Cycle South Frontenac

Jeff Green | Jun 15, 2016

South Frontenac Rides held their second annual Tour de South Frontenac event at Prince Charles Public School in Verona on Sunday. Although the event was affected by the weather, a good number of cyclists took advantage of the safety clinic for youth, the hands-on bike maintenance workshop that was put on by Yellow Bike Action, and the free burgers, hot dogs and drinks that were prepared by volunteers.

Yellow Bike Action is a Kingston-based not for profit, which has a storefront on York Street in Kingston. It is dedicated to restoring and recycling bicycles and helping people learn how to keep their bicycles in good repair. They can be reached at 613-545-0404 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Tour was the occasion of the launch of South Frontenac Cycling Routes. The map marks out 12 routes, which range in distance from the short and sweet 13 km Sydenham Village Route to the 104 km Crow Lake Route, which includes Crow Lake Road in its entirety, including the very hilly part, and the picturesque Westport Road. Some of the routes on the map were developed by South Frontenac Rides last year, and some are new, including a couple that are part of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere (FAB) mapping.

In addition to the paper maps, the map is available at http://frontenacmaps.ca/sfcycling

The Frontenac Municipal Information Services department designed the map using the latest Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. “This new cycling map is part of an ongoing collaboration to make the wonderful natural spaces in our township more accessible to residents and visitors,” said South Frontenac Rides volunteer and Township of South Frontenac Councilor Ross Sutherland.

The web version of the map will be accessible as riders tour the routes through its mobile version.

“Using ArcGIS Online cloud technology that we host on our own county servers made this application useable across most devices and platforms,” said Kevin Farrell, GIS Specialist for Frontenac County and lead developer of the map.

“It is nice to know we jointly developed this application and that people who are out on their bikes can just pull out their phone and see where they are on the route they choose,” he said.

However, cyclists should also consider carrying a paper version as there are cellular dead zones in rural areas. The map is available at locations in the township, including the township office in Sydenham.

South Frontenac Rides is also participating in an initiative aimed at determining alternative means of commuting for South Frontenac residents.