Hundreds of cyclists are making their way through Guelph this weekend as part of the 2025 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure. The annual event sees participants ride a 3,600-kilometre loop connecting Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The route includes a mix of on-and-off-road cycling infrastructure, such as the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, the Greenbelt Route, the Guelph to Goderich Trail, London’s Thames Valley Parkway and the Port Dover to Hamilton Rail Trail. “The great thing about this year is it’s the 30th anniversary of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail,” said Tour Director, Jo Sharland. “All these people that come together, they ride together, we eat together, we we stay in the university dorms and are all in the same place. The community is welcoming. A lot of these people are repeat riders, but they’re so welcoming to new people.” On Saturday, riders hit the 60-kilometre mark at Flow State Bike Company in Arkell between noon and 2 p.m. before arriving at the University of Guelph’s W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eva Black marked her tenth trip on Saturday with her partner, Bob Gibb, whom she met on her very first trip. The pair have been riding together ever since. “The rest is history because we decided to ride together...I found it strange Bob always used to ride my speed like he was doing it on purpose...we rode every single day together,” Black said, laughing. She said the camaraderie is what brings them back each year. “There’s a lot of things to remember when you’re doing a multi-day trip and so somebody inevitably will remember something another person might forget. So, just just that mentality. that group mentality is really lovely,” Black said. Sunday is the longest day of the tour as cyclists set off along the Guelph to Goderich route. The ride, which began August 8 in Hamilton and runs until August 15, is organized in part by the Greenbelt Foundation and supported by CAA South Central Ontario. CAA is reminding motorists, cyclists and pedestrians along the route to share the road and be mindful of safety. Stops along the tour include Hamilton, Guelph, Goderich, London, St. Thomas, Simcoe and a return to Hamilton. “Next year in 2026, we’re hoping to get ourselves down to Windsor to promote the binational trail with the Gordie Howe Bridge down in Windsor which is just opening for bike transit back and forth from the States,” Sharland said. “It’s a big project. We’ve been involved in that and we’re hoping to bring the whole group down there and focus on that.”
