Established in 1991, the club schedules over 500 recreational bike rides annually, with routes showcasing the beauty of the Niagara area and beyond. With over 300 members, the Niagara Freewheelers is a volunteer-run organization whose success is due to its dedicated members who plan and lead rides, and organize social events and special cycling excursions.
Come join us for the riding, the fun, and the friendship!
Want to help? Contact us
By-law #1 Approved by membership on October 5, 2024
Operational Guidelines (November 2024)
Welcome to our website, which contains a lot of great information about cycling safety, the rides we offer throughout the Niagara area, social events and excursions, and a whole lot more! If you enjoy cycling and want to meet others who share your passion, I invite you to take a closer look at what our Club offers and consider becoming a member.
Our newsletter provides members with important and interesting information and is sent out by email monthly.
Freewheelers jerseys are available for purchase. Ride in style!
Do you know what makes a really great cycling club? Really great people! On September 13, 2024 Freewheelers gathered at Harold Black Park to honour those members who have gone ‘above and beyond’ in their service to the Club.
A plaque situated next to a stately Honey Locust Tree reads: This tree is dedicated to the outstanding members of the Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club, in recognition of their time and talents spent in service to the Club and to the advancement of recreational cycling in the Niagara region.
Honorees
Bill Stewart (Founder) ~ Virginia Stewart (Founder) ~ Tom Bailey ~ Liz Barber ~ Frank Barnsley ~ Walter Berg ~ Jere Brown ~ Laura Bruce ~ Ann Davies ~ Peter Davies ~ Rita Dillon ~ Paul Dillon ~ Phil Dodd ~ Pat Dunphy ~ Linda Emslie ~ Bill Emslie ~ Dave Featherstone ~ Ken Forgeron ~ Rod Forrester ~ Chris Frere ~ Ron Goff ~ John Helm ~ Jane Hughes ~ Dave Hunt ~ Mark Kawabe ~ Marian Landry ~ Claudette Losier ~ Ron Matsushita ~ Mike Menicanin ~ Dennis Munn ~ George Nicholson ~ Paul Pattison ~ Frank Pravitz ~ Lynda Purpura ~ Janet Rivers ~ Bob Romanuk ~ Betty Saari ~ Drew Semple ~ Susan Sparrow ~ Richard Sparrow ~ Eveline Stout ~ John Swart ~ Hans Taal ~ Suzette Taylor ~ Evan Taylor ~ Linda Thomas ~ Annette Urlocker ~ Peter Warwick ~ Sylvia Wheeler
Bill passed away Thursday, October 25, 2012 at home with family and friends. Bill and Virginia Stewart founded the Freewheelers.
Former Freewheeler, Tom Bailey passed away on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Tom was the major driving force behind the development of many of our club’s ride maps and cue sheets.
Jane Hughes was born in British Columbia and Pat Dunphy was from England. Jane spent most of her childhood in Mississauga and then lived in the Niagara region from her early 20’s. Both were avid cyclists and living in St. Catharines when they met. Together they became involved in the local cycling community, joined the Freewheelers, and had great dreams for the future of cycling in Niagara.
Frank Barnsley passed away on February 6, 2025. He was our role model, mentor, and good friend. He joined the Freewheelers in 1996 following bypass surgery and quickly made cycling with the Freewheelers one of his passions.
Ride as a guest on any of our rides and consider becoming a member. We hope to see you on the next ride!
More Ride Info & Links Cue Sheets & Maps Sort Rides Tour Start Codes List
RWGPS routes, cue sheets/maps used in the Ride Schedule may not be up-to-date or reflect current road conditions. If you choose to use them, it is recommended that you research current road conditions of the route to ensure that they are still viable. Users of these RWGPS routes, cues sheets/maps bear full responsibility for their own safety.
To record rides or download routes for turn-by-turn navigation to a smartphone with the RWGPS app, you currently need to subscribe to RWGPS and join our Niagara Freewheelers RWGPS Club Account at a minimum. You can also download RWGPS routes and load them to a compatible GPS enabled bike computer (e.g. Garmin, Wahoo, etc.) for turn-by-turn navigation by joining our RWGPS account.
