It's Fall and I have a new phone with a fancy triple camera with a Leica lens, so here's my "Sunday morning in Courtice" album

Health update: I'm a cycling machine

As most of you know, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself back in April, brushed off my bike and got back on the proverbial horse, despite pain and injury. My highest weight in 2017 was 286 pounds. Today I weigh...

... are you ready for it?

258.4

This has been the most frustrating journey to get here but I persevered and pulled off this:

It's been a little hairy to ride in the evenings in Courtice. The town itself isn't very big and there are only three bike lanes - none of which are connected. To really get a good distance, I'd ride up to Hampton (and to Enniskillen on weekends) but it's too dangerous to ride the narrow, rural roads at night. So my night rides have been short, about 15 km, and infrequent, because although I'm prepared for the cold, I really do not like riding in wind, and it's been really windy.

But I gotta keep moving, right? So at the beginning of the month I forced my husband off the couch and now we walk, five times a week. We're averaging about 3 km a walk because my knees get extremely sore as they are riddled with arthritis. We walked 4.5 km recently and I was almost crippled by the time I got home. But ride 35 km non-stop? No problem. 

Someone mentioned putting together a Crazy Train cycling group for the Ride for Heart this coming June. I'm down. I'll post details on here, and on Twitter, once it's closer to registration. Now don't get too excited, I'm only interested in the 25 km route.

I haven't done a 50 km ride yet. My longest distance is 36 km. Let's stay realistic, k?

The goal now is to get to 238 pounds which was my original goal weight and I made it back in March of 2014. It is totally possible to lose 20 pounds in four months and I'm going to try my hardest to get there.

So, how's the cycling going ...?

Great!

Despite the ridiculous weather pattern swings... I managed to get into a routine (cycling posts are still public on Facebook for those cheering me on). Friday night, I had a personal best of 30 km in under 2 hours. And as you can see from the scale picture above, I'm down 20 pounds from my highest weight this year.

I have gained back most of my mobility. There is now renewed strength in my quads. I can sort of stand up and pedal but it's wonky - the balance isn't there yet.

My new bike outperforms my old bike in ways I have come to appreciate, especially when climbing hills. It's lighter and easier to manipulate.

But the best part of this weight loss is the clothes. I can fit into almost everything in my closet but at least, I can wear all my spring and summer pieces. I am continuing to listen to my body. I take breaks. I switch up my routes. I rest. But some rides, I do push myself only to see if I can do it and when I do it, I break into tears every single time.

The police called us to tell us they have a possible ID on one of the kids who stole Veronica, but there's been no further development.

I really doubt I'll ever see that bike again.

Bought a Betty

I've resigned myself to the fact that Veronica is gone and forked out for a new bike (and all new lights, accessories, reflective tape, etc...). I went back to Impala Bicycles in Whitby since they were great to me the first time, even though they no longer sell Giant bikes. I settled on a Specialized Crossroads S/T.

Betty, as I've named her, is 12 pounds lighter than my previous girl (I miss you, Veronica! *sob*). I will admit this weight difference has made a big difference in my rides. Hills are easier and I get better speed. I rode to Hampton from Courtice twice this weekend since the ride was so comfortable. Her tires are wider which makes for a better grip when I drift onto soft shoulders. I'm happy with her.

I also want to thank everyone who shared my search to reclaim Veronica. I deeply appreciate these efforts. I also want to publicly thank a lovely woman who reached out to me to offer me a used bike. I took her up on this offer as I had promised my daughter a bike this year. That meant a lot to me. Thank you.

500 km in 30 days - I can do this!

Nothing like a nice walk down memory lane, right?

2014 was shaping up to be a really great year. I had started moving my fat ass shortly after December 4, 2011 when I turned in the keys to my leased Chevy Equinox and walked away from car ownership. I was car free for almost six years. But now I drive a Fiat. Don't judge.

I walked EVERYWHERE. And I took the kid with me. We walked to daycare, to the store, to the park, to the library, to swimming lessons. Then I bought a bike - a real shitty one off of Kijiji, with a bike trailer and I rode it EVERYWHERE. I took the kid with me. To daycare, to the store, to the park, to the library ... you get the idea.

I then took up long distance walking, averaging 10 km a night for five nights out of a week. I walked through the ice storm, through rain, hail, over ice, through heavy snow and once, in a blizzard (uphill, too). I lost 90 pounds in under two years.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2014. I'm the most fit I've ever been but unbeknownst to me, my right knee was having no more of this shit, and I blew out my ACL while trying to take up running. It was a stupid move.

For those of you who have heard all of this before, I'm glad you're hanging in there. It's repetitious because I have to tell the 'new to this blog' folks my whole life story. Forgive me.

Long story short, I injured many other parts of my legs and feet, and in the middle of this past April, after a really bad day and many months of feeling sorry for myself, AND piling on 30 pounds over the past two years, I decided I had enough.

That's me, a year ago to this day. Injured and miserable.

Despite the pain, I was going to cycle 500 km in 30 days. I got back in touch with my dietitian. We worked out a plan and I was going to commit to it. The first week was hell. I also was told to quit alcohol. Although I am NOT an alcoholic, I can sympathize greatly with those who struggle to abstain because THEY HAVE TO, and not by choice. Next to giving up sugar, abstaining from alcohol is god damn hard because I LOVE TO DRINK. Unfortunately, my body doesn't like it, and it causes all kinds of bloating and inflammation I just don't need.

Advil Arthitis in its pretty yellow and teal bottle is my only vice these days.

To track my cycling progress, I am using S-Health which is built into my Samsung S7 with GPS enabled. I also hooked up my Adidas fitness tracker and was surprised by how accurate S-Health is. I no longer strap on the Adidas device.

For simplicity, and for those who want to follow along, I've made all of my cycling posts public on Facebook. I reached 200 km last night in 11 days of bicycling.



For those who are thinking of trying this same challenge, I encourage you to invest in a good hybrid bike. I gave up the shitty Kijiji bike in June of 2015. You don't need to spend a lot of money. The one I have is the Giant LIV Cypress DX W - the W stands for women and it comes with a saddle specially designed for our lady bits. I've put over 2000km on this girl and it's still going strong. Also, don't clip your feet. You're not trying out for the Tour de France here. You'll want to be able to kick your legs out as you go down a hill, trust me. It's exhilarating. Start out slow before you ramp up to 500 km in 30 days. Stretch. Do hamstring curls. Take care of your ankles. Follow AskDoctorJo on YouTube. Her videos will help you get your body ready.

I also suggest that you buy a nice sized jar of Vaseline. There are all kinds of special cycling pastes and creams sold to ease saddle soreness and chafing, but Vaseline or its econo version, Petroleum Jelly (same thing really, just not name brand) will quickly become your best friend. And don't be stingy, coat it on, coat it everywhere, in all the valleys and crannies, ladies. Don't spend money on fancy cycling clothes. You don't need them. Tights and a t-shirt, or long sleeve shirt, whatever, it works (and for god's sake, don't wear black - you need to be visible). Don't wear a windbreaker. They act like fucking parachutes. I learned the hard way. You'll also want lights, flashing lights, a headlight, reflective tape, wrap around glasses (because bugs!) helmet, horn (not a bell, HORN) and tunes. Buy a bike mount for your phone so you can listen to your music as you ride. Don't use headphones. You need to hear cars. 

I'm lucky I live less than 2 km from some of the most amazing rural road bike routes in Durham Region, which is why I can cover the distance that I do. Find out where your local bike paths are, and bike lanes, and use Map My Ride to plan a route. Or, come out my way, park your car in the plaza at Highway 2 and Courtice Road, and just ride. And for god's sake, for the love of all things holy, STOP AT STOP SIGNS. I have zero respect for cyclists who blow through them. All you do is piss off drivers who then decide that I'm one of you, and so they do stupid things to "teach me a lesson". You're feeding into the game. Just obey the rules of the road. Don't be a dick.

I've lost 10.8 pounds in the past month and I'm down 14 pounds from my highest weight this year. My muscles and tendons have loosened up. The strength in my quads has slowly returned. I can get up off a chair without pushing myself up with my arms. I can now wear 65% of the clothes in my closet, up from 25%, and I move better. There's still pain, I won't lie, but it is no where near the level it was before April.

I have accepted that I will never be able to run again and though I've tried, I can no longer play tennis and probably never will again. That's been the hardest part of all this. I've played tennis since I was six years old. It was my passion. I can't part with my rackets. Tennis was a part of my life that was great and rewarding.
It's been heartbreaking to accept.

I'm also being careful to listen to my body. I rest when I should. The anxiety I had about re-injuring myself has greatly subsided.

I'm not a pro athlete and never will be. I'm just a fat girl on a bike.

Now that the pity party is over and I've re-focused, I'm challenging myself!

Tuesday was a horrible day. I had biked the night before but the achilles pain was like fire all day and I was cranky, weepy and truly a hot mess. I kept crying on the bus ride home prompting a few looks of concern. I went to physio, had acupucture and went to bed telling myself I can do this.

Monday night I pulled this off:

But as I said, I paid for it on Tuesday. I think I was in so much pain because I was depressed and feeling very negative.

I also starting "patching" again on Tuesday night and felt much better yesterday. Patching helped to ease the bursitis in my knees and my doctor, by email, okayed me to start patching the achilles area of my right foot. I also upped my arthritis medication and felt immediate relief.

So last night, I set out to see if I could push myself further on the bike and this happened:

Today I feel great. I'm sore but there is no pain. The ankle is tender and surprisingly, there's no inflammation or swelling present in my knees. I was able to get out of bed this morning without hobbling.

I also worked up the nerve to weigh myself and the scale high-fived back with 277.6 pounds. That's a 6.4 pound loss since my highest weight this year of 284.

One thing I am most grateful for, because it is nerve wracking to put yourself out there, is how supportive all the crazy train fans have been. After I tweeted the Back in the saddle post on Twitter, I received a few text messages from people who appreciated I put my story out there. I also received some recommendations for personal trainers and doctors who can work with me. I am weighing these options. I am happy with my medical level of care so I don't think I will change that, but I think some personal training will help with my muscle weakness, imbalance and lack of core strength.

Thank you for being my friend, friends!

Back in the saddle even though I'm a mess

It'll be a year this May 2 when I tore my left leg's hamstring. It has not been an easy recovery and I'm left with so many issues stemming from this injury (weight gain, mental distress, anxiety, depression). I've also developed other problems that have become aggravated by the injury and the recovery process.

The worst has to be that I developed pes anserine bursitis in both knees. This is a painful condition that makes walking down hills and stairs difficult and challenging. To add to the pile of woe, I also have iliotibial band syndrome (IT band for short) in my left leg (I'm telling you the fun never ends). But wait, there's more! Just recently I was diagnosed with achilles tendinosis in my right foot - this is truly a party that never stops. I can only wear flat shoes which aggravates my left foot and is probably going to result in extensor tendonitis, a condition I've had before and is most painful first thing in the morning. There's been some discomfort which tells me it's inevitable.

I spent most of the summer crying myself to sleep, crying in the shower and just being fucking miserable. It wasn't any better emotionally leading up to Christmas. Depression set in when I found myself sized out of 90% of the clothing in my closet resulting in me breaking down and buying clothes in a size (22/24) I haven't worn in over three years.

I spent two years changing everything about myself which resulted in a 90 pound weight loss. I started in February 2012, two months after ditching my car and relying solely on my two feet and local transit to get to and from the GO station. My highest weight was 326, possibly 336 (this is a guess since my scale maxed out at 320). I made it all the way down to 250 in February 2014. My goal was 236 pounds. I got down to 246 but struggled all summer of 2014 to stay there. I plateaued at 256 until Thanksgiving of that same year when I blew out my right knee while running (I was running 2 km which was impressive considering my osteoarthritis). I tore my right ACL. The recovery was long and painful. Just when I was starting to feel better, I fell down the stairs of a double decker GO bus which resulted in me developing infrapatellar bursitis in the right knee.

Even now, just writing this all out I'm left with a sense of despair.

The only thing that saved me from the 2014 injury was taking up long-distance road cycling. At my peak, I was cycling 400 km a month - mostly evening and weekend rides. Now that my kid is finished daycare, I'm considering cycling from Courtice to the Oshawa GO station but the amount of trucks and crazy, distracted drivers terrify the shit out of me. I haven't worked up the nerve. My only options are Bloor Street or Highway 2. These are extremely busy arteries at rush hour and I'm convinced I'll be writing my own death sentence if I do it. There are no bike paths I can take that are a direct route. Cycling out in Durham really is a suicide mission. It's not like cycling in Toronto. Drivers aren't looking for cyclists and when they do see you, most try to run you off the road. Or maybe it's my own paranoia that feeds into my distrust...

Cycling helped my right leg get better. And when Spring rolled around last year, I was eager to get back into my cycling routine. I had no idea that all the cycling from the year before had over-lengthened my hamstrings (due to a poor seat position most likely) which made me vulnerable to hamstring injuries and all it took was one kick-boxing class a year ago and poof! My life changed for the worse. I've spent more time with my physiotherapist than with my own family these past 12 months.

Last Saturday, I tuned up my bike and went for a 4 km bike ride. I felt fine. Nothing hurt outside of pain I am used to feeling. Last night I went for a 9 km bike ride. I felt fine. Nothing hurt... until this morning. My IT band grabbed its fucking mariachi maracas and quickly reminded me it was fiesta time. Hey?! Remember me?! ¡Arriba, arriba! ¡Ándale, ándale!

Fuck.

I currently weigh 279 pounds. I was hovering around 284 in March. At the beginning of April, I had a pow wow with my dietitian and we developed a strategy where I would consume 1200 calories a day to kickstart weight loss. My body loves to be big. My metabolism is non-existent. I don't burn much. She and I discussed how obese people remain obese because the body actually becomes conditioned to being obese. She pointed to a study about contestants from a TV show called The Biggest Loser. It's a heartbreaking read.

I'm determined to be physically active. Despite all the pain, I remain committed to walking 1.8 km every morning to a bus stop where I can take a bus directly to Oshawa GO that puts me on the 7:03 am GO train. I just punch through it. It's been tempting to take a different route where I don't have to walk beyond the corner of my street, but it means taking a later train, which means leaving the office later... so it's a no from me. I've considered buying a car. The thought comes and goes. It would make life a lot easier but it's an expense I've become very accustomed to not having.

I will figure out how to deal with the IT band issue. Stretching will help. The concern now is the struggle to stay in one clothing size and remain there. I don't need to be skinny. I gave up on that years ago. I just don't want diabetes, high cholesterol, heart problems, breathing problems and whatever else being obese can bring. I've had osteoarthritis since my early 20s. It was always manageable, but it's definitely progressed in the past two years and primarily due to the stress and strain of the injuries and conditions.

The depression has been the hardest part of this. I'm not medicated. I find ways to cope. I fight the feeling of just giving up, quitting work and filing for disability. On weekends, I won't get out of bed until well after noon. I look forward to when it's time to go home each day so I can have dinner and just retreat to my bedroom. I'm no longer in physiotherapy, but I do force myself to perform stretching and strengthening exercises for 10-15 minutes in the morning and again just before bed. Some nights I just cry. Then I get mad at myself and remind myself of how good my life is, that I'm not dying and it could be so much worse. But boy, what I would give to just be able to climb a ladder again without feeling like I'm about to fall, or just being able to run down stairs - just for the hell of it. What I miss most, tho, is dancing.

Anyway, enough feeling sorry myself. I just wanted to put out an update for those who have read this website for years so I could share my woe. Thanks for reading.

Harvest feast, personal accomplishments and derailment

It was a great weekend for me because, baby, I'm back! Back on the bike!

October 11th marked a horrible two year anniversary for when I first injured myself, sustaining a blow to my right knee, which resulted in bursitis of the upper patella. I had fallen down the stairs of a double decker GO bus after the driver missed my stop. I went down the stairs to tell him but had no idea he would brake suddenly. It took 18 months to be able to walk without pain. To help with the healing process, I took up cycling more aggressively, working my way up to 35 km bike rides through Courtice and Bowmanville. I did this up until November of last year. I stayed active over the winter using a treadmill. In April, I took up long-distance walking again, and well, I had no idea I had weak hamstrings when I decided to teach myself kickboxing in my basement. Also, I never was one to stretch religiously. SO MANY LESSONS WERE LEARNED WHEN I TORE THE HAMSTRING IN MY LEFT LEG on May 3rd.

It's been a long road, folks, to get better, and thousands of dollars for physiotherapy, massage and yoga. The first time I tried to cycle 10 km was August 3. I cried the whole way. It hurt so much to pedal. I stopped trying and took up yoga on the advice of my sports medicine doctor. Two months later, just this past Wednesday, I hopped on my bike and did my 10 km training route -- a route I designed to train my body to climb hills with a considerable, but gradual, elevation. I did it without pain. And I did it again two more times! Tonight I ride again and this time, I am going to add 5 km to the route. As some of you may know, back in early 2013, I embarked on a journey to get in shape as I was tired of being tired (and round). After an almost 100 pound weight loss, I gained 40 pounds of it back, and all of it after I injured myself. In the past six weeks, I've lost eight pounds of that gain.

I trust you all had a lovely harvest and long weekend? You did?! Great. Imma keep going on about my life, k?

On Sunday, we took our boat out onto Lake Simcoe and... NEVER AGAIN. It was too windy. The water was too choppy. Although we caught some impressive jumbo perch, I'm not cut out for that kind of fishing. It was too terrifying even though my husband swore we wouldn't capsize. The drive up was breathtaking, though. This is my favourite time of year! I ate too much but exercised enough that I broke even. 

On the weekend, I had a lengthy text conversation with a GO train passenger questioning the safety of the trains, commenting they travel too fast and doubtful anyone at Metrolinx cares about derailment, because he/she was one of the people affected by the three and half hour delay last month, and doubted that there's a procedure in place to handle a derailment and ensuing evacuation in a "timely manner". It's a valid concern, but it was the "timely manner" part that left me scratching my head. I told this person that much. Also, all GO trains have, what, a crew of three to five Bombardier personnel, including the CSA? These folks have families, too. I am positive safety is paramount to them. We're not the only ones who want to get home safe. 

I don't think anyone can accurately predict the consequences of a derailment, so much to a point, that Metrolinx has a time frame for the rescue effort. There are so many factors to consider. Do I trust there is a plan? Yes. I trust there is a plan on what to do and who to call to coordinate a rescue effort. Do I still have an answer as to what warrants a train evacuation? No. Sometimes situations may result is passengers having to make executive decisions. I'm always ready. I know where the tools are. I'm not afraid to ask for help. If the train is on fire, I'm the first one out. If we've gone off the rails and we're upright, I'll wait for emergency personnel. If we're on our side and people are gravely injured, and I'm okay, I'll do my best to administer first aid. As for evacuations after engine failure... guys, I have to believe in my heart of hearts, there is no way in hell the mistakes made that night will be repeated. I'll keep my eye on the Metrolinx website for the report. I will share it when it becomes available.

Health update

There's a country song here somewhere. But seriously, who doesn't like #cycling fresh asphalt? pic.twitter.com/v9B4Dg6f9A

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 23, 2015

It's been a while since I've mentioned where I'm at with my struggle to be healthy and fit. In October I had a setback when I fell down the stairs of a Double Decker GO bus when the driver accelerated to leave the bus stop as I was making my way down to exit. I slammed my right knee into the fiberglass wall and hobbled off the bus after exchanging angry words with the driver. He admitted he didn't look at his monitors to see if anyone was exiting from the upper deck. A week later, I went to put on my shoes at my sister's house after Thanksgiving dinner and my knee screamed, I screamed, and just like that - BURSITIS.

What an absolutely awful condition. There have been days when I could not walk. Days when I cried just from going down a few steps. Days when I could barely get out of my office chair after sitting for an hour. Nights where I couldn't sleep because of the pulling and swelling sensation. Days of sobbing and feeling sorry for myself because I lost my stability, had trouble with balance, and was stuck with limited mobility and range of motion. It's taken close to 40 physiotherapy sessions, a dozen acupuncture treatments and months of stationary cycling to get where I am today - walking, standing, climbing stairs, descending stairs and being able to bend the knee and put full weight on my right leg. I'm not out of the woods yet as my knee is out of alignment after months of a poor gait, and I am experiencing hip pain and joint pain that I am told should eventually subside. I've also been warned that surgery may be necessary.

You know that saying, a body in motion stays in motion? There was no motion so my body became a body at rest, and even though I restricted my caloric intake to 1800 calories a day, the scale moved up and before I knew it, I gained 20 pounds between November and May. I blame the weight gain to reintroducing bad foods into my diet - sugar being the main culprit. This month, after turning 41 on the 14th, I literally slapped myself in the face. Self-pity isn't my style but it's easy to be swallowed up by it. My lowest recorded weight in the past three years was 238. My highest weight (2010) was 328 (rough estimate). I am now 260 -- so no where near the shit show of 328, but far away from the best weight of 238.

I'm back to cycling since long-distance walking is still off the table. And I mean hardcore cycling, with hills and steep inclines that stretch for two kilometers or more. Living in east Courtice, surrounded by long stretches of country roads, I can cycle for 15 to 20 kilometers and burn 1000 calories in an hour. Of course, some of these roads are narrow and with no shoulders, just deep ditches, it can be nerve-wracking when drivers act like douchebags. I am not an aggressive or entitled cyclist. I am a "share the road" cyclist. I am a"stop at the stop sign" cyclist. I am a "helmet always on" cyclist. I am a "always uses hand signals" cyclist. I am a "wears a light when it's dusk" cyclist. I am the type of cyclist that motorcyclists will go out of their way to stop me and tell me they appreciate I follow the rules of the road. I don't do it because I'm a nice person. I cycle the way I do because it's the right thing to do, and in some cases, the law. It's a shame that law-abiding cyclists have to be thanked for being law-abiding.

As it stands, I think I am back on track. No more sugar. Lots of cycling. And more weight training. I've been told when it comes to cardio, your body eventually becomes efficient of whatever exercise you undertake and you have to "switch it up". For me, that means more challenging bikes rides and lifting weights in my ghetto home gym.

Wish me luck!

And this is why bikes generally aren't allowed during rush hour. Because chaos.

St. George. When's that relief line coming? pic.twitter.com/fRs3Hzfg3j
— Adrian Morrow (@AdrianMorrow) March 24, 2015

Recently I was cc'd on a series of emails from members of the GTA cycling community about how the current transit situation in the GTA does not accommodate for commuters who want to commute with their bikes on-board GO trains (and TTC subways).

I'm going to work with what I know - GO trains. I'm a cyclist myself. When the weather is good, it's not unusual for me to bike 30 to 40 kilometres around Courtice and into Bowmanville. One day, I'd like to bike all the way to the Oshawa GO station, just to see what it's like. But the lack of bike lanes is a concern, and although the City of Clarington has slowly installed bike lanes on key roads in Courtice, as part of a pilot project, they are not part of a Durham Region-wide network that would get me to the Oshawa GO Station without risking my life in traffic with cement trucks and distracted, texting and potentially murderous drivers. I admire those who don't give a shit and do it anyway. Honestly? I'm too scared.

But enough about me. As it stands, the trains we have are not designed to accommodate more than two bikes in a designated area and because bikes are bulky, they restrict movement and at Union, become a hazard because of how narrow the platforms are. The platforms were designed for people. People forget that Union Station is older than Jesus. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, nobody thought about whether downtown workers would one day, in 2015, want to bring a bike into the city and use it to ride to work. Union isn't built for bikes. The TTC subway isn't built for bikes. Bikes take up room. Room that was designed for people and as it stands, can't even accommodate the people we have now. Have you seen the platform widths of 24 and 25? How about 12 and 13? Especially around the stairwells?

Simply put, it's dangerous.

But can this change? Sure it can, but when? I'm still waiting for the Lakeshore East GO Train service to be extended to Bowmanville, which in my mind, is a bigger priority than being able to bring a bike with me during morning and evening rush hour. I continue to live in Durham Region because I refuse to give up the dream. The official announcement came down from the then-Mike Harris' provincial conservatives in 2000 that Metrolinx would run a train to Waverly Road and Baseline in Bowmanville. I started getting really excited when the farm lands around Trulls Road and Baseline in Courtice were expropriated for a station and parking lots. I jumped for joy in 2014 when the owner of the former Knob Hill lands in Oshawa and Metrolinx finally closed the deal on what would be the second Oshawa GO Station, only to learn there is no money for tracks. No money for trains. No money for parking lots. No money for stations. No money for signals. Nothing.

I sat on the emails about transit supporting bicycle commuting for over a month. I agree it would be a wonderful added benefit but not without billions of dollars in upgrades needed to make it happen. However, I agree that at present, some changes could be made such as an additional coach where the lower level is designated for bikes. I won't share the emails I got, but I will share the reply that was given.

From: customerrelations@gotransit.com
To: Names withehld
CC: Leslie.Woo@metrolinx.com
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:16:41 -0400
Subject: GO Transit, a Division of Metrolinx EM0119001252

Dear Mr. (name withheld) and (name withheld)
Thank you for your patience as I looked into your concerns. 
You both have raised very valid points regarding GO Transit’s current bicycle policy and I appreciate your suggestions on how this service can be improved for our customers.  
I recognize that there is a growing demand for cyclists to be able to bring their bikes onto the train.  We have recently started reviewing this policy in coordination with our Smart Commute team, whose goal is to help commuters explore smart travel options such as cycling. We will be looking at various travel options for cyclists including implementing a designated coach for bikes and amending the policy for peak service options.  We will also look at using the accessibility coach as you have suggested. 
I realize that running a parallel bus service along our existing corridors would be of great benefit to you and many other cyclists.  Unfortunately, we don’t have enough buses to supply such service at this time. In addition, it would take buses away from those routes where bus services are the only option. 
Mr. Pinkerton, I was very sorry to learn that your bicycle had been stolen from one of our GO Stations.  I would like to assure you that safety and security are top priorities for us. As part of the bicycle policy review, we will also be looking at how we can advance safety measures to help prevent security issues related to bicycle crimes.  
Thank you for your patience while we re-examine this policy.  We will be sharing more information regarding any changes that might occur as it becomes available. 
Thank you again for taking the time to write to us. 
Sincerely, 

Paula EdwardsDirector, Customer Care, GO Transit
CC.      Paul Finnerty, Vice President of GO Operations, GO Transit            Leslie Woo, Chief Planning Officer, Metrolinx