HJ,
I am from the Toronto area but work at Thornton and used to ride around Maitalnd before they did the road works for the new bridge. Todd is going in the Ironman triathlon at the end of this month. 12 + hours. The training would be good for you but the race can only take years off your life.
He told me that he was riding Sat mornings from Green Hills to Newcastle and back with Tony Wilson & some serious A+ grade standard cyclists. The pace is high and becomes a race near Newcatle and Green Hills.
I may not be training much outside for a while. I don't like riding in the dark. So I bought a computrainer last week.(Sorry Commando maybe new bike next year). It is similar to riding up until a 15 degree slope when it gets a bit clunky.