recreation |Cycling
photo by Mike Barrett
While you shouldn’t immediately jump into a bike tour of all that York has to offer or embark on an arduous trail, even beginners can find a route to enjoy. Start conservatively and progress from there. When planning a trail ride, start with something short and along flat terrain, like a former rail bed. An important tip is to stay fuelled while riding. Eat before you’re hungry, drink before you’re thirsty, rest before you’re tired. Carry two bottles, one with water and the other with an energy drink that will keep you going and bring along energy bars to sustain you. Off-road cycling York Region is blessed with a number of off-road trails. While the image of a mountainbiker careening down an impossible slope is what often comes to mind when one talks about off-road cycling, that’s a very specific and extreme type of cycling. There are, in fact, off-road bike trails for every skill level, 52 | GoodLife • July - August 2015
including gentle gravel rail-trails ideal for even novice riders. Here are some of the trails York has to offer: Brown Hill Tract: This East Gwillimbury section of the York Regional Forest offers 15 km of mountain biking trails suitable only for mountain bikers, though there are trails suitable for novices through to hardened adrenaline junkies. The Brown Hill Tract is located at McCowan Avenue and Ravenshoe Road. Holland River Valley Trail: A short (4 km) trail through a peaceful valley between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue, ideal for beginners. Links to Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area and Oak Ridges Trail offer opportunities for lengthier rides for more advanced riders. Lake Simcoe Trail: This 50 km of mostly paved rail trail (some minor off-roading is required along a short stretch) follows the southern edge of Lake Simcoe, offering scenic water views. The Lake Simcoe Trail
represents a perfect choice for a four- or five-hour excursion. Oak Ridges Trail: Portions of this 250-km trail across the Moraine are open to cyclists. For more information, see oakridgestrail. org. Sutton Zephyr Trail: This 14-km hardpacked gravel trail on former CN rail bed passes through quiet wooded areas following the Black River watershed from Holbourne Road/Hwy. 48 on to Brown Hill and ultimately Sutton. Tom Taylor Trail: “A part of the Nokiidaa Trail, I consider this a jewel of Newmarket. It connects to Fairy Lake, historic downtown and the GO Station, and is paved, well-lit and is really safe because most road crossings are of the under-road variety,” enthuses Smith. Road cycling Because it is blessed with a number of quiet rural roads, York Region is