FORCE
(Friends of Rural Communities and the Environment)

Press Release

Flamborough, Ontario - Claim Your Right to Ride with the TOUR DE FORCE Bicycle Rally - September 10th, 2006

Flamborough residents, Darcie Pytel and Gwen Todd are proud to host— the Tour de FORCE cycling event on Sunday September 10th, 2006.  It's their way of demonstrating the cycling community's opposition to a proposal that could put Canada's 8th largest aggregate quarry in the midst of a designated bike route, in north-east Flamborough, near the Hamilton-Halton boundaries. 

The proposed site is remarkable. It lays claim to being a provincially designated Natural Heritage Site as well as an Environmentally Sensitive Area. It's an ecological gem surrounded by rolling hills and winding roads, with the Niagara Escarpment as a backdrop. It's no surprise that cycling clubs across Ontario make this part of Hamilton-Halton a regular destination. The ride is as challenging as it is beautiful. Should the quarry application be successful it would also become treacherous.

The quarry application, originally filed by Lowndes Holdings Corp, and now assumed by St Marys Cement, estimates truck traffic of 1140 truck trips per day, or one truck every 30 seconds. The proposed truck traffic introduces unacceptable health risks for cyclists which range from skidding falls on spilt gravel, breathing difficulties because of diesel exhaust, and churned up road dust; and finally, injury and even death from fast moving, slow stopping 38 tonne trucks. Cyclists know that trucks and bikes do not mix; one accident will be too many. 

Both the 100km and 50 km Tour de FORCE (a wordplay on FORCE, Friends of Rural Communities and the Environment, the proposed quarry's community opposition group) begin in Carlisle, at Courtcliffe Park, on Carlisle Road (between Hwy 6 and Centre Road). The routes will direct cyclists along back country roads, up and down the escarpment, and past the proposed quarry site. All rides will finish at Courtcliffe Park.
 
Registration is  $25.00, and it includes the ride, goody bag, Tim Horton's coffee, a Harvey's barbeque ( hamburger, snack and a drink) and a chance to win one of several raffle prizes, including a bike from Neworld Cycle in Burlington, coupons from Brick Brewing Company and JitterBug Java, a Milestones gift certificate and Famous Players movie passes to name a few. The draw will be held at Courtcliffe Park, after the barbeque.

Sign-in and bib pick-up for the 100 km ride is 7:30 – 8:00am; 50km sign-in and bib pick up is 9:30 – 10:00am.

To see the ride routes, learn more, and to register, please visit www.StopTheQuarry.ca.

Claim Your Right to Ride on Sunday September 10th – Rain or Shine!

Contacts: Gwen Todd (905) 689-3654 Darcie Pytel (905) 690-4670