“If you just don’t exist for three years, you might as well pack it in.”
That was the thought running through Don Pavey's head last month as he and a team of organizers considered hitting pause on the city's annual cycling event for another year. Perhaps for good.
But with pandemic restrictions lifting and a return to normal activity shifting into high gear, the president of Tour de Grand made its return official this week when registration opened on the 25th annual event.
This year's ride kicks off at the Duncan McIntosh Arena in Churchill Park on Sunday, June 12 at 8 a.m. with staggered starts throughout the morning.
“The plan is to go ahead with a regular ride as much as we can,” says Pavey, eager to see local cycling enthusiasts hit the road again this spring.
Cancelling the 2020 event was tough, but when last year's Tour de Grand had to be put on hold, organizers decided on a virtual ride that encouraged cyclists to make donations while taking in one of the routes on their own.
Public health precautions will still likely play a role in this year's ride, but the plan is to keep things as normal as possible.
Hosting registration and lunch inside the arena remains up in the air until public health gives the okay.
And plans are already underway to provide takeaway lunches to avoid the lineups and keep everyone safely distanced. Picnic tables will be set up outside.
“We’re trying to do as much as we can outside under tents," Pavey says.
So far, a 25th anniversary bike jersey is the only component to mark the occasion of this year's milestone ride.
Pavey says a cake could be in the offing if organizers can figure out the logistics of safely distributing it at the event.
A major part of the drive to revive the Tour this year was everyone’s desire to continue the legacy of late co-founder Don Rope, the Cambridge Sports Hall of Famer, two-time Olympic hockey medal winner and founder of the Cambridge Kips gymnastics club with wife Benita.
Rope’s passion for cycling came later in life.
The former Glenview Park high-school teacher biked across Canada and was an active member of the city’s trails advisory committee when he and Pavey launched the Tour de Grand in 1998 as a one-off event to celebrate the formation of the City of Cambridge.
“I can remember we got about 500 people out and it was not a particularly nice day. It was raining and stuff but we thought, holy cow, there’s a real interest. So, we kept it up.”
Over the years, the organizers added shorter routes for families, longer routes for hard-core cyclists, and trail routes for more casual, scenic rides.
Signage has also improved. Cyclists used to follow coloured arrows that would sometimes send them in the wrong direction.
Now, Pavey says volunteer teams post about 2,000 signs to keep everyone on the right path.
Food for participants has also improved. The early days of pizza and pop evolved into a full service sandwich line where cyclists choose what they want to eat.
But the biggest change over the last two decades is growth in cycling.
Pavey expects it’ll probably take off even more this summer with the recent record hike in gas prices.
“I think Cambridge is a very avid bike town,” he says, scoffing at the notion that because of the city’s geography and limited trail inter-connectivity, residents are more likely to hop in their car to get around than hop on two wheels.
That’s improving every year as the city and the region add cycling infrastructure like multi-use trails and bike lanes, says the former member of the city’s trails advisory committee.
Pavey points to the fact that Cambridge was also the first city in the province to get its own trail over a 400 series highway with the Morningside walking bridge over Highway 401 on the Walter Bean Trail.
It all contributes to more people choosing active transportation to get around, he says.
“One of the things I’m always amazed by when chatting with people is the comment; ‘Gee, I never knew we had all these neat places to cycle,' because a lot of people, unless you’re familiar with the area, are reluctant to start out on a route because you don’t know where you’re going to end up.”
It’s one of the reasons the Tour de Grand posts its routes year round on the website.
Riders can access them anytime, complete with distances, terrain, warnings and elevations.
“That’s really expanded cycling in Cambridge," he says.
These days the event attracts about 3,000 riders from across southern Ontario.
The Tour offers eight routes of all abilities, from families who stick to the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail, to seasoned riders who tackle the 100 km loop.
Back in the day, the Tour featured a 160 km route, but Pavey says the logistics of setting up signage and getting lunch out to riders simply became too much to manage.
The 14 member committee that organizes the ride is helped by close to 275 volunteers on the day of the event, helping with everything from sign set up, registration, t-shirt distribution and lunch prep.
Volunteers get an event T-shirt, refreshments, lunch and the committee's thanks. High School students who need volunteer hours can help out to receive the credit.
“It’s a big endeavour," Pavey says.
Tour de Grand supports a number of local charities for anyone wanting to donate or pledge to raise money while riding one of the routes.
Charities include the Kiwanis Club of Cambridge, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, KidsAbility, SOAR Uganda and Helmets for Kids.
Donations of $25 or more will get a charitable tax receipt and special prizes are set aside for donors who raise the most cash.
