The City has put out a cycling survey as a part of the “Building a Liveable Ottawa” initiative. If you cycle in Ottawa, or would like to, please fill it out!

Here are some of the things I wrote about in the survey:

Problems:
– Bike lane on north bound March Road between Carling and Solandt disappears forcing cyclist to merge into rush hour traffic just to keep going straight
– Turning left from Carling onto Davidson Side Road is really difficult in rush hour traffic
– No easily accessible bike rack at the Beaverbrook Library Depot

Could use:
– A multi use path (MUP) from the West District Library to the Kanata North Recreation Centre would make it easier for youth and traffic-averse adults to cycle to either location.
– Segregated lane or bike lane along Eagleson and Hazeldean

There are other areas that could use improvements but I stuck to the most critical or at least the ones I would really appreciate getting fixed soon.

While there is a lot more that could be done, I am really happy with the City’s progress on the cycling front. A number of bike lanes and other bike friendly infrastructure has been added and improved in Kanata recently and I can only hope that this trend continues.

Well, it’s the end of the weekend and I’ve put my first 75k on the big bike (not counting Chris bringing the bike home etc… just my mileage). Apart from crashing Dan’s BBQ, one of the first things I did was to go get groceries. Up until now grocery shopping by bike included me squeezing stuff into small bags or tying them precariously to the sides, top and any available edge of the bike. Once I even tied them to the children. Not with the Edgerunner. I just slid the bags in and off we go. The only thing shaky about this picture is my handling the cell phone camera (I can’t believe I got my finger in the shot…).

Our following adventure? Tree planting! A section of Greenbelt between Old Richmond Road and Moodie had suffered forest fires last year and NCC had enlisted Scouts’ help in replanting the area.

One of the shovels fit into the bag completely but the other one was sticking out a bit (you can see it in the picture). I stopped by the side of the road to re-tie it so it does not rattle and a guy sitting on his front porch gave me a bungee cord. How cool is that!

Here is one of the trees we’ve planted, the evergreen in the centre:

The forest floor was covered with trillium leaves. It would be nice to go back in a week or so to see if they are in bloom. The best part is that we were able to stay on paths or residential roads all the way to the southern tip of Kanata. I suppose I always knew it was possible but I never knew how convenient and fun it is to do it.

The bike is surprisingly easy to move even when loaded. I do have a number of adjustments to make though. Good thing I have help.

Tree planing trip was just a warm up for today; the long awaited Cycle for CHEO event!

Yes, we did the 35K route (it was actually 34k, but 35 sounds nicer and my GPS app only captured 31, shrug).

Our regular speed was just above 20km/h though we did hit 30km/h here and there and the two hills (Parliament Hill and Experimental Farm to Traffic Circle) were about 8 to 12km/h. This is only slightly worse than my unencumbered speed on the hybrid so I am pretty impressed with the Edgerunner.

By the end the boys were exhausted. Markus was particularly annoyed with being stuck in the trailer, I think we’ll attach the remaining child seat to Chris’ bike for future rides.

I do not have a picture of Chris or me, but I think we did not look any fresher than the kids.

It is ironic that half of my cycling event pictures involve the minivan, but I was too busy to take pictures while on the bike.

Apart from waving madly at Dan for a brief moment while he was speeding the other way, we did not get to hang out with the rest of the Team Awesome who did the full 70K. Hopefully next year we’ll catch up with them before or after the ride.

Our family collected over $300 which is fantastic. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsors!

Winter was harsh with ice and salt
I still managed to bike once every month

Tracking my rides with Endomondo
I am a geek for numbers and stats

I’ll upload group rides or interesting trips to Strava
That’s where my hardcore biking friends are

My spinning heart rate monitor croaked
If the price is good I’ll get a fancy one

Mamachari’s wheel is bent
Luckily I have a spare

Library depo’s bike rack is sucky and far
I’ve asked the Kanata councillor to look in

Kanata’s Scouts’ exchange was a blast
In 45 minutes most bikes were gone

Got an entry level road bike
Late 80’s Bianchi with brand new wheels

The stem is short and almost out of “print”
I’ve got connections for spare parts

Chris gave me his seat and pedals
Must find the time to swap the stem…

The most exciting bike news of all
We’ve got our Edgerunner home from the shop

Xtracycle is running low on parts
So we’re waiting for Peapod, Hooptie and Running boards

Mucked around with child seats
It’s not perfect but we can move

Super excited about the hub
No lamps yet, maybe this week or next

Signed up for Bike to Work Ottawa
There’s still more prizes than participants

Joined Ottawa Bicycle Club
The Tuesday Night Ride was a total blast

I need to get the road bike ready
Hybrid does not like its kickstand removed

Definitely not going to take the Edgerunner
I am not taking this thing off

I’ve put electrolytes in my water
Did not get ice cream headache on the long ride

Chris is again on aluminium wheels
He’s back on cycle track so to say

Owen got a new bike too
It’s blue and red and easier to ride

Markus took over the trike
It’s all his now through and through