Saturday Ride from Whitby to Clarington to Oshawa via Waterfront Trail

This is identical to the ride that's taking place the following day ( https://www.meetup.com/TorontoBikeMeetup/events/36881722/ ). I'm proposing this second ride to accommodate anyone who's unavailable on Sundays and/or for whom Saturdays are preferable.

The ride will start at 08:30 on Saturday morning at Whitby GO Station. I assume most attendees will be taking the GO train, so we'll work around GO Transit's schedules. On weekends and holidays, the first Eastbound GO train from Union Station departs at 07:13 and arrives at Whitby GO Station at 08:01. 29 minutes should give us plenty of time to find everyone and prepare. The fare for an adult single-ride GO train ticket from Union Station to Whitby is $7.55.

We'll meet in the South parking lot (the side with the parking garage) near the stairs coming up from the tunnel from the platforms. There probably won't be any other bicyclists loitering around this area, so finding everyone should be easy.

From Whitby GO Station, we'll ride two blocks South and follow the official Waterfront Trail route to Clarington (or beyond). Like the previous ride, I've travelled this scenic route many times, and I know it very well.

Our turnaround point will be the rural community of Bond Head, which is part of Newcastle in Clarington. Bond Head is a very popular destination for road bicyclists because it's at West end of scenic Lakeshore Road that runs West from Port Hope.

The total distance for this ride will be 91 kilometres. At the turnaround point, if attendees feel they can handle extending the ride to 145 kilometres, we'll extend our turnaround point to Port Hope.

This ride will be easier than the last one, and it doesn't contain any terrifying stretches of road. From Whitby to Bond Head, there aren't as many hills as what we saw last time, but Port Hope has a couple monsters. Clarington has a few short hills with rough surfaces where riders may need to dismount and walk, but everything else is suitable for narrow tires. There are almost always headwinds when riding West, so the ride back will likely be slower.

Going East past Oshawa, there are no GO train stations, and GO bus service runs only as far as Newcastle proper (about 3 kilometres North of Bond Head). After that, there are no public transit options that will return us to Toronto. All GO buses are equipped with bicycle racks.

The fare for an adult single-ride GO train ticket from Oshawa to Union Station is $8.25. When we arrive at the Oshawa GO train station, attendees can choose to return to Toronto via GO Transit, or return via another station or method. Whitby is $0.70 cheaper, and the closer we get to the city, the cheaper the fare. If anyone's up for bicycling 65 kilometres back to Toronto, I can join you.

We will need to reach the Oshawa GO train station no later than 23:00 to catch the 23:41 train (23:38 on weekdays). It's a heavily trafficked station that's currently undergoing renovations, so entry and ticket purchasing may be slow. If anyone can't get to the Oshawa GO train station in time for the last train of the night, the last bus from Newcastle departs at 22:35 every day, and I/we can escort you to the nearest stop.

Everyone is responsible for supplying their own bicycles, helmets, sunscreen, food, water, insurance, et cetera. There will be places to fill up on water and purchase food along the way, so if you deplete your supplies, you'll have opportunities to replenish. With the longest gap being about 26 kilometres (Bond Head to Port Hope), these places are significantly less frequent than the last ride, so if you need something, try to give as much notice as possible.

If there are any questions, please feel free to ask.

-- A.J.