Cycling is a huge part of Jack Perrotta-Lewin’s life.
A resident of the Sault since 2020, he began cycling in his native United Kingdom in 2010.
“I was doing a lot of rock climbing at the time but you can’t do that when it’s raining. So I joined a bunch of buddies who were riding bikes. You can do that even when it’s wet, which it often is in the U.K.,” Perrotta-Lewin told SooToday.
He began working in bike shops in 2013 and now cycles throughout the four seasons of the year.
Perrotta-Lewin is now the sales manager at the Velorution Bike and Ski shop.
“Biking is everything to me, really,” Perrotta-Lewin said.
“It keeps me healthy. I don't have a car, so I go everywhere by bike. I take my kids to daycare on the bike and then I come to work at Velorution. Biking is peaceful, it's quiet, it gets me to lots of awesome spots that you couldn't really get to in other ways. I just love it.”
Perrotta-Lewin is also the Sault Cycling Club’s president.
Since 1975, the Sault Cycling Club has worked to establish and maintain the biking trails in the Sault and surrounding area as a cyclist’s paradise.
With approximately 500 members and governed by a volunteer board of directors, the club is dedicated to offering cyclists opportunities through mountain biking, road biking, pump tracks, the Hub Trail and fat biking in winter.
The club will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Marconi Multicultural Event Centre.
As a registered not for profit corporation, the Sault Cycling Club depends on membership fees and donations to promote cycling.
Its home trails are located at Hiawatha Highlands.
“The unique thing with our trails is that there's a lot of different terrain,” Perrotta-Lewin said.
“There’s a good mixture. When mountain biking began people built trails by hand. Now we're building trails by machine.
"Machine-built trails are very smooth, typically faster, there are less rocks and roots because they're all scrubbed out by the machine. The hand-built trails are more rocky, rooty and technical. They complement each other really well and there's something for everybody," he said.
There is no cost to ride the club’s trails.
“There's no daily pass. There's no fee to park. We don't do either of those things so anybody can turn up and ride our trails at zero cost. Obviously it's nice when they support the cycling club and make a payment but there's no obligation to pay which is pretty unique,” Perrotta-Lewin said.
With the winter cycling season approaching and cyclists taking to their fat bikes, what advice does Perrotta-Lewin have for those who have never tried fat biking?
“Typically you find suspension on a summer mountain bike but there's nothing on a winter bike. If you're curious about getting going with fat biking, I would chat with any of the local bike shops.
"They’ll be happy to help you with hints and tips and tricks and what to look for," he said.
You can also rent bikes from Hiawatha and Velorution.
"My biggest piece of advice is dress warm, grab a bike, get out there and just explore," Perrotta-Lewin said.
Many local cyclists, including Perrotta-Lewin, are looking forward to participating in events such as the next Frozen Toe Fat Bike Race on Feb. 7, 2026.
Perrotta-Lewin also plans to participate in the local Rock the Ridge Fat Bike Challenge at Crimson Ridge and the Marji Gesick Mountain Bike Race in Ishpeming, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“I'm a very non-competitive person. I enter these races but I enter them for the experience of riding my bike,” Perrotta-Lewin said.
“Lots of people, when they read the word ‘race,’ are put off if they're not race-focused individuals.
"But lots of these events take place in a very supportive atmosphere. Everybody's into the same experience and there’s food and drink and socializing afterwards. So I would encourage anyone to just sign up for these events, have fun and just enjoy it. Not everybody's going to be at the front of the pack and that's fine.”