Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour

I will be participating in the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour (RLCT) (http://www.ottawabicycleclub.ca/rlct), which essentially is a two-day bike race/tour from Ottawa to Kingston on Saturday, and Kingston to Ottawa on Sunday. There's an overnight stay at Queen's University. Unlike some bike races, RLCT riders leave at different times (anywhere between 5am and 8am) and, consequently, arrive at different times (anywhere between 10am and 6pm). No one monitors your times, and there's no peloton to keep up with. Some riders have completed the one-way trip in 4.5 hours, while others needed 12 hours. Like last year, I will be taking the "Classic" route (Ottawa-Ashton-Perth-Westport-Kingston). I will probably head out at 6:30am - 7am, and I hope to reach Kingston by 1pm.

If you would like to participate in the RLCT (http://www.ottawabicycleclub.ca/rlct), RSVP here to let us know, and register at the RLCT website (http://www.ottawabicycleclub.ca/rlct). Please read their instructions carefully and, in particular, heed their advice regarding training and preparing for the tour. Feel free to start and finish the race any time that's convenient for you. We could initially head out together in the morning, but it's a long ride and riders may feel the need to go at their own pace. Once we reach Kingston, we could touch base via text/phone, have dinner together, enjoy a beer in downtown Kingston, and laugh at the pain and suffering that awaits us the next day.

Meeting Point

OBC has informed me that only OBC members can pre-check-in on Friday, June 10. Non-members will have to check-in on Saturday at 6:30am. Since some of you are not OBC members, this means the Ottawa group cannot leave Ottawa at 6am as originally planned. Hence I would suggest the Ottawa group meet on Saturday at 6:30am, and head out once everyone has checked-in. The exact meeting point is here (https://goo.gl/maps/ShySh8BBxuQ2).

Parking

Starting this year, Algonquin College now charges $8 for parking (Saturday and Sunday). You can register your car online by clicking here (https://parkingservices.algonquincollege.com/permit.php?cmd=new).