In late May, we were honoured to be invited to the Ontario Bike Summit 2025 by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, a powerful force in Canadian cycling advocacy. Their mission, enhancing road and trail access, improving safety, and educating the public about the value of cycling, this resonates deeply with our work at London Bicycle Café. The summit’s theme, “Bridging Communities, Building Connections,” couldn’t have been more fitting for the ride we took to get there.
Riding the Waterfront Trail
We’re also proud to be working with the folks behind the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, whose mission is to Protect. Connect. Celebrate…Regenerate. The Trail is more than just a route, it’s a living connection between communities and ecosystems across the province. This summer, we’re thrilled to host riders from the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure (GWTA) at the Café, as they promote the trail and the communities along it.
The GWTA promises Friends, Finds, and Fun, and we couldn’t resist the idea of exploring the trail ourselves. We set off to see how other communities are building cycling infrastructure, welcoming cycle tourists, and making active transportation work for everyone.
Day One: London to Rondeau Provincial Park
On the morning of Monday, May 26th, I took my preferred route from London to Port Stanley, one I’ve ridden many times before. From there, I connected to the Waterfront Trail and began making my way along Lake Erie toward Rondeau Provincial Park for the night.
Here’s my route to Port Stanley:
📍 Ride to Port Stanley
Before leaving Port Stanley, I made a few important stops:
☕ Coffee and granola at Burke’s Produce Market on Sunset Road
📍 Whistle Stop Trail for a quick detour
From Port Stanley, the ride east toward Rondeau is one of my favourites:
📍 Lake Erie Ride to Rondeau
I always recommend using Waterfront Trail maps in Ride with GPS or Google Maps, or download the PDFs in advance, especially in low-signal areas!
Points of Interest Along the Way
- Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site: The site of a 16th-century fortified Attiwandaron village.
- Backus-Page House Museum: A glimpse into 19th-century rural life in the Talbot Settlement.
- John E. Pearce Provincial Park: A quiet and beautiful forest preserve on the Lake Erie shoreline.
After arriving at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario’s second-oldest provincial park, I grabbed dinner at the nearby Rondeau Joe’s Pub, a casual spot with a lakeside view. There are B&Bs and non-camping options nearby, but I was well-equipped thanks to my Tern HSD.
The Ultimate Bikepacking Setup
The Tern HSD has quickly become my go-to bikepacking rig. Compact, powerful, and cargo-ready, it hauls everything I need with ease. The Transporteur Rack and Cargo 37 panniers gave me plenty of room for my gear, and the e-assist made even the longest stretches a breeze.
Day Two: From Lake Erie to Lake St. Clair
The next day, I continued north, crossing from Lake Erie to Lake St. Clair via Chatham.
This was a stunning day of riding. The lakeside communities, Belle River, Tecumseh, and Windsor, boast great cycling amenities. The Windsor riverfront made for a perfect finish line.
Highlights from the Ontario Bike Summit
One presentation I was especially excited about was “Building the CASO Trail”, covering the transformation of the old rail corridor into a major inter-regional trail. The 32 km completed in Chatham-Kent is just the beginning. Speaker Jeff Hagan, Manager of Transportation in Chatham-Kent, offered valuable insights into trail development and community engagement.
Other inspiring voices at the summit included:
- Eleanor McMahon, Founder and Board Chair | Share the Road
- Diane Freeman, Councillor | City of Waterloo
- Gary McNamara, Mayor | Town of Tecumseh
- Hilda MacDonald, Warden | County of Essex
They spoke passionately about what it takes to build better cycling communities, from tourism infrastructure to leadership and advocacy.
A special moment was seeing David Isacc, friend of the Café, receive the 2025 Wheels of Change Award for his tireless support of cycling education, legal advocacy, and culture-building in London and beyond.
A Windsor E-Bike Tour
As part of the summit, I took an e-bike tour of Windsor to experience the city’s evolving cycling infrastructure. Comparing it to London was both exciting and encouraging, it’s clear that momentum can be built and there’s some great examples we can adapt.
Heading Home: Reflections and Return
For the ride home, I followed my original route in reverse, discovering new cafés, sights, and moments along the way. This trip reminded me of the power of active travel to build bridges, not just between communities, but between people, ideas, and futures.
We hope you’ve enjoyed following along on our journey to the Ontario Bike Summit. We encourage everyone to take the summit’s theme to heart: Bridge communities. Build connections. Explore by bike, experience more, and impact less.
