Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour: Training

Introduction

I am a big fan of cycling, as it is good for the environment, good for one’s physical and mental health, in addition to being just plan fun. I am a member of several cycling clubs, and during this time of year can be seen out on two wheels several times a week. In May I also participated in a hospital fundraiser ride.

Read more: I Cycled in a Hospital Fundraiser Ride

Last fall, shortly after buying my first road bicycle, I searched online for cycling events in and around Ottawa, where I live. One of the first hits was annual two-day event called the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour that involves cycling from Ottawa to Kingston and back, and taking place June 21 and 22, 2025. I decided right then and there that I would do it, and was prepared for whatever training would be required. Once I put my mind to something, that thing is going to happen, and this was one of those instances. My experience cycling through Netherlands and Belgium a few months prior gave me the confidence to know I could do this.

Read more: A Cycling Tour through Netherlands and Belgium

So why am I doing this? Well, I enjoy endurance road rides because getting “in the zone” while covering large distances is very rewarding, and because they help build a sense of community. More than anything I want to push my physical and mental limits in a controlled environment, which is something I have not done since my days as a competitive rower with the University of Alberta Rowing Team and Edmonton Rowing Club, between 2008 and 2012.

That’s me in 3 seat (second from the top)

Read on to learn more about my journey.

What is the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour?

Every year during a weekend in June, the Ottawa Bicycle Club (OBC) holds the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, or RLCT. Riders travel on two wheels to Kingston on Saturday, many spend the night at the Queen’s University dorms, and then return on Sunday (people can also leave from/return to Perth, spend the night elsewhere other than at Queen’s, and also take a bus back to Ottawa instead of biking back). There are several routes one can take leaving from different locations, travelling through different types of terrain, and of varying distances. I will be doing a route called the Classic between Ottawa and Kingston, and which consists of 171 km each way. The Classic is a supported route, meaning there are rest stops with refreshments and bathrooms along the way, signage pointing the way to go, and mechanical services if required.

Training

The RLCT requires a significant amount of training, and as soon as the weather was half-decent I was immediately out on my bike. Fortunately, from my aforementioned rowing days I am no stranger to grueling workouts, and doubly fortunately, training for a recreational cycling event is less harsh.

Solo rides

I often go on solo rides within the city, both during the week and on weekends. The advantage is the ability to choose my own routes, to cycle at my preferred pace, and to tailor the ride to my own needs. One possible drawback is there are pedestrians and slower cyclists to navigate around on the city’s multi-use pathways.

For those of you who know Ottawa, my preferred locations include:

Promenade Sir George Étienne Cartier…

Britannia Beach…

Dow’s Lake…

Mooney’s Bay…

Hog’s Back Falls…

And Chelsea on the Quebec side.

I am continually discovering new itineraries too, so these routes are not exhaustive, though they can be exhausting.

OBC group rides

I am member of the Ottawa Bicycle Club (who, recall, are organizers of the RLCT), which holds weekly group rides on Sundays of varying lengths and speeds. These rides usually start at relatively far-flung locations, and take us through paved rural areas in Ontario and Quebec. We ride in groups of six to 12 with a designated group leader, and this form of training provides a number of advantages over solo training.

First, I get to explore locations I would never go to on my own (mainly because I do not have a good sense of direction). With a group leader shouting out directions before every turn, I can fully focus on cycling and not navigation. With the OBC I have been to Carp in Ontario, and to Chelsea and Wakefield in Quebec.

Hello from Bluebarn!

Second, learning how to cycle in a group is useful for the RLCT, because drafting off the rider in front reduces wind resistance and saves a lot of energy during a long ride. To that end, the OBC provides group ride training, including voice and hand signals, and how to rotate on the fly so that we all take turns riding at the front/back.

Drafting

Not drafting

Third, group riding helps build a sense of community. During the ride we will break at a coffee shop (where we encounter other cycling groups) and socialize. And from a practical perspective, these rides are a great way to find people with whom to form a drafting group for the RLCT.

Common sights at establishments frequented by cycling groups

One other point about group rides outside the city is that, unlike riding within the city, every other cyclist one encounters on these rides is a “serious” cyclist. They all wear a helmet and aerodynamic clothing, and generally have clipless pedals (yes that is what they are called, despite them clipping into the shoe) and performance-oriented road and gravel bicycles. While I myself do not fit all those criteria, my participation in these rides exposes me to a different part of the cycling community.

Self-organized group rides

May 19, 2025

This day stands out in my memory. It was a holiday Monday (Victoria Day), and the previous day’s OBC group ride had been cancelled because of weather, which was a major disappointment for all of us who had signed up. One member of a RLCT-related chat group I am a part of suggested meeting up on Monday to do our own group ride instead, using one of OBC’s pre-planned routes. Four of us showed up in a Sobeys parking lot at 9:00 am and went on an 80 km ride that involved two ferry rides between Ontario and Quebec.

Ahoy!

The reason this day was memorable was I set a personal record for kilometers cycled in one day. The group’s meeting point in the Orléans neighbourhood of Ottawa was 28 km from my home. That round trip on my bike, coupled with the 80 km group ride, meant I cycled 136 km over the course of eight hours that day, eclipsing the 104 km I did in Flanders last fall. It was a tiring but satisfying day.

Another personal record I set that day was cycling for an hour and 40 minutes without removing my feet from the pedals. Learning how to drink from a bottle while in motion on a bicycle is a useful skill to have for such situations.

May 22, 2025

This day was also memorable because of the circumstances under which I did a challenging ride involving lots of climbing. It was supposed to be an OBC-organized evening ride in Gatineau Park, but because of rain, only one other guy showed up (hi Miguel!). We both decided to do the climb up to Champlain Lookout, which as mentioned requires a lot of climbing, and which I had never done before. Having a riding buddy was vital, as I likely would have given up and turned around were I on my own. It took us an hour to reach the top.

View from the top of Champlain Lookout on a rainy evening

So, what did I learn?

Ottawa Bicycle Club

At first I was not impressed with the meeting locations from which the OBC group rides begin (and end). I do not have a car, and reaching remote locations at 8:30 am on a Sunday is not the most obvious thing to do, which made me think these rides were geared towards car-owners who happen to cycle. Having been on a number of these rides, I now understand the thinking behind such practices. The objective is to cycle uninterrupted on paved roads where one can go for extended periods without removing their feet from the pedals (which is not feasible in the city).

Sharing these roads with cars is also easier than in the city, since there are relatively few intersections and even fewer traffic lights, hence motor vehicle users behave more predictably. And since there are fewer cars than in the city, the ones that we do encounter are easier to spot ahead of time, whether coming from behind or from in front of us. The roads themselves are sometimes in a state of disrepair, so it is important to pay attention to avoid injury to oneself or damage to one’s bicycle. And thanks to the OBC training we all undergo, in addition to staying safe we also know to carry equipment for roadside repairs.

Riding as part of a team

My ability to push myself is much greater when cycling in a group than on my own. This is particularly true when part of a drafting peloton, where as mentioned the front rider bears the most wind resistance to the benefit of those riding behind. On my own, when I feel tired it is easy to simply slow down, or to stop and rest (and there is nothing wrong with that). In a group, especially when I am at the front of the drafting peloton, knowing that the team is depending on me gives me that extra boost of energy and makes me push myself harder.

The cycling community

Cycling enthusiasts do not need a lot of coaxing to get along with each other. During group rides I have been told “I can’t believe you only just met Pete at last week’s ride, I thought you guys were best friends since forever!”. Establishing links with other riders is particularly important for finding a RLCT drafting group. I was initially concerned about how easy or hard it would be to join a group; what if everyone else has done the RLCT before and already has a group, what if I am not experienced enough to join, etc. I quickly learned is that these concerns were completely unfounded, as there were many other participants like myself: single RLCT rookies looking to join the community.

Conclusion

So there you have it, this is how I am preparing for the longest bicycle ride on a distance-per-day basis I have ever done. Along the way I have met many great people, learned a lot about bicycles, discovered new routes, and gotten into pretty good shape. Stay tuned for more.

See you on June 21!

Read more: I Completed the 2025 Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour