#myridemyrules

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Another beauty day.. started in sunshine but the sun went down quick and so did the temps 🥶 Got to try out my new LED safety vest .. multiple flash modes plus reflective strips. It's pretty bright and effective. And it meant I could use my @gemini.lights Duo headlight to see where I was going 😁😁😁 Quick rip over to Ajax (where they have these great bike only trails now) and back up Whitby. Still some ice in places so not quite road bike ready yet. Soon! Carnage was up to the task! #myridemyrules #JamisBikes #JamisRenegade #AxiomCyclingGear #ExploreByBike #NothingLeftBehind #FreedomToRide #shimano #garmin #cyclelife #mycyclelife #capturaphoto #captura #durhamregion #ontario #outdoors #churchoftheknobbytire #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairwontkillyou #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #strava #stravaphoto (at Ajax Waterfront Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoquUJrsWtI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The sun was calling to me today .. "come out and play" .. so I answered the call 😁😁😁 did I ever need that 💖💗❤️ Beautiful "Spring" day .. +5 and sunny with a bit of wind. Damn! Only needed 3 layers up top and nothing bulky 😁😁 Lots of people out enjoying the weather, including these gulls. Some snow and ice on the trails in places but most of them were clear. Couldn't ask for much better in February. My @jamisbikes Renegade is the perfect bike for these conditions. #myridemyrules #JamisBikes #JamisRenegade #AxiomCyclingGear #ExploreByBike #NothingLeftBehind #FreedomToRide #shimano #garmin #cyclelife #mycyclelife #capturaphoto #captura #durhamregion #ontario #outdoors #churchoftheknobbytire #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairwontkillyou #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #strava #stravaphoto https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok9S0fJ_mB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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First outdoor ride of 2023! 😍😍😍 Finally got the part I needed to fix Carnage! High of 0°C, windchill was -4°C ... a cold north wind was beating on me but the trees provided some respite. Proper clothing and layering sure helps .. plus my battery-heated socks 😁🙃🤣 Feeling the sun on my skin - when it wasn't covered - was so amazing! 😍🥰 I started going thru Heber Down but it was hiker Hell .. so off to Greenwood I went. I find the old, and I mean old, jumps and stunts .. or at least what was left of them. They're very rickety and dangerous .. but maybe they should be rebuilt? 🤔🤫🫣 Along the way, @jamesonthefront flew by me. He was moving so fast I had to zoom in to catch him before he was gone! 💨💨💨 #myridemyrules #JamisBikes #JamisRenegade #AxiomCyclingGear #ExploreByBike #NothingLeftBehind #FreedomToRide #shimano #garmin #cyclelife #mycyclelife #capturaphoto #captura #durhamregion #ontario #outdoors #churchoftheknobbytire #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairwontkillyou #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #strava #stravaphoto https://www.instagram.com/p/CnIca8_pp6N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Here's a look at my 2022 highlights! It was another great year of long rides, short rides, dirt, gravel, indoor & road rides, hikes, kayaks, cross-country skis ... hundreds of adventures. Some with friends, some solo but each one exactly what I needed when I needed it. Someone asked me once why I ride so much .. aside from the fitness benefits, it's my mental well-being that gets the biggest boost. In order to be present and useful to those around me, I need to be present and useful to my myself first. Special thanks to my sponsors @CycleLife.bike and @Orbea ... the greatest bike shop and the best bikes on the planet. Thanks to everyone who joined me. Bigger thanks to those of you who inspire me - that's each and every one of you I follow. Your exploits have directly affected mine, whether you knew it or not. Hopefully, I've inspired a few of you. Strava really does help the world go around... or at least go a little smoother. Life is better with friends, even on solo rides 😁😁 Best wishes for a Happy New Year 2023 and another great year of fitness and adventures. #OrbeaBicycles #OrbeaOrca #OrbeaOccam #Kohana #myridemyrules #destinationroad #destinationgravel #destinationtrail #shimano #garmin #4iii #visiontech #cyclelife #mycyclelife #bellbikehelmets #capturaphoto #captura #churchoftheskinnytire #churchoftheknobbytire #perceptionkayak #strava #stravaphoto #dressforsuccess #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #gcccanada (at Captura Photography+Imaging) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2YL-OpmLy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Some days start out amazing .. incredible temps for middle of November. I had a tailwind all the way up to the top of the Ridge .. through Bethany to the Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden for a quick stop .. then on to Omemee. The first 70km was stunning, even with a pile of climbing. Then I turned West at Omemee and it went to hell in a handcart 😈😈 Actually, handcarts might move faster. I now had 20-30kph headwinds plus some monster hills to climb. It was so bad I had to pedal downhill just to keep moving. 🥴😵😵‍💫🤪🤬 @coachsandybatten joked before I left that I wouldn't be home until sunset (late start) ... she was wrong! 🙃🙃🙃 I was home an hour AFTER sunset 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Riding 70km into headwinds all the way sapped the strength from my legs .. I was toast when I got home. This 140km adventure felt like a 200+km ride. But I'm still smiling 😃.. some🤪🤣 Nice to see Jay and Bev in a random spot .. you never know where you'll run across me out there! #OrbeaBicycles #OrbeaOrca #Kohana #myridemyrules #destinationroad #shimano #garmin #4iii #visiontech #cyclelife #mycyclelife #bellbikehelmets #capturaphoto #captura #kawarthalakes #ontario #canada #outdoors #churchoftheskinnytire #strava #stravaphoto #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #greatcyclechallenge #gcccanada https://www.instagram.com/p/ClcxllrsCPq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Some days .. things don't go as originally planned but in the end it all works out. I might have a few seconds of 🤬🤪🤬🤪🤬 but if one plan blows up, I switch gears and hit plan #2. There is very little that we do that is actually set in stone .. being flexible on some things is so much easier. I drove up to Trail Hub this morning to ride my usual trails. After getting all my winter gear on and pulling the bike out, I realized I had left my gloves at home 🤬🤪🤬🤪🤬🤪🤬🤬🤬 It was waaaay too cold 🥶 to attempt riding without gloves .. so I loaded my bike and drove back home. Instead of focusing on my gloves, I made a new plan. At first, I was going to drive back to Trail Hub. But there are some real idiots on the road ... Sunday Drivers, you know who you are .. stay home! Then I thought I would give Greenwood a go .. I haven't ridden there in years on my mountain bike (gravel bike, yes, but that's different 🙃🙃). So off I went to Ajax, with my gloves, and spent 2 hours noodling around Greenwood in the snow and cold. And it was awesome! I found some trails I had never ridden .. some that dead-ended where I used to ride .. some that have overgrown from lack of riding .. and then found some more new stuff. I forgot just how good Greenwood can be .. in the right conditions. Off course, there had to be some off-leash dog walkers there but I'll email the Town about them. Pariahs of trails 🤬🤬🤬 It was great riding on the snow for the first time this season. Great traction and smooth trails. The wind was INSANE! Turn up the volume on the video. #myridemyrules #OrbeaBicycles #MyOrbea #OrbeaOccam #RideOccam #MyO #greenwood #shimano #garmin #cyclelife #mycyclelife #capturaphoto #captura #ajax #durhamregion #ontario #outdoors #churchoftheknobbytire #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairwontkillyou #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #strava #stravaphoto (at Greenwood Conservation Area) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClMsihypj5V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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That was freaking cold! First ride in sub-zero temps this season ... brrr 🥶🥶🥶 fingers and feet got cold and stayed cold most of the ride. @clutt_225 was happier than he looks .. especially after seeing this plaque. #myridemyrules #OrbeaBicycles #MyOrbea #OrbeaOccam #RideOccam #MyO #walkerwoods #durhamforest #shimano #garmin #cyclelife #mycyclelife #capturaphoto #captura #uxbridge #durhamregion #ontario #outdoors #churchoftheknobbytire #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairwontkillyou #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #strava #stravaphoto (at Durham Forest) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck6vqOQpgx_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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That felt like autumn .. cool and windy with a risk of showers. I started with some glorious sunshine 🌞 but it grew overcast quick. Roads were still damp from last night's rain. I noodled my way from Whitby to Uxbridge where I stopped at me favourite mural at @ashs_lashes ... before finding more hills on my way to Port Perry. Kohana has power meters installed on both crank arms ... they measure how much power my legs put into each stroke. This is the first ride where I averaged a perfect 50/50 power distribution... each leg worked equally hard. Not bad over 84km. Added bonus ... I beat the rain home! #OrbeaBicycles #OrbeaOrca #Kohana #myridemyrules #destinationroad #shimano #garmin #4iii #visiontech #cyclelife #mycyclelife #bellbikehelmets #capturaphoto #captura #ouroshawa #portperry #ontario #canada #outdoors #churchoftheskinnytire #strava #stravaphoto #dressforsuccess #dressforsurvival #setyoursoulfree #getoutdoors #freshairsaveslives #getoutside #greatcyclechallenge #gcccanada (at Uxbridge, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck4M0ncpsNX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=