I just finished a 32.31 KM bike ride bringing my May 2016 total to 1014.16 KM. This is the first calendar month of my life in which I cycled more than 1000 KM. Here's how I did it.
September 23, 2026
Biking in Toronto
Total 172 Posts
The Star has an article today about the worst streets for locking up your bike. Not surprisingly, downtown is where most of the thefts occur. Toronto is the bike theft capital of the world with more than 18,000 bikes reported stolen between Jan. 1, 2010 and June 30, 2015.
Well, they're not locking their bikes to bikes, but locking posts in the shape of a bicycle. This may exist elsewhere, but I've only ever seen it in Germany. In Denmark, people are so trustworthy, bikes are often only locked to themselves, if they're locked at all. I walked past
On days like this, I bike east on the Martin Goodman Trail. That cycling trail is actually maintained by the city during the winter, so they plough and salt. And they really, really salt. I get why they dump so much salt down, as their primary concern is safety, but
This is it. It's the last month-over-month cycling comparison I'm going to post. I surpassed my 2015 goal of 5000 KM way back in September, but I felt like I should see this through until the end of the year. December was awesome for cycling. Most days felt more like
In 2014, I biked 4693.42 KM. It was the most I had ever cycled in a calendar year. I wondered if I could reach 5000 KM in 2015 and set that as my goal. Earlier today, I went for a brisk 30.28 KM ride along the lake and
I went through an old bin of stuff I've saved for decades, throwing some stuff out and keeping a few priceless gems. In this bin of memories I found a couple of guides I received 25 years ago. One is entitled "Cycling Skills" and taught me the rules of the
Yesterday, at about noon, I crashed. Literally. Let me tell you about it... Much like today, it was warm out, but rainy. Ice certainly wasn't a concern, as we were nowhere near the freezing mark. It was just another rainy ride. There's a little loop near the Port Credit Yacht
In the spring of 2014, I wrote about the stretch of the Waterfront Trail between Norris Crescent and First Street. This is really the only part of the trail that's not off-road, not on quiet side streets and doesn't have a designated bike lane. I followed that entry up with
That was the best November I've ever cycled. Sure, there were a couple of toe-numbing days, but only a couple. The rest were ideal for biking. Here's how my November 2015 stacked up against November 2014. November 2015: 659.44 KMNovember 2014: 434.26 KMI'm now at 6859.76 KM
Toronto's winters are very bikable, so there's no need to put your bicycle away until spring. I biked through the past two winters and now have it down to a fine art. Sure, you'll need to skip a few days when it's actively storming or when the temperatures plummet below
Having surpassed my 2015 goal in mid-September, I'm now fulfilling a contractual obligation by comparing my year-over-year distances through December. Although there were a few chilly, wet days in October, overall it was a great cycling month, with the sun shining and mostly double-digit temps. Here's how my October 2015
My goal for 2015 was to bike 5000 KM. I had never biked that much in a single calendar year, and it seemed like an attainable goal if I stayed healthy. It turns out I hit that goal in early September, and just kept going. September was an amazing month
In the spring of 2014, I wrote about the stretch of the Waterfront Trail between Norris Crescent and First Street. This is really the only part of the trail that's not off-road, not on quiet side streets and doesn't have a designated bike lane. I followed that entry up with
If I stay healthy, I should demolish my goal of 5000 km for 2015. I'm actually on target to surpass 5000 km by the end of September. Here's how my August 2015 stacked up against August 2014. August 2015: 613.59 kmAugust 2014: 387.81 kmI'm now at 4517.53
I set a personal best for KM cycled in a single month in June, but I trounced that number in July. July was an amazing month for cycling this city, and I made the most of it. Here's how my cycling in July 2015 measured up against July 2014. July
You shouldn't wear headphones while you bike. At least that's what I tell my kids. The fact is, when I'm biking alone, I always wear headphones. I used to wear the buds that come with your smartphone. Then, for my recent birthday in June, my wife surprised me with a
June 2015 was an amazing month for cycling. The temperatures were pretty ideal, there wasn't much rain until last weekend, and we even got new trails to ride. I rode more kilometres in June than I have in any other month of my life. Here's how my cycling in June
As you may know from reading this blog, I rediscovered my love of cycling a few years ago. A great deal of my riding is done on the Waterfront Trail, which runs along Lake Ontario. I know every nook and cranny of that trail. On the days I decide to
For the first time since I started this year-over-year comparison, 2014 has beat 2015. In May 2014, I was training for the Ride to Conquer Cancer and put up some long rides. In May 2015, I just couldn't find the time. Here's how my cycling in May 2015 measured up
April was pretty awesome for cycling in Toronto. It warmed up considerably, was relatively dry and almost completely bug-free. Here's how my cycling in April 2015 measured up against April 2014. April 2015: 542.78 kmApril 2014: 291.72 kmIn defence of April 2014, I was a little busy with
Yes, March was unseasonably cold in Toronto, but compared to February it was paradise. Here's how my cycling in March 2015 compared to March 2014. March 2015: 492.44 kmMarch 2014: 139.58 kmIn defense of March 2014, I disappeared for a week to visit Germany. But there's no doubt
February was the coldest month in Toronto's recorded history, but trust me when I tell you last February wasn't much warmer and seemed to include more snow and ice. And the analytics tell me I managed to bike a great deal more this year. Here is how my cycling in
Here's a shot I took earlier in the week from the Humber Bay Arch Bridge. This was Monday, and those floating chunks of ice were completely gone when I biked by yesterday. The Martin Goodman Trail, except for this bridge, is completely plowed and salted, if you're looking for a
