gatineau park A loop

It's a go for tonight!

If you haven't already, please print and fill out this registration form (pdf 130kb) [and waiver (pdf 309kb) if you DO NOT have a 2011 UCI licence], download and study the rider code of conduct/rules (pdf 55kb) and bring it along with your UCI license and $20 to the first race. Once this is done, it will just be a matter of signing in each time you come during the summer.

Registration: Tuesday 5:30-6:30pm at Gamelin parking lot.
Start: 6:30pm

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Joanne Thomson (thomsonjoanne@hotmail.com) or Rob Orange (therealrobbieo@hotmail.com).

Fake cop in the Gatineau Park threatens cyclist

not the fake cop in question.The Ottawa Sun and the Ottawa Citizen are reporting an ominous report of a police impostor in the Gatineau Park:

"Gatineau Park enthusiasts have been put on alert after a cyclist claimed a fake cop attempted to “arrest” him.

The Ottawa cyclist, who didn’t want his name or age used, said he was southbound around the northern loop of the Gatineau Pkwy. heading toward Gamelin around 7:15 p.m. Saturday when he encountered a man standing in the middle of the road.

“I was biking and some guy directed me off the road (toward a parking lot) and told me I was under arrest,” the man said. “He was all dressed up like a cop, so I stopped and asked him why I was in trouble.”

The fake cop was wearing a vest, badge and cap that all had the word “marshal” on them. He also had a holster strapped around his waist with what appeared to be a gun in it, and he was wearing sunglasses.

We've heard directly from the cyclist affected, and here is what he had to say:

Can you folks pass along in the bike community - DO NOT STOP FOR ANYONE IN THE GATINEAUS!

I had someone pull what looked like a gun on me tonight. The guy tried to put me in handcuffs.

Click to read more ...

Gatineau Park Saturday short loops

click to download mapThe NCC will be starting a Saturday morning closures of the Gatineau Parkway as a autumn pilot project. Morning closures will start on Saturday, September 4th and go on until October 23rd. 

If all goes well, Saturday morning closures will return in  May 2011.

Download the map that show the closure and the hours (PDF 438kb).

Read the press release here, and more info about Saturday shortloops here. 

A loop - riders code of conduct

a still from Gino's Gatineau Park A loop videoThe Gatineau Challenge / Défi de la Gatineau happens every second Tuesday, starting June 22nd, at 6:30 pm at Gatineau Park entrance on Gamelin. Riders, this is your code of conduct: 

1. The training event is open to riders with a UCI license. Helmets are mandatory. Please check in before riding. Aim to be at the Gamlin parking lot before 6:20.
2. The training event is run with a rolling enclosure. We’re aiming for a 30 to 60 second gap between the lead and the following car. This gives us about 300 to 500 meters. (Aim for 500)
3. Riders must not overtake the lead car. 
4. Yellow line: The yellow line rule is in effect. Crossing the yellow line to advance position within the group is prohibited.

Click to read more ...

A loop registration process

This note and some registration documents came in from Joanne Thomson regarding the Gatineau Park A loop: 

As you are probably aware the unofficial A-Loop race will now be a more formally organized event (Gatineau Challenge - Défi de la Gatineau) in order that the group may ride without "breaking the law" up in the Park.  As Rob Orange has explained at the recent races, RWR has obtained an event permit from the NCC and the insurance coverage from the OCA in order to continue this event formally for the "A" riders only.  

In order to make sure everything is covered we require a one time season/series registration by the riders.  I will be out next Tuesday night to collect registrations and the fee from riders but I would like to ask you to please pass these forms onto your team members who would be participating in this so they can print them and fill them out in advance to save time.

Click to read more ...

NCC mountain biker meeting report by Mike Abraham

Updated on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 9:09AM by admin

image courtesy Gatineau Park NewsMike Abraham submits this note regarding the NCC mountain biker meeting:

Matt Surch and I attended the NCC “mountain biker meeting” May 31 along with about 30 or so other interested stakeholders.  This meeting was initially directed to the BMX community and related to the bike jumps that are located in the area of Relais Plein Air.  There were about a dozen youngsters from that community present at the meeting.  As word about the meeting spread, the scope expanded to include mountain bikers (DH and CX).  Also present were representatives from some Gatineau bike shops, the relais plein air mtb club and Skinouk as well as the president of OMBA.

Click to read more ...

cycling in the news

click to visit websiteA few interesting bike-related articles appeared in the local newspapers recently.

First, Kris Westwood's The SpokesMan blog did a great feature on unauthorized trails in the Gatineau Park in the blog post NCC to meet outlaw mountain bikers ‘half way’:

McLaughlin hopes the NCC can work together with the mountain bike community to decide what they need and then figure out where they can build the trails without harming the park’s ecology.

It will be interesting to see how the issue of trail access is handled by the NCC in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to check out the SpokesMan blog regularly for more cycling related issues and thoughts by Kris.

On the asphalt side, Tom Spears over at the Citizen brings up a contentious issue in Bike safety: Hug the curb or take the lane? He investigates whether taking the lane is always the safest option for cyclists riding in traffic.