Day 3: I tackled Toronto on the third day of my 770-mile, 9-day cycling adventure and was treated to stunning autumn colours and a spectacular waterfront trail that took me right by the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre – site of the first pinch hit grand slam in World Series history and, hopefully, home of the 2025 World Champion Blue Jays!
I lived in Toronto when I went to journalism school but never took the time to explore its vast network of trails and its expansive beaches on the shores of Lake Ontario. I started in Vaughan and my 70-mile journey over 8.5 hours took me south through the rolling hills and woods of the Humber Valley Trail, east down the Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail to the beaches, the Leslie Street Spit and Tommy Thompson Park, and then back north up the Don Valley Trail. I recorded my third highest elevation gain that day of 1,946 feet.
This was my shortest loop of the trip but it was one of the most challenging with detours, navigational issues, bouts of rain and even stairs with a gutter built especially for bicycle tires! I also experienced my first wipeout when I slowed down for a photo opportunity at the Music Garden in Queen’s Quay and fell hard on my hip on the pavement, still clipped into the pedals of my Trek Domane! 
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