Conquering the North

As many of you know, moving to a new city is never easy. Everything from finding a house, adjusting to a new workplace, meeting new people and for us cyclists finding 30, 60 and 100km routes from our homes can be overwhelming. ​

These were things I was tasked with in April of 2017. A good friend of mine Nick Kalkounis invited me to ride with the MG High Park chapter (to which I became a member of) a couple times early on after moving to Toronto. I immediately fell in love with the camaraderie and the inclusiveness of the group. Not once did I feel out of my element or the odd one out. The constant encouragement and positive re-enforcement made the experience amazing. However, there was one problem, riding/driving from Vaughan to High Park was too difficult for weekday rides. Especially when I needed to be in the office by 8:00 am. It was at that point I realized, I needed something closer to home.
After a series of inquiries and emails, I was eventually put in touch with one of the founders of Morning Glory, Fraser Chapman. I discussed with him the prospect of starting a chapter in Vaughan and he was nothing but supportive right from day one. We then connected over the coming weeks, we launched a mini campaign across all of MGCC’s social channels which many of you saw and forwarded to your friends and family. We then brought everyone together in Market Lane for a meet and greet.
After seeing the genuine interest from the group, I knew I needed to capitalize on this momentum. I began scouting routes while assuring the ride covered three main things. It needed to be fun, challenging and safe. It also needed to be easy for beginner riders, and difficult enough for seasoned veterans too. It wasn’t too long after, June 8th to be exact, where we finally went on our first official ride, dubbed “The Lollipop”.
Fast forward two months and 18 days from our initial ride, the group has grown to twenty registered members and offers three rides per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). I couldn’t be happier with the group and especially the new friendships I’ve made. There is something about watching the sun rise from the saddle that just helps put everything into perspective.
Come conquer the north with the MGCC Vaughan Chapter!
We'd love to have you out.
Vassilis Douros
MGCC Vaughan Chapter

From our first ride