March 2/09 9:51 am - Registration Opens for 2nd Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Tour

Posted by Editor on 03/2/09
 

Registration Opens for 2nd Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Tour

July 4-11, 2009

Anticipating thoughts of warmer weather and summer fun, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust has launched registration for the 2009 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure. The second annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure takes place July 4-11, 2009 and is a 730 km supported end-to-end cycling tour of the Ontario waterfront and greenways, passing through 41 Ontario communities in eight days and celebrating the new and expanded Waterfront Trail. More than 250 cyclists will travel from Niagara-on-the-Lake in the west to the Quebec border in the east, in an organized tour that will stretch along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, using the Waterfront Trail and Greenway.

There is a range of options on tap for participants, including a new Family Option. Registration for the 2009 event is now open and will be limited to 250 end-to-end entrants. Participants are also welcome to join the tour for two or three days and to use personal support vehicles, with two participants taking turns driving and riding. Registration fees apply, based on the number of riding days and the participant's age.

New this year is a family option entitled 'The One Night Adventure', a 120 km tour which starts in Burlington and includes two days of supported riding, plus four day passes to Ontario Place. For more information, or to register for the Second Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure, visit www.waterfronttrail.org or call (416) 943-8080. Cost per adult for the entire ride is $450.00 and the One Night Adventure costs $250.00 for a family of four.

The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure will showcase waterfront communities such as Niagara-on-the-Lake, Grimsby, Hamilton, Toronto, Pickering, Port Hope, Brighton, Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall, and help promote cycling, tourism, and active living in Ontario.

The waterfront communities are preparing celebrations for the cyclists and public to enjoy as the convoy rolls through. (Visit www.waterfronttrail.org for a complete listing of events in each community.) Cyclists will have an opportunity to see vibrant communities and beautiful parks, experience delicious local food and entertainment, learn fascinating history, visit the last remaining coastal wetlands, forests and beaches, and enjoy charming shops and unique local businesses.

Some of the coastline highlights cyclists will encounter include:

• 86 wetlands
• Two UNESCO world biospheres
• One Great Lake, one Heritage River
• Historic forts
• Two Ontario wine regions
• Festival country
• 12 new Waterfront Trail projects

The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure launches on Saturday, July 4, 2009 at historic Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario with a breakfast for cyclists and dignitaries and ends on July 11, 2009 in Rivière Beaudette, Quebec with closing ceremonies where end-to-end participants receive a commemorative medallion marking their accomplishment.

The Adventure has something for walkers and the viewing public as well. The waterfront communities are preparing celebrations for the cyclists and public to enjoy as the convoy rolls through. Here are the overnight stops:

Day 1: Saturday, July 4th - Niagara-on-the-Lake to Confederation Park, Hamilton
Day 2: Sunday, July 5th - Hamilton to Fort York, Toronto
Day 3: Monday, July 6th - Toronto to Port Hope
Day 4: Tuesday, July 7 - Port Hope to Trenton
Day 5: Wednesday, July 8 - Trenton to Kingston
Day 6: Thursday, July 9 - Kingston to Grenville Campground, Johnstown
Day 7: Friday, July 10 - Johnstown to Cornwall
Day 8: Saturday, July 11 - Cornwall to Quebec border and Rivière Beaudette

The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure is organized by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and its over 50 waterfront partners, including local municipalities, conservation authorities and community groups and is generously supported by: The Ontario Trillium Foundation, CIBC, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, MMM Group, Toronto-Niagara Bike Train: the Greenbelt Express and Dun-Map Inc.

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust is a registered charity that co-ordinates a partnership of waterfront communities, conservation authorities, community groups and corporations dedicated to the completion, enhancement and promotion of the Waterfront Trail and Greenway.