Just moved to Ottawa

I live in the Eastern part of Ottawa but am moving to the West end in 3 months.  I will be about a kilometer from the Western Parkway at Tunney's Pasture.  The best places to work out for me are cycling anywhere along the various parkways and roads of Ottawa as well as Gatineau Park.  I do all my running outside on the roads around my home.  I have not gone swimming in awhile but when I do it is generally in Meech Lake.  I am not a member of the Ottawa Triathlon Club but have heard good things about it.

I'm located centrally, and I work very close to the Gatineau Park, so most of my training is either along the canal paths or in the Park. Can't really help with west-end, but the pathways along the river would be a great start for you. Also, get a copy of the bike path network map from the city - the paths are sometimes a bit too busy for training fast but will get you to roads where you can put the throttle down (esp. some roads with on-road bike lanes). Also, in the spring and summer, some of the parkways are closed on Sunday mornings.

What I really posted for was to let you know to sign up at trirudy.com. He sends out a daily mailing list that is just loaded with useful local information for triathletes.

Cheers,
David

Hey guys, thanks so much for all the info. I have another question for you, though.... Know of any good bike shops? Aubergine (my bike) is still packed in her box and I'd like to get her up and running. Especially if it stays 7 degrees. (The Ottawa chinook??) And I am, unfortunately, mechanically challenged.

Thanks!
Esther

CycleLogik on Richmond Road next to M.E.C. is one of the best sources in town for all things tri, and a good bike shop as well. If I ever get a tri bike it will likely be from them. Personally, I usually use The Cyclery on Bank St. for my service, parts, etc. as they are just up the road from me. It is a good shop and I have been very happy with the work they do.

D

edit: P.S. Clean your bike really well if you do ride this time of year. They salt the roads heavily here, and have done so quite a bit due to the freezing rain we have had lately.

Edited by herridge 2007-01-04 1:26 PM

I will second Cycle Logik, it is just about the best bicycle shop in Ottawa.  They sells excellent bikes and the staff is extremely friendly.  And, as Herridge pointed out, it is right next to Mountain Equipment Co-op where you can buy lots of cycling tools, parts and clothing at reasonable prices.    

Hey, thanks guys! I'll check it out. I've found some awesome bike paths near my place, so when I do get my bike assembled, I should be golden.

Cheers,
Esther

Esther

I used to live in Stittsville. The rail trail (Trans Canada Trail) is a great spot for running. The surface is finely crushed gravel, so it provides much better cushioning than pavement.

The trail runs through Kanata and Stittsville. Here is a link to google maps that shows the trail in the centre of the map (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.285738,-75.877188&spn=0.002733,0.006781&t=h&z=18&om=1)