From June 16-22, Winnipeg will transform into a mini cycling hub, as part of the inaugural Winnipeg Bike Week, a weeklong celebration of people riding bicycles.

The event will involve activities each day, for various individuals who may or may not commute on a regular basis.

The week also includes the seventh annual Bike to Work Day, which takes place on Friday, June 20 and is where the idea for Winnipeg Bike Week stems from.

“We felt that if we wanted to keep expanding and encouraging people to bike, we wanted to offer a program that didn’t just focus on commuters, but opened it up to families and students who enjoy cycling just for recreation, sport, leisure, or transportation,” said Andraea Sartison, event coordinator of Bike to Work Day.

The week is packed with tons of exciting activities, including drop-in bike polo at the River Osborne Community Centre; an art ride through downtown Winnipeg, taking in a variety of public artwork; and the MEC Bikefest at the Forks. There will also be an informative workshop put on by Bike Winnipeg touching on advocacy efforts for Winnipeg cyclists.

Sartison is quite pleased with the way things have been set up this year – especially in relation to community involvement.

“I think we’re fortunate that we have a lot of people who are connected to different parts of the community—some through shops, some through community bike clubs, some through active transportation networks, and some through races—who were able to rally their own troops and put an event on themselves,” said Sartison.

“That is great for us, because then we don’t have to run everything and micromanage, we just get to focus on Bike to Work Day, and promoting the week as a whole.”

Pit stop party

Speaking specifically of Bike to Work day, one of the biggest changes over the past few years has been the addition of more pit stops, which are set up all over the city. They provide a place for people to relax and enjoy the presence of their fellow cyclists on the morning of Bike to Work Day.

Sartison added that this year there are 52 confirmed pit stops, which is a huge increase from her first year as the event coordinator in 2011, when there were 21.

“For a cyclist that’s going by, they can expect to be honked at and pulled over, and given some free coffee and free drinks, and have their bike checked out, and maybe get some swag or prizes,” she said.

Along with the previously mentioned items, certain pit stops also offer a unique display, such as live music, basketball games, or performances by kids at schools where pit stops are present.

“I’m always so surprised every year, when people start telling us what they are planning on doing [for pit stops], because it’s really exciting,” said Sartison.

While Bike to Work Day has now grown into a full-week extravaganza, it originally started as a simple idea by a group of people who wanted to create more awareness.

Sartison was quick to mention the hard work put in by her fellow committee members, a number of whom have been around since the very beginning.

“In our committee, I’m a hired event coordinator, but everybody else is all volunteers,” said Sartison.

“They’re many of the core people who started this event seven years ago, just because they wanted to encourage people to bike to work, so it’s kind of a dream project, and a heart project for a lot of them, and I think that’s kind of inspiring to me as well.”