At least 700 recreational cyclists will be taking to the roads Saturday (May 28) in the 10th annual Spin The Lakes Cycling Tour. It begins at Hidden Valley Resort and entries have a choice of riding four different courses 20, 60, 100 or 170 kilometres in length, with routes taking them through Dorset, Port Sydney, and as far west as Rosseau.
The purpose of the event is to promote safe cycling and the emphasis is on enjoyment: enjoying the outdoors and enjoying Muskoka. Cyclists come from many areas of the province to take part.
It’s not a race and there are no prizes, only door prizes later at a wrap-up dinner.
There are water stations along the way and support vehicles which would lead one to naturally wonder how many volunteers it takes to organize this event.
The answer is one and that is Jim Brendish.
It was Brendish’s dream more than ten years ago to create an event that would promote safe cycling and improve relationships between cyclists and the motoring public. In year one, more than 100 people took part which surprised Brendish and encouraged him to continue with the project. It has grown from there and now his target is to reach 1000 riders in the near future.
“At the time there wasn’t a lot of cycling up here,” said Brendish. “I wanted to create something that everyone could do. It wasn’t a race. I was blown away as people were coming up from Toronto and it just grew by word of mouth.”
(Clockwise from above left) Spin the Lakes starts at Hidden Valley Resort; some of the routes take riders around Lake of Bays, passing through Dorset and Baysville; riders enjoy a rest stop in Baysville during the 2015 Spin the Lakes (Photos: Spin the Lakes)
Brendish has not only singlehandedly put the event on each year but paid for it as well. He admits he hasn’t had much time to go after sponsors but gets his reward from seeing the enjoyment people get out of participating.
Money raised from entries is put right back into another of Brendish’s projects, Bike Muskoka. It’s a non-profit organization which advocates safe cycling and Brendish wants it to be the go-to group for safe cycling, amalgamating many of the other smaller advocacy groups in the area.
“We’re finding a lot of people doing the same things and this would get rid of the duplication,” said Brendish. “We’d like to pool those resources together, and collectively advocate for things like signage, road improvements and, of course, education. The District of Muskoka is excited about this, and are totally on board.”
Most of the riders in this year’s Spin the Lakes Tour will be in the 30-55 age category and nearly equally male and female. Many are returning after taking part in past years.
Road conditions can be a concern for riders along with the attitude of some drivers of motor vehicles. While it’s improving, Brendish said there’s work to be done.
“Roads can be challenging for cycling. Safer, smoother roads with more predictability and paved shoulders would be nice. When the District does upgrade roads, it’s good, but it’s sometimes just not fast enough.”
As far as sharing the road, Brendish says there’s still work to be done on both sides.
Some people are getting it, while others are getting more angry about it. We’re hoping our Bike Muskoka group can close that gap. Bikes are on the road, they’re going to be on the road, meant to be on the road, so how can we make it work? What do you want from us to make it safer for everyone?Jim Brendish, organizer of Spin the Lakes
Brendish admits that cyclists also need to adapt better by not riding two or three abreast on the road and giving way where possible.
If it wasn’t for his love of cycling, the great outdoors, and the growth of the event, Brendish says he could have been discouraged by some of the obstacles he has had to overcome.
He was frustrated when the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario charged him $500 for administration fees, and even the Township of Lake of Bay sent him a bill for similar services for $50. He said that was offset, though, by the District of Muskoka and the Town of Huntsville providing similar services for free.
And when he sees the smiles on those 700 faces and enjoys what he describes as a wonderful wrap-up meal at Hidden Valley Resort when all have completed the event Saturday night, that will make it all worthwhile and he will start planning for next year.
Learn more about Spin the Lakes and Bike Muskoka here. And remember to watch for a rolling road closure at the intersection of Deerhurst Drive and Canal Road the morning of Saturday, May 28.
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