The good folks at Powerwatts in Montreal decided to bring their Canadian designed and manufactured stationary bikes to Toronto and open a new cycling studio in Scarborough.

On November 26th 2011, Team Spidertech powered by C10 arrived for their first team event of the 2012 season during a public open house.

Augy, manager of the Toronto studio discussed the design and operation of the indoor cycling system, while Spidertech riders David Boily, Guillaume Boivin, François Parisien, and Simon Lambert-Lemay hopped on the bikes to demonstrate.

Steve Bauer, team directeur sportif, then introduced everyone to the riders for 2012 season.

His team has official secured another year of Professional Continental racing licence from the UCI, and it will represent Canada at races throughout Europe and North America. It won’t be long before it appears at a World Tour event!

The team will use this facility for fitness testing prior to the start of the season next February.

The stationary bicycles here were designed to mimic outdoor road riding as closely as possible. It uses actual road dropbars, shifters, and derailleur systems.

The individual bikes sit on a suspended platform that can rock on all directions.

All rider statistics are sent to a central computer and displayed in front of each rider.

The most unique feature is individual power analysis for the left and right side: riders can see a real time chart showing Watt value, relative percentage balance between left and right legs, and on which part of the stroke is the power applied.

I haven’t fully understood the analysis of the latter, but the idea is to be able to visualize, and thus train on applying power at the right place to maximize efficiency (eg: pushing after starting the downstroke instead of the 12 o’clock position).

I’m hoping to get a chance to try it out myself some time. The centre apparently has programs for the average Joe too!

This 2nd annual edition of Tour de Hans in Kitchener-Waterloo, hosted at the German-Canadian Hunting Club’s Hubertushaus, featured a star-studded celebrity lineup:

• Ryan Roth, professional road cyclist from Team Spidertech powered by C10
• Steve Bauer, the most successful Canadian cyclist in history and directeur sportif of Team Spidertech
• Simon Whitfield, Canadian triathlete who won Olympic gold in 2000 and silver in 2008.

Having the privilege to ride with them was already worth entry fee.
I didn’t get a chance to meet any of them though. Here is a picture of Simon and Steve in Hubertushaus.

The weather was far from ideal. Temperature during the day never broke 10C with overnight frost warnings, and winds were 40km/h. The rain didn’t arrive until after noon, which was the only saving grace.

The celebrity riders led the peloton to a rolling start and promptly took off, never to be seen again.

I stayed comfortably with a chase group for just under 40km. Then a gap grew on a flat section with strong crosswinds, which I failed to close.

For the rest of the race, aside from a few encounters with other stragglers, I had to work alone.

I might have spent more than I thought earlier in keeping up with the chase group, that I was running low by the half way point.

From here on, it was a slow process of counting down the kilometres. Fortunately, most of the second half of the race had wind on my back, so I was able to keep a respectable pace despite the low fuel gauge.

Luck ran out with about 7km to go though. Turning north on to the final stretch, I was hit with the fierciest headwind since the very beginning of the race. This combined with the slow incline was absolutely brutal. Screaming at myself didn’t help me get any faster than 20km/h.

I wasn’t sure whether the road signs counting down the last 10 kilometres helped or not; at this point, it felt like I was against the world, and those signs were just downright teasing me!

Alas, I made the final right turn away from the headwind, and the finish line was 1km ahead. There was a megre, pathetic attempt at a sprint finish, and then there was relief.

While I almost had trouble keeping my balance on two feet after the race, the best part of the day was about to begin.

First thing first: lunch featuring schnitzel with sauerkraut.

Then, as per tradition, every Oktoberfest event must have a keg tapping!

The keg was well shaken, the hammer was primed, and the mops were on standby.

 
When the hammer went, beer went flying in the air, thanks to guy who kept shaking the keg!

Good thing the mops were ready. They sprung into action right away.

And thus, beer was the recovery drink of choice for this Oktoberfest race. These were all on the house for riders!

Final GPS track of my race

I have some unfinished business here. I’ll have to come back and kill the course next year. Hopefully the weather will be nicer.

The 2nd annual Centurion Canada was once again hosted at Blue Mountain Village. Though temperatures were lower than ideal for the early morning race starts, the weather conditions cooperated.

The events started with the Hill Climb competition on Friday, September 16th. I arrived on the next day as the 25-mile race was just wrapping up. Parking was chaotic as expected, but I managed to check in to my studio apartment in Mosaic at Blue, one of the newer properties in the village.

I was surprised to find a complete kitchen with stove and microwave, and all pots, pans, plates, cups, and utentils were provided. Next time I stay there, I’m bringing ingredients to cook!

The view from my 3rd floor window is spectacular (though disappointed that my particular room has no balcony). A complete view of the hotel pool and sauna is complemented by mostly unobstructed view of the village lake, with the rest of the village buildings and Blue Mountain itself beyond.

While I waited for my roommate (and race buddy) to arrive, I picked up my race package, grabbed a quick lunch, and walked in the expo.

There wasn’t much to buy, but sufficient bike porn was present to keep me busy. Cervelo S5 and Specialized S-Works Venge models were available for test rides. Hello!

The highlight of the Saturday was the free Sam Roberts Band concert. As it turned out, their Collider album was the only purchase I made all weekend.

I was only able to attempt taking pictures and the video after the sun has set behind Blue Mountain. This is the band playing Brother Down.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the village, and deciding whether to wear short sleeve/long sleeve or shorts/knickers (not the underwear kind!) for the race.

Centurion C50 Race Report

Follow along with my complete Strava GPS track!

The morning was still dark and cold; my roomate’s stupid sleep cycle app made me wake up 30 minutes before I normally would. (He did give me a muffin, banana, and Nuun tablet, so all is forgiven.)

After checking out, it was still dark and cold. Attempts to warm up were futile. We went to to starting chute just before the national anthem.

Race started, it was not so dark but still cold. Everyone shivered along as the police led the first 5km neutral start.

Km 5

The first major climb began almost immediately after safely negotiating a 90 degree turn west to Grey Road 19. I steadily made my way to the front of a big peloton, and somehow ended up all by myself at the summit. I couldn’t gain ground on anyone ahead.
Then a group of a dozen riders caught me, and I happily latched on to the back.

Km 21

At Ravenna, turning west from Grey Road 2 to Grey Road 19, there was finally reprieve from all the climbing.
The front of the peloton might be taking a break at this point, allowing myself and at least 50 others to form a large group, breezing along at close to 40km/h with little effort, faster on descents.

Km 40 – King of the Mountain

A bunch of us jumped on to a nicely paved shoulder, until there was sudden braking when the pavement gave way to loose gravel, and no one was paying attention. Somehow, everyone managed to stay up.

Then came the KOM to the summit at Epping. The peloton slowed and bunched up at the bottom of the climb. Wanting to get a good result, I switched to the outside and steadily spun my way up. I could feel the burn as I finally spot the timing mat at the top; I pushed on for another half a minute, then I was glad that’s over.

Km 45

I skipped rest stop #1, ate a gel, took a few sips from the bottle, and pressed on.

But while I did that, I let the peloton go by, and I was by myself again.
A number of smaller groups came and went, and I was unable to latch on to any of them. I thought I might have to finish the rest of the race without any help.

Km 57

I was finally able to stay with a group of half dozen riders, just as rest stop #2 at Clarksburg approached. I cannot afford to lose the group here, so I skipped this one as well, took another quick gel and some electrolytes and stayed with the group.

Km 70

From here, it was a steady incline punctured by 3 relatively steep rollers until the final descent. I realized I burnt all my matches on the KOM and subsequent lone escapade; I was getting destroyed by those rollers, and so were most people around me. I struggled to keep up my cadence in the lowest gear.

Km 78

I finally reached the turn to Scenic Caves Road, which goes straight down the Niagara Escarpment, all the way back to the finish.

It started with a short descent, followed by a flat section with a 180 degree turn, followed by a second longer descent with a 180 degree turn back the other way.

My legs were filled with lactic acid at this point, so it was painful trying to keep my momentum in the flat section against a headwind.

For the second descent section, I let it go full speed, leaning into the 180 degree turn. That was one of the few times I actually passed other riders on a descent. (I usually have to work just to keep up because I am light weight.)

Km 83

Riding past the roundabout outside of the village, I tucked myself behind one other guy, with about 1km to go. He would be my lead-off man, whether he liked it or not!

As I made the final turn towards finish, I came out from his slipstream, cranked it up with whatever was left in my legs, and nipped the guy by half a wheel! Yes, I pulled off a Mark Cavendish! Or so I thought, until I saw another guy came on the outside and beat me by half a wheel. Bastard! Instead of Cavendish, I was relegated to Andre Greipel.

Finish

I ended up finishing in under 3 hours, just shy of 30km/h average.

I took some pictures at the finish, changed to regular clothes, and ate the provided lunch while trying to find my results and watch the young kids take all the top prizes on stage.

I stayed a bit to watch the 100-milers race to the finish. They were incredibly fast! 160km distance with over 3000m of elevation gain, completed in less than 5 hours.

The experience was fun, and the organization was top notch. The Centurion Canada sure looks like something I would like to try again next year, along with the new Centurion Niagara, to be held in July 2012.

It’s been a long 2 years since the last air show in St. Thomas. This year’s edition was rebranded as Great Lakes International Air Show (formerly known as St. Thomas Wings and Wheels), held at St. Thomas Municipal Airport (CYQS), St. Thomas, Ontario.

There was no classic cars display this year, where the freed up space was mostly taken up by an expanded Canadian Forces contigent. There were separate displays for each of its three branches, as well as a full blown obstacle course for kids.

Regardless, the weather was fine, cloud conditions were almost perfect, which could only result in a great show!

Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team kicked things off:

  
Next up, solo performances from the Hercules, and the world’s only flying Curtiss Helldiver:

  
A search and rescue demo by the US Air National Guard followed after a short break, featuring the HH-65C Dolphin helicopter:

  
Then both the B-25 Mitchell and Avro Lancaster from Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum did several fly-by’s. 4 x Rolls Royce Merlin engines on the Lanc!

  
Next up, 3 x Canadian built Harvard trainers from the WWII era:

  
The Canadian Forces treated the crowd to a combined air and ground asssault demonstration. I believe this was the first year this demo was performed.

  
The RCAF’s CF-18 Hornet demo jet this year is based at 409 Sqn, CFB Cold Lake. The full length of the fuselage top side is beautifully painted:

  
Following the CF-18 was a parade of modern jets from the United States, including F-16 Vipers, a Northrop F-5N used as adversary training target, and A-10 Thunderbolt II.

  
The RCAF Snowbirds closed out the show as usual. Good weather conditions allowed them to perform a complete high show:

I managed to catch a few solo cross shots, but missed the 4-way cross this time

  
St. Thomas is one of the few places where one can see the parked aircraft from the crowd line. I took advantage of that to capture the Snowbird team’s return, shutdown, and debriefing:

  
Instead of trying to beat the crowd to the exit, I hung around a bit longer to catch some aircraft going home. The gorgeous late afternoon sun made for great lighting.

  
Feel free to view all my shots from this show at my Flickr Gallery!

The Superdogs decided to come to Celebration Square for a free show on a weekday evening in July.
The crowd was allowed to sit right up against the show area, so I decided to try some panning with the wide angle lens.

It was difficult getting good shots by just trying to move with the action, without actually looking through the viewfinder. I guess live-view on the LCD screen would come in handy this time!

There was a high jumping contest first, then the frisbee catching show:

Then the dogs race against each other, and then raced human kids in the finale. The kids were destroyed. They never stood a chance from the beginning!

As an airshow enthusiast, the Toronto Pearson Runway Run is always more about the experience than the race itself. This is the annual event where the airport shutdown one of its 5 runways (06R/24L) for a few hours so people can run alongside aircraft taking off and landing on the parallel runway!

Runners gathered at the Airfield Maintenance hangar south of the runway, and were then led to the race course. The course itself started east towards the end of 06L, turned back east on 24R all the way to end, then back west of 06L to the finish. Here is my race on Garmin Connect. (Ignore the last point on Renforth Dr.; I was playing with my watch while waiting for the bus.)

Air traffic on the parallel 24R wasn’t that busy on Saturday morning, but I was able to get some decent shots before and after the run, including videos:

 
It was a great experience. The weather could not have been nicer. I can’t wait to do this again next year!

Well, the weather luck has ran out for this year’s festival. As it turned out, there was little actual precipitation, but the threat of thunderstorms over the weekend was enough to thwart the plans of some would be participants.
Nevertheless, the stars of the show, including the CF-18, CH-146 Griffon helicopter, Harvards, and Discovery Air Canadair Sabre in Golden Hawks colours were there to greet the huge crowds on May 28-29, 2011!

 
The weather didn’t deter some interesting arrivals, including a Titan T-51, a kit airplane built to replicate the venerable P-51 Mustang. A Global Express XRS business jet from Bombardier next door was also on display.

 
Inside the big hangar, I got a good look at the Sabre’s intake. Some poor sap must have spent hours polishing that, but it looks amazing!

 
I came at the right time to catch these two Harvard trainers from Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association do a flypast over Downsview, then land on runway 15 in succession:

 
For the wheels section, my highlights were the 1947 Willy’s Jeepster, the “SUV” produced for civilian use after the war was over, and a shiny looking Edsel:

 
From what I heard, a few exotic vehicles I missed include a vintage Ferrari, a fire truck in action, and a 3-wheeled Raleigh automobile. There is always next year!

I have seen my share of Toronto buildings over the years, so this time, I wanted to focus on selected locations of interest rather than visiting as many places as I could in one day.

I missed out on this power plant tour last year due to crowds, so I made sure to visit first thing in the morning. Everyone received a hard hat, safety glasses, safety vest, and earplugs, then entered the facility with a guide. My group was led through the boilers, coolers, cold blasters, and turbines quickly, as there were other groups following us. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear a lot of the explanation due to noise from the plant starting up for the day.

The PEC is a new natural gas power plant, operated by a 50/50 joint venture between Ontario Power Generation and TransCanada. It was built on the former coal pits of the Richard L. Hearn Generating Station next door, which currently sits abandoned awaiting its fate. PEC is able to use the grid originally built for Hearn, and can produce enough energy for half a million Toronto homes.
 

The TTC let the public see its Roncesvalles streetcar facility for the first time, and I was one of the first the get in.  
I boarded one of the streetcars circling the facility, while it went through the car wash.

 
After a brief visit to the office, I boarded another streetcar, went through the car wash again, and was dropped off on the opposite side where I was greeted with Peter Witt car #2766 and President’s Conference Committee car #4500.

Finally, I toured the maintenance and repair facility itself. Volunteers from Halton County Radial Railway Museum were trying to get overhead power wires working for the model streetcars.

I had a great time at the Blue Jays home opener last night with the folks from my work place. We all got seats at section 113, at field level.

A couple of foul balls landed 2 rows behind me, the crowd got a bit rowdy after a few beers with some fights breaking out, but they were mostly harmless.

The home team played a great game: 13 runs including 4 home runs. I only wish people would stop throwing towels on to the field after every home run!

The 3rd annual Tour de Greenbelt was held on September 11-12, 2010 in Niagara region, September 25 in York region, and September 26 in Durham region.

This year, I toured the 45 km route on Day 1, and the 100 km route on Day 4.

Day 1 started and ended at Henry of Pelham Winery in St. Catharines. It featured rest stops at Balls Falls, Uncle Porky’s Farm, Ridgepoint Winery, and Whitty Farms:

There was free wine tasting at Ridgepoint, and of course live entertainment and local food back at Henry of Pelham!

Day 4 was a chilly ride that started and ended at Elgin Park in Uxbridge. Lots of rolling hills make this a challenging ride, so only a handful of people took on the century route. The lack of wind was a welcome relief though!

Featured rest stops include Annina’s Bake Shop (delicious tarts!), Siloam Orchards apple farm, Coopers Farm (pumpkins and turkeys abound), and a Garden Artifacts place.