The month of bikes approaches: A look at how Canadian cities celebrate life on two wheels
Across the country, in many of the biggest cities, late May through June sees a blossoming of bike activity no matter what the ride — mountain biking, road racing, even cruising. In some places, entirely new traditions have sprung up thanks to some progressive, bike-friendly urban thinking. Bike Months, Bike Weeks, Bike to Work Day, Bike to School Week—in terms of transportation, Canadians are shifting gears in a big way, and it shows this time of year.
Here’s a sampling of what to expect in a few of those cities as summer gets off to a fun, jingling, exhilarating start.
Toronto
Today, having long spilled over its downtown Toronto origins, Bike Month is a celebration of two-wheeling life that has events everywhere from Brampton to Mississauga to Caledon, Ont. In Toronto, kicking off with Bike to Work Day on May 25, group rides will leave from High Park, while others will leave from Thunderbird Bridge in Etobioke and elsewhere, reviving the drudgery of the Monday morning commute in a way that only bikes can. There’s also a free pancake breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square, too, with a group ride starting at Yonge and Charles beforehand.
The first week of Bike Month will also see the kickoff of The Downtown Yonge BIA’s free bike clinic series, with a first instalment happening on May 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the corner of Bay Street and Albert. In fact, Bike Month nicely coincides with Bike Works DIY Repairs, an offering of Evergreen Brickworks running until Oct. 31. It’s not free, but it’s accessible—$6 buys 30 minutes of exclusive bike repair station access, $9 buys an hour, and a seasonal membership is available for $150 per person.
Elsewhere throughout the GTA, Burlington hosts a bike safety seminar on Saturday, May 16, there’s a Children’s Bike Rodeo in East Gwillimbury on May 23, the annual Bells on Danforth on June 6, and much, much more. And that’s just the Greater Toronto Area.
Calgary
Back in 2013, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi officially declared June of that year to be Bike Month in the city. It’s not just a widespread event, though, with a lot of participating venues and activities. With Nenshi’s progressive proclamation to enshrine cycling, Calgary’s city council formalized the event that year, making it an official part of the civic calendar. After all, Calgary isn’t just one of the most beautiful, picturesque urban vistas to bike through in Canada. It’s also a place where cycling is taking off, with 12,000 bike trips and a 35% increase over previous years reported back in 2013. The city also boasts over 700 km of bike lanes and paths, so there’s that. Calgary, officially, has a mission to get more people using them.
One particularly stylish event is the Tweed Ride, something seen in other Canadian cities, too. On May 18, this fourth annual Victoria Day event leaves from the East Village Experience Centre at 553 Riverfront Avenue SE, with registration happening at 2 p.m. and the ride getting underway at 3 p.m. It’s a by-donation event, with this year’s ride supporting Bicycles for Humanity, a charity that sends used bikes to developing countries.
A couple of weeks later, Calgary Bike 2 School Day 2015 happens on June 2. Kids, get riding!
Halifax
Way out on the other side of the country, the main event is Bike Week, and it happens from June 5 to June 14. Halifax is a city that loves to ride, and with some of the most beautiful, scenic waterfronts in Canada — maybe the world — June is one excellent time of year to celebrate the bike. The City of Halifax talks about the mandate as “riding for a healthier Halifax,” and there’s a whole series of big-name events to serve that purpose.
MEC Bike to School Day, an offering of MEC, is one of them. On June 10, schools across the Halifax area have been invited to teach students about cycling in an engaging, involved way. Lunch time rides, in-school workshops with mechanics, and 90-minute “fix-a-flat workshops” are part of the plan. There’s also the Southwest Sunday Cycle, a free, 15-km ride starting at 9 a.m. that starts and finishes at the Emera Oval. There’s also a family ride starting at 11 a.m., covering 3 km. The East Dartmouth Community Centre Bike Rodeo will also happen between noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, with a skills course on site, safety checks, and on-the-spot minor tuneups..
