NORTH BAY BIKE TRAIN LAUNCH 2010

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ONR's Northlander pulled into North Bay Friday, July 26, 2010 carrying the first passengers of the year on the Bike Train.

Cyclists rode in comfort on the Ontario Northland train from Toronto to North Bay with bikes safely stode in a retrofitted baggage car. Some passengers chose to take the Bike Train as their first leg in a journey to participate in the gruelling Lost in the Rocks and Trees Mountain Bike Race that took place on Saturday in Mattawa.  Some great photos of the adventurers can be seen on "Lost's'" website.  The majority of passengers on the Bike Train were traveling to North Bay to see the trails, and to explore the city and its surroundings.

Cyclists were given suggestions for trails, attractions and accommodations, but where they stayed and what they did was ultimately their decision.  Inn on the Bay hosted a cocktail party on Friday night to give cyclists an opportunity to meet the locals and arrange group rides over the weekend.  One of the passengers was a young lady from Germany. She is in Canada working as a nanny and decided to explore some of the further reaches of Ontario, so she came to North Bay on the Bike Train.

When passengers arrived at The Station they were greeted by some live music by local celebrity Carmine Ricciuti on accordion and his friend Phil Lefebvre on guitar.  Other local dignitaries welcomed cyclists to North Bay including the Mayor, local cyclists, Ontario Northland staff and Discovery Routes volunteers. The passengers were offered refreshments before heading out on a group ride escorted by North Bay Police to the trail system.

All in all, the weather was great for North Bay's Bike Train launch. It stayed cloudy and breezy, but the rain held off, and it stayed warm. At the end of the weekend when the Bike Train passengers were heading back home there was only positive feedback. The cyclists noticed how well-used our trails are and the true northern beauty of the trails.  The passengers were blown away by how hospitable and friendly North Bay's citizens were and they said they look forward to returning to our beautiful city.

The Bike Train is not over for North Bay this summer.

The Bike Train will be returning August 13-16 and September 24-26.

We are always looking for local cyclists or other enthusiastic ambassadors to the trails to join us during the Bike Train's visit.  Contact Abby Cave at Discovery Routes, if you are interested.