While Winnipeg Bike Week has grown into a week-long celebration of cycling, it all began with a single event: Bike to Work Day. Twenty years later, that ride is still going strong.
Sustainable living is achieved in many ways, from the type of housing you choose to live in, to the way you commute to work and school. Show your support for sustainable living, accessible neighbourhoods and a greener future by participating in Winnipeg Bike Week. This annual event kicks off this Sunday, June 7, and runs until Saturday, June 13. Whether you ride for recreation, fitness, transportation, sport, or just for fun, and if you celebrated World Bicycle Day on June 3, this week is for you!
Winnipeg’s first official Bike to Work Day took place in 2007 when a group of bicycle commuting enthusiasts hosted the event to encourage people to try cycling to work while advocating for improved cycling infrastructure within the city. Their goal was to help change the culture of riding bikes — to normalize it and make it more accepted as a form of transportation.
Bike Winnipeg has consistently advocated for better cycling infrastructure and programs at the civic, provincial, and federal level. As the leading local advocate for cyclists, they’ve also worked tirelessly to increase the awareness of cycling in Winnipeg and Manitoba, encouraging more people to ride more often.
Bike Winnipeg works with the City of Winnipeg to help design a safe and well connected network of bicycle pathways to ensure that people have the confidence to ride their bikes in all types of weather. In response to this type of advocacy, the City of Winnipeg implemented two important strategies in 2015 — a Pedestrian as well as a Cycling strategy. These strategies provide a long-term vision meant to guide the development of the city’s walking and cycling networks over a 20-year period to make all neighbourhoods more accessible and sustainable. Visit bikewinnipeg.ca for detailed information, events, news, volunteer opportunities, stats, maps and much more.
Similar bike to work events are held annually in cities throughout North America, but Winnipeg’s event was so successful that it was reformatted to invite multiple organizations to host pit stops around the city, making it more accessible to everyone. When participation boomed, Bike to Work Day expanded their programming, leading to the first full Bike Week in 2014.
This year’s 20th annual Bike to Work Day is taking place on Tuesday, June 9, and will be shared with the return of Bike to School Day. Pit Stops will be open around the city from 6:30 am to 9:00 am. In honour of this momentous occasion, the event will be hosting 20×20 — a contest encouraging cyclists to visit at least 20 Pit Stops to be entered to win a grand prize. To add to the fun, Ride and Go Seek returns this year, so make sure you’re entered to win other fabulous prizes by visiting a minimum of 8 Pit Stops. Entry forms will be available at every Pit Stop throughout the city.
MPI’s ever popular All Day Pit Stop will again be located at The Forks Market from 9 am to 2 pm. This is your chance to stop by for a treat, a tune-up with an onsite mechanic, or to drop off your entry forms for 20×20 and Ride and Go Seek.
Some notable Bike Week events
The official launch of Bike Week on June 7 kicks off with multiple exciting activies to choose from with more events taking place all week. Here are just a few:
• Cruisin’ To Change Lives-30 You really should be a part of this very special 30th Anniversary event which brings the community together in support of children and youth living with varying abilities. Register today for Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation’s hallmark event on June 7, 9 am to 12 noon, on the accessible grounds of Canadian Mennonite University. Form a team of your family and friends and plan to cruise, walk, roll or cycle. Get into the Cruisin’ spirit and have fun while raising funds for vital programs, service and equipment. Registration is required, and all registered participants that fundraise $250 or more will receive an event gift, and a light lunch will be served after the “Cruise”. To participate, register, or join a team by visiting the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation’s website at www.crf.mb.ca
• Bike to Work Day Group Ride If you don’t want to ride alone, this group event from 6 to 9 am on June 9 is for you! This is a slow roll, no drop ride that will stop at several pit-stops along the way, starting at Assiniboine Park and ending at the All Day Pit Stop at The Forks. You can join the group anywhere along the route, and if you need to get to work, leave whenever you need to make it there on time.
• Bike to School Day On June 9, students can Bike to “work” too. This year, with the help of Tire Stewardship Manitoba, the event is hosting a pilot Bike to School program on Bike to Work Day. Selected schools will host pit stops to welcome public and student riders at their pit stops. These pit stops will have snacks, bike maintenance and swag, so don’t miss it. Stop in and cheer on Bike Day’s youngest riders.
• Kidical Mass group ride Come join Bike Winnipeg for the 4th annual Kidical Mass ride on June 13 from 1-3 pm. This looped ride will begin at Vimy Ridge Park and head down Wolseley, over the Omands Park bridge, along Wellington Crescent, across the Maryland Bridge and back down to Wolseley for a return to Vimy Ridge. They’ll meet at 1 pm for some bike decorating and start the ride at 1:30 pm. The ride will be family- and of course kid-friendly, and will move at whatever pace the kids set. Plus, a snack will be provided at the end of the ride. Let’s make Kidical Mass a Winnipeg Tradition!
For more information about Winnipeg Bike Week events, along with maps of the routes and locations of all the pit stops, visit bikeweekwinnipeg.com
Did you know?
There are many great ways to enjoy cycling in and around Winnipeg at all times of the year.
• School Loops These routes will probably be extra busy on Bike to School Day. Winnipeg Trails has created school loops across Winnipeg to help kids and their families get to school by walking and biking on the best route available. Each loop is marked by a unique animal and colour, and trailhead signs near schools are translated into local Indigenous languages. There’s a very useful app to help if you become lost, but you can easily spot the signs along the route. To find the Loop nearest you and to download the app, check out SchoolLoops.org for more info.
• Central Winnipeg Bike Loop This fantastic 10 km bike-friendly path connects and highlights bike routes in seven central Winnipeg neighbourhoods via clearly marked, easy-to-follow signs. The Loop is designed for easy navigation and optimized for local discovery and exploration. The entire loop can be completed in about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace, but it’s designed to encourage people to stop and discover the many urban parks, landmarks and other attractions along the way while supporting local businesses, so plan accordingly. Visit centralwpgloop.com for a map of the route.
• First Fridays Bike-Ins If you’re feeling unsure about biking alone and want a more experienced cyclist to show you the way, take part in the first group bike ride of the year on Friday, June 5 starting at Isaac Brock Community Centre. Head into the Exchange District where you’ll discover the safest and most convenient routes from many different neighbourhoods. This group ride, with pick-up points along the route, will give you the confidence to feel comfortable riding throughout the city. Visit ExchangeDistrict.org for more info on this and the other exciting First Fridays events.
Bonus Tip: Did you know that Winnipeg has a Bicycle Mayor? A first for Winnipeg, Patty Wiens joins a growing global network of volunteers representing more than 120 cities in over 30 countries. They’re selected for a period of two years time during which they focus on addressing the main barriers to increasing cycling in their cities by working with government, industry, activists and residents. You can visit her website at pattybikes.com to learn how to cycle all year long in every kind of Winnipeg weather, listen to her podcasts, or sign up for her weekly newsletter.
If you’re thinking of buying a home, cycling is an excellent way to experience the neighbourhood you may be interested in. Cycling or walking through a neighbourhood gives you a street-level, intimate feel for each one’s unique personality, an experience that driving by in a car just can’t. Because all neighbourhoods are better by bike! Have fun this week!