Toronto International Bike Show 2003

Mountain Biking

TheLoneRider.com Friday March 29, 2024 EDT 
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Tails from the Trails

Toronto International Bike Show

Toronto International Bike Show
Feb. 28 to March 2, 2003
Toronto Convention Center

by TheLoneRider

It's that eagerly awaited time of the year when cyclists of all calling gather from near and far to celebrate the start of this year's cycling season - roadies, freeriders, downhillers, cross-country riders, bmxers, urban assaulters, cyclocross racers, etc. It's also the time to get a glimpse of the current year's bike models and get good deep discounts on last year's. The Bike Show is also an occasion to touch-base with fellow hammerheads...people you only see during racing events, people you see annually on the show or, just meet new people sharing the same passion as you. I personally wouldn't miss it for anything.

The first person I bumped into was John Keating of Cycle For Autism. He is biking across the country beginning July 5 in helping raise funds for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) research in Canada. The journey will take him roughly 48 days from Vancouver to Newfoundland. His son is afflicted by ASD and the guy's doing what he can to make a difference. He has completed a similar ride 2 years ago in the USA. He said something I found very interesting. He was a cop for 18 years before this, and he saw the dark side of human nature very few of us will ever get to see...and it began to cloud his view of the world. However, having done the charity ride 2 years ago, he met with a lot of people along the way...complete strangers who opened their arms and pockets in helping him out. That experience allowed him see the world from a different angle. He now maintains that the bad elements are still out there but they represent a minority....it's still largely a good world. He is fortunate to see the world in its broad spectrum. Why not click his site and see how you can help out?

It was great seeing Michelle with the Flygurlz as usual, even though it's only an annual thing that I get to see them. They have DeVinci Bikes as sponsor, which is totally cool. I've heard good reviews about the bike from the guys I used to race with at Fred's Farm. Like my site, TheLoneRider.com, the Flygurlz are co-sponsored by Blast meal-replacement bars. Even though Blast supports my site, it's no BS that they're the best tasting energy bar out there...and I've tried just about any brand.

Music and adrenaline were pumping hard at the BMX arena as well. While cross-country spells endurance, the other extreme is the explosive blast of a BMX competition, rife with big air, berm-burning and the floatlike hover over mogul-ramps at break-neck speed. Kudos to Chico's Adam Ruppel (and company) for attracting world-class riders into this much-talked-about event.

As always, the trip to the show is not complete without paying respect to the Iceman - the dude who looms large in the MTB scene and responsible for much of the grassroots growth of the sport with his Wednesday Night Fred's Farm races (which I used to frequent), the BikeNXS citizen's events, season-start Icebreaker (currently in its 12th year) and his now-defunct Icicle Tour (a ride through Durham Forest in the dead of winter - bring it back, Iceman!).

An imposing presence in the show was Stuart Dorland's 24 Hours of Adrenalin. I can't believe it's been 10 years for them this year. It's always good to see a company serving the needs of the mtb community grow as much as it has from its humble grassroots origin. It's easy to understand why (at least from what I've seen as an outsider). When you attend any of their 24 Hour series, attention to the minutest detail is carefully paid into. You don't notice it (unless you stop and make a conscious effort to doing so) but you just come away feeling good about a great race experience that you'd like to happen again next year.

With the new crop of lighter and more efficient bikes this year and the at-least-once-in-every-week array of mtb events this season, the promise of good trail times are there for the taking.

See you at the trails,

-- TheLoneRider

For more info click the links below:

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