After years of circling this ride (pun intended) it’s time to do a lap of the lake that I’ve lived near for a big chunk of my early life. Would it have been easier to pick a smaller lake? Sure. But Lake Ontario truly is a Great Lake in the sense it is surrounded by diverse and interesting places we’ll discover together.
Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 402: Lake Ontario 2025 Preview.
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Lake Ontario 2025 Preview
The basics
About 540 miles
Two countries, two border crossings
Ferries galore
All roofed lodging
Rural stops and big cities
Driving ebike to WNY that is the beginning and end of the loop
The weather
Warm days and cool nights
Mixed bag for rain and dry
The gear
eBike – biggest ride yet!
Brooks saddle pulled from Brompton for more comfort
Rewrapped my bar end extenders to improve comfort
Batteries and chargers = biggest weight
Riding very light otherwise… 2 days of riding clothes I’ll wash each night plus a set of “civilian” clothes and rain gear
Bringing more tools in to handle bigger ticket issues
Tightening down everything in advance
The highlights
Memorial trip for my dad
Checking off some boxes – new to me, international, cool places
Lakeside lodging in a few places
Multiple ferries, including intl crossing
Toronto island stay – true Lake Ontario vibes with killer views of TO
Niagara Falls (probably!)
Weird Tim tourism: Love Canal! Be ready for history talk of American pollution!
A different route to the Erie Canal towpath
The challenges
Distance – despite the ebike, we’re looking at some 90 mile days and that could be rough?
Time in saddle – haven’t had good long days in the saddle since February
ebike – can it handle this? Sure? Maybe?
rural spots tough for a bailout
unfamiliar places in Ontario until Toronto and even then… new to me by bike
As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.
Music
You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to JUKEBOX BOY wherever cool music is available!