Our Cityride Festival is Coming to Vancouver This August (Free Ticket Giveaway!)

photo: facebook.com/ourcityride

On August 19, Vancouver’s Our Cityride mass participation ride and festival will launch. The event was created to bring together communities to promote cycling as a family friendly and fun activity to empower people. It’s a chance to showcase the benefits of cycling for all ages and abilities as a fun way to stay active. The event was founded by Charmaine Crooks and Mark Ernsting.

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Our Cityride Festival is Coming to Vancouver This August (Free Ticket Giveaway!)

Cycling Vancouver’s Side Streets

Spring is Just Around the Corner – Cycling Vancouver’s Side Streets Photo: Rob Weiss

Snow, snow and more snow. An unusual west coast winter to say the least!  One that has dramatically impacted the time I have spent on my bicycle.  Of course, the stoic, die-hard road warriors and passionate cycling commuters continue to bravely navigate our city streets, but I am more of a fair-weather cyclist.  Frequently, I find myself staring longingly at my bike, imagining spring blossoms and warm summer days.  Instead of riding, I have passionately dedicated myself to the spring tune-up.  Tires inflated, chain greased, brakes checked, I am ready to go! Vancouver’s extensive network of bike friendly paths, greenways, and separated bike lanes beckon!

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Cycling Vancouver’s Side Streets

Exploring Vancouver: The Stanley Park Seawall and Beyond

seawall

Dima Sergiyenko visited Vancouver back in July and put together an awesome video showcasing what it’s like for visitors to make their way around Vancouver by bike and public transport.

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Exploring Vancouver: The Stanley Park Seawall and Beyond

Biko App Offers Rewards and Helps Vancouver Become the Greenest City By 2020

BIKO40

New mobile application Biko is on a mission to pay Vancouver cyclists by turning kilometres biked into rewards earned from local businesses. By downloading the free app on their smartphones, users can earn a digital coin called “biko” for every kilometre they pedal. Bikos can then be exchanged for goods and services from participating businesses or donated as cash to the user’s charity of choice.

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Biko App Offers Rewards and Helps Vancouver Become the Greenest City By 2020

Vancouver Date Idea: Rent a Tandem Bike

For thirteen years, I lived downtown, just steps from the Seawall and Stanley Park. On sunny days, I’d take my bike and ride around the Park, taking in the views and the happy people I passed by. I’d often see couples on bicycles built for two (tandem) and yearn for someone who would ride with me (cue the sympathy). It seemed like so much fun! It also seemed pretty tricky for someone as uncoordinated as me, but I was more than willing to give it a try.

Every spring/summer, I come up with a list of things I want to do or attend in the city before September rolls around again (eg go to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, suntan on Jericho Beach, have fish ‘n’ chips in Steveston, hike the Chief). This year, I told my boyfriend that we were going to rent a tandem bike at some point, and go cycling together. I can’t wait!

In preparation for our cycling adventure, I did some research on where to rent tandem bicycles in Vancouver. I also got some tips on how to ride one for a newbie like me.

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Vancouver Date Idea: Rent a Tandem Bike

What Would You Call Vancouver’s Bike Share Program?

bike

CycleHop and the City of Vancouver want your help naming Vancouver’s long-awaited bike share program. With plans to bring 1500 bicycles to 150 different stations this summer, Vancouver will have the largest smart bike share system in North America. So get creative and suggest an appropriate and imaginative name and the fame and glory could be all yours!

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What Would You Call Vancouver’s Bike Share Program?

2 Bridges, 1 Quay, the Spirit Trail & Stanley Park – Port of Vancouver by Bike

Discover-Outdoors-View-of-Sails

View of the Sails from Crab Park at Portside Photo: R. Weiss

Call me crazy, but I love cycling over Vancouver’s bridges. There is a certain thrill to crossing Burrard Inlet on your bike. Bridges are often a source of angst for Vancouverites frustrated with traffic congestion and slow commutes home. However, on your bicycle you become one with the bridge and traffic issues are the least of your concerns. A long, slow grind to the “mid-span” and you are immediately rewarded with awe inspiring views of the City, the North Shore and a bustling marine highway. One of my favourite rides is a circle route from Canada Place to the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge, a jaunt along the North Shore and a return via the Lions Gate Bridge.

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2 Bridges, 1 Quay, the Spirit Trail & Stanley Park – Port of Vancouver by Bike