Finally Biked Toronto to Niagara Falls!

One ride which has become a “rite of passage” of sorts within Toronto’s cycling community is riding from Toronto to Niagara Falls in one day which can be anywhere between 140 and 160 kilometres depending on the route. With this past weekend being beautiful and warm, I finally did that ride yesterday which was almost 151 kilometres; beating my previous distance record of 115 kilometres when biking from Kitchener to Hamilton two years ago.

I left home in Rosedale shortly after 6:00 AM when it was still dark. It took about 40 to 45 minutes before I first spotted daybreak by Humber Bay.

At Marie Curtis Park just before Mississauga, I noticed a new trail was being built. This is part of the new Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area which will connect with the new Lakeview Village development.

Passing by the Port Credit lighthouse.

I stopped by Second Cup in Downtown Oakville for an espresso and breakfast sandwich. There were a couple of cycling groups out in Oakville that morning.

Lakeshore Road west of Downtown Oakville was closed to cars for the Nutrience Oakville 21.1 Half Marathon which made biking through more pleasant than normal.

Parts of Lakeshore Road in Burlington had pavement stripped which meant riding on the sidewalk for a bit before rejoining the road.

Made it across the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge into Hamilton. I took a stop shortly after for bathroom and food.

After Hamilton, there are a few different ways to do this ride. One option is North Service Road which has painted bike lanes or shoulders, but heard it wasn’t very pleasant. For those going up the Niagara Escarpment instead, Gray – King – New Mountain is one option while TBN used Dewitt for their Hairshirt Lite and TNTO rides. I chose Dewitt which – after 80 kilometres in – meant walking my bike up that steep hill!

However, the views are great once you are up the hill! You also have low traffic roads where drivers give you lots of space.

After 100 kilometres – which I felt better than on past 100+ kilometre rides – I saw some orchards off the side of the road. I could also smell grapes when passing by certain wineries.

Campden’s General Store is a must if you go up the Escarpment. They have a café inside with coffee, food, and ice cream with very friendly staff.

I took the time to rest with a ham and cheese sandwich and some pumpkin pie ice cream.

There was another steep hill on First Street Louth and Decew Road. While a short downhill and milder grades made this hill more tolerable, I still had to walk the bike up parts of it.

After crossing the bridge on Merritville Highway, I then took the Bert Lowe Side Trail which is a side trail of the Bruce Trail system. While it’s not ideal for a road bike with some single-track sections, it does take you under Highway 406. That tunnel involved lifting the bike over some wooden planks, as well as dealing with poor lighting and puddles.

The trail quality is significantly better east of Beaverdams Road!

One thing I dislike about this trail is how the gates barely allow enough room for bikes to pass.

The Allanburg Bridge from the Bert Lowe trail. No more big hills past this point! 😉 I should note the Greater Niagara Circle Route - which I did three times - passes by that bridge on the other side of the park.

I then took Centre Street, Barron Road, and McLeod Road to get to Niagara Falls. While McLeod had painted bike lanes on some parts including across the QEW, I had a few dangerously close passes along this road which needs a road diet from the QEW to the Falls.

Nice to see the rainbow from the Falls after a long day on the saddle and feel the mist!

An obligatory selfie at the Falls. Some people opt to lift their bikes when doing this ride.

One last short trail before getting to Niagara Falls GO station.

Before boarding the train, I grabbed a much-deserved mango lassi from nearby Chakna.

Here is the Strava recording from that ride in case you are considering attempting this unforgettable ride.

There were a few things I did differently from past rides to make this more enjoyable.

1. This was the first long ride which I used a bike computer (Garmin Edge 540) to record. Using Strava on the phone drains the battery fast, but the Garmin still had 70% left.
2. This was also the first ride which I used electrolyte pills which I recommend for these distances. Ended up using one every 50 kilometres or three for this ride.
3. Taking a half hour break every 50 kilometres with smaller breaks in between helped with reducing fatigue.

For those of you looking to step up your distances, I would recommend bringing lots of food, but also bookmark some restaurants along the route. Finally, I suggest doing some shorter rides around 70 to 110 kilometres before attempting to do Toronto to Niagara so you can get used to doing longer distances. This was especially true when I did the Ride for Heart (now Bike for Brain Health) and the Ride to Conquer Cancer which provided training guidelines to help prepare for those rides.