craziness for gravel that I have ridden with over the past three years that boasts a multi-county makeup thanks to a willingness to make the trek from afar to join in the celebration of our addiction. We've dubbed ourselves the York-Simcoe Gravel Association (YSGA), featuring participants from Penetang, Wasaga, Barrie, Oro-Medonte, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, and Vaughan, joined this particular day by invited friends from Walkerton and Innisfil. The chance meetings on this ride quickly blossomed into full on friendships thanks to the witty quips and repostes that fill the air around us as we wheeled our way through the local beauty of central Ontario. 

This latest instalment of the YSGA adventures was a re-ride of Simcoe County's Rail Trail, a 160 km trek the rings the county's wide assortment of landscape features thanks to reclaimed retired railway lines, single track paths, and paved recreational trails taking riders through a multitude of cities, villages, and hamlets that offer delicious tidbits perfect for the cravings created by the literal thousands of cranks of our pedals. In today's age of digital communication platforms, YSGA maintains a group chat that quickly disseminates information, facilitating organization with ease and haste, so by the time the mists of an early morning meet up lifted, our stalwart nine souls were already on route, having set out from the Simcoe County Museum. 

I have a longtime friend, Dave Byers, from my Olympia Sports Camp days who is also a retired teacher and cycle crazy old fart like me. He's been keen to make the trip over to Simcoe from his home in Walkerton, the SCRT high on his Bucket List. I extended the invitation, and in a hallmark of fanaticism, he made the 2 hour haul east in time for the launch of 7:00 am. 

I'm thrilled to report that he fit right in with our clan of crazies, thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and made some new friends along the trail. 

Tradition plays a large part in the decisions made about which establishments to offer our shekels for nourishment, and Em's Cafe in Coldwater is a regular pit stop for all manner of cycling treks, but especially those on the SCRT. Offering a wide assortment of sweet and savoury treats, the ordering queue at Em's regularly strings out of the front door, its dining alleyway made picturesque with a plethora of coloured camisoles. Coldwater is approximately half way when one starts at the museum, the trip involving a weave past Barrie's waterfront, the crushed limestone that joins Barrie to Orillia, the revamped cycle paths of Orillia's waterfront, and the ever-changing single track that joins Orillia to Coldwater.

The route from  Coldwater to Penetang easily features the most eye-candy of the entire loop, the paved path tracing the shoreline from Waubaushene to the Midland Marina before diving back into the forest up the substantial hill to Penetanguishene. In year's past, a stop at Midland's premium coffee shop, Grounded, was a must-do, but our fitness allowed for a bypass this time, and we aimed for the next traditional pit stop, Wyevale.

The Wyevale pit stop features the chilly sweetness of Jug City's soft serve ice cream, a highlight for not only cyclists, but cottagers all along the eastern shores of Georgian Bay. Hosting its own quaint outdoor sitting area, the SCRT just metres away, the approximate 125 km count offers the perfect reward to beat the heat of a cloudless sky. Not feeling some ice cream? They offer a host of homemade delicacies sweet enough to cure any craving.

By the time the museum was reached, the ticker on our bike computers registered the 160 km, a total that is coined an 'Imperial Century' since since it equates to 100 miles. Since he forgot to press start at the beginning of the ride, Dave completely looked the part as he rode a couple of laps of the parking lot to tip the total over the 160 km mark because, IYKYK, "if it's not on Strava, it never happened!"

Once completed, the satisfaction with a job well done is augmented by the possibility of "been there, got the T-shirt" because successful riders can post their accomplishment on social media, tag Cycle Simcoe, and claim a free commemorative Tee to wear with pride as the envy of all their incredulous non-cycling friends. One simply needs to contact the organizers through their web site (CLICK) and arrange the pick up.

With the deed in our rearview mirror, we enjoyed the continuing generosity of our group's Energizer Bunny, Ruth, who thrills us with her scrumptious baking on these long group excursions, some adult re-hydration, and promises to reconvene in the near future for another instalment in the SYGA annals. 

Another crappy day in Paradise, says I.