March 17, 2007 — What began as a training ride in 1974 has now reached classic status. Local cyclists and filmmakers Aryeh Smith and Stephane Marcotte collaborated to develop a comprehensive showcase of cycling in Toronto, with an emphasis on the weekend event that has been dubbed “the Donut Ride”.

On any given Saturday and Sunday morning you will find racer sportifs and weekend warriors alike of all ages pushing pedals on the Donut Ride, possibly one of the longest running rides in Canada.

“Riding a bike is something people learn as kids, but as an adult the automobile takes over as the main means of transportation,” said Marcotte. “No matter what age, cycling is a great activity, there is a great event that happens every weekend that is never cancelled due to poor weather.”

No one actually owns or runs the Donut Ride. It was started by the Scarborough Cycling Club as a training ride, the club no longer exists but the “Donut” has grown and continues to take a life of its own.

“It’s a very popular ride within the Toronto cycling community. It is not just a group ride or a team ride, but rather a social subculture in itself,” said Smith. “Many cities around the world have something like this, where the range of cyclists is from fully pro riders to those just starting out but want to improve.”

The long route, approximately 110kms, starts at what was a donut shop (but is now a Great Canadian Bagel) in the 1970s at Laird and Eglinton streets in Toronto, and winds through the city up to Yonge and Steeles, winds further northwest on side streets to Bathurst and Hwy #7, where the pace picks up going west on Langstaff to Keele, north past Major Mackenzie to St John’s, east to Dufferin, and southeast to Yonge near Lawrence where the group rests at Gramma’s Oven.

After a 15-min break cyclists make their way to Leslie where they head straight south until they reach their home destination. Shorter routes of approximately 75kms follow a portion of the main route.

The Donut Ride trailer is available here. A full documentary DVD with special features and full-length interviews to be released in Spring 2007.