Come for the ride, stay for the après
Toonies will be starting up again for 2024, and soon!
Mark your calendar for Thursday May 23, and join us for the season’s first Toonie Ride.
WORCA hosts Thursday night Toonie Rides with different local businesses and organizations sponsoring each ride. We will not be hosting any in-person Toonie Rides on the 2nd week of July, August and September.
The Toonies Rides are a great place to mix and mingle with our vibrant mountain biking community. Ride hard for the challenge or ride with friends for the fun of it. When the ride is over, we all meet up at après to share tall tales with friends old and new. However you ride, it’s guaranteed to be a good time.
For 2024, the cost remains a toonie if you pre-pay and purchase a Toonie Season Pass for $30 when you buy your membership (no additional amounts to pay at registration, equivalent to $2 per ride x 15 Toonie Rides - you will need to register for each individual Toonie Ride but will be prompted to use your season pass).
Season
Pass
$30
Single RIDE youth
$2
Single RIDE
adult
$5
Toonie ride categories
We’re excited to be running virtual and in-person Toonies again for 2024!
In-Person Toonies!
In-person Toonies have a set start time on Thursday evenings.
Formats will vary from ride to ride, with the majority being classic point-to-point style XC ride/races.
Riders will complete the same course. Courses are posted in advance, and please ensure you check the course route to decide whether you feel capable of riding a specific week's course. Our live Toonies will be self-seeded, with a competitive “race start” followed by a “rolling start”.
Make sure to have confirmation of registration handy (e.g., screenshot on your phone) to access Après and be eligible for prizing following the ride!
Virtual Toonies!
Many Toonie weeks will also offer a Virtual Toonie.
We want to include those who cannot make the in-person event on Thursdays, or want the option of a Chiller vs Thriller course. Virtual Toonies will often have prizing and Apres deals, so make sure to both register for the virtual Toonie, and log your ride on Trailforks to earn your badge!
Virtual Toonies must be completed between Monday and Saturday of the Toonie week.
CHILLERS
The Chiller course option offers less technical, or lesser effort rides that can be enjoyed by laid-back or newer riders (or if you just don't have as much time!). Most of the Chiller rides will be on Blue-rated trails.
Thrillers
The Thriller courses offer technical rides, for those looking for a challenge or higher exertion ride. Thriller courses are primarily on Black-rated trails, but may include some Double-Black sections.
Register in Advance.
Get your WORCA membership (which includes an online waiver) and then register for the Toonie Rides before each event. That way we can keep the wheels turning and the good times rolling.
The rides
The purpose of the Toonie Rides is to bring our community together to ride, eat and have a beverage to celebrate the sport we love. Some riders come for the Thrill. Looking to best the competition. Others come to Chill. To socialize, get some exercise, and explore Whistler’s trails.
Money raised at the Toonies covers the cost of insuring the event and every other cent goes back into maintaining Whistler’s exceptional network of bike trails. The rides are open to everyone, young and old, and of all abilities. All participants must be WORCA members and have signed our waiver. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must wear a helmet and ensure that their bikes are in good working order. Bring water, tube repair kits, and tools because you never know.
Toonie Etiquette: Registration Required, Staggered Starts, and E-Bikes
A Toonie is a community ride that happens most Thursday's throughout the riding season.
These are OPEN RACES / RIDES - riders can sign-up on our website) - to all WORCA members and riders of all abilities.
The ride is always followed by a sweet sponsored apres with some sort of yummy food/meal and a beer or non-alcoholic beverage. We change courses throughout the year to ensure a diversity of difficulty and location across the valley, with a variety of trail ratings to appeal to a variety of skill levels.
TOONIES and STAGGERED STARTS -
Toonies start at 6:30pm (First Start) and riders can begin their race / ride until 6:45pm. Some folks prefer to race while others are just there for a great time on the trails with pals. There will be two distinct start calls - read below for how to seed yourself!
The FIRST START. Think you're fast? Want to give it the beans on your ride the whole time and jockey for a podium spot? Self-seed within the first wave.
A SECOND START will take place 5 minutes later. Think you're more into the social vibe? Hold back and go anywhere in the second wave. This SECOND WAVE is for everyone not giving it the gas the whole time, and is self seeded: If you want to have a nice consistent ride, step to the front of the wave, if you're new or you really want to chill your way to apres, back off and pedal, walk, talk at whatever speed you like. No pressure.
TOONIES and PASSING
Stay vigilent on the trails and be conscious of those trying to pass - especially within the first wave, or the front of the second wave (remember - self seed within your start group).
Trying to pass? Be courteous, giving riders ample notice if you’re requesting to pass them (an audible “rider up!” usually does the trick.
Hear someone requesting to pass? Let them know you’ve heard them and find a safe spot on the trail to pull over.
TOONIES and E-BIKES
We hope that by next season (2025), we'll be able to offer start times for those on E-Bikes so all can participate in the Toonies. Remember, all WORCA trails are multi-use trails, which means that E-Bikes are allowed on the trails. The only trails that are not open to E-Bikes are those in the Alpine Trail Network and this rule is governed by the Province and NOT by WORCA. Just sayin'.
E-Bikes, however, will not be eligible for podiums.
TOONIES and REGISTRATION
A reminder that Toonies are for WORCA members who have registered for the Toonies, only. This is not to keep it an exclusive club, but to ensure that we are covered by our insurance policy, and doing right by our sponsors and our community. If you have your membership, click your way through to the upcoming Toonie and sign-up! If you're not a WORCA member, then the obvious first step is to become one. And remember, many of our Toonies SELL OUT, so get on it! Our sponsors work hard to make them happen, but they can only afford so much food or only have a certain amount of space!
OK.... See you at the Toonies!
Toonie tip.
Review the course maps each week as the range of difficulty can vary week to week depending on what the sponsor has in store for everyone. See you at the finish line!
Toonie etiquette
Starting
The rides start at 6:00pm or 6:30 pm. If you are competitive and want to ride hard, arrive early so you can position yourself near the front of the pack. If you want to go at your own pace you may want to start a bit further back in the pack. Most Chiller Toonie Rides will have staggered starts to create space between Thrillers and Chillers or be on a different trail.
On the trail
Stay on the trail
Cutting corners and riding off trail are not acceptable.
Crowding
Sometimes the course becomes congested with riders on or off their bikes. This is part of the Toonie Ride experience. Be patient, wait your turn, bask in the glory of the Toonie.
Passing
If you would like to pass the person in front of you, ask them politely if you can pass them. Make sure it is a safe place to pass, stay on the trail and thank them for letting you by. Likewise, if you notice someone behind you that is faster than you, let them pass you when it is safe to do so.
Walking your bike
If you are walking your bike and another person is riding their bike, step out of the way so they can continue riding. Someone on their bike always has the right of way. If you are the person riding on the trail and you come across people walking, call out ‘rider up!’ so they have time to move out of the way. Remember you can’t take this too seriously. Smile and have fun.
*Helmets are Mandatory
Toonie calendar
Toonie Ride event pages (registration + course details) are in our events calendar
Full 2024 Toonie Schedule (In-person Toonies run on Thursday evenings, Virtual Toonies run Monday-Saturday) COMING SOON!
Register for the next Toonie rides:
Après & sponsors
The Toonie Rides would not exist without the support of our sponsors. The sponsors set the course, marshal, and sweep it. They are not obligated to provide beer and food for everyone but most choose to do so. Show your appreciation to the sponsors by only having one serving and thanking them. The après is not a full course meal, but it is beer and a bite.
The sponsors appreciate your gratitude!