Last Sunday was Ice Cycle 2011 a winter bike parade which was part of the Saskatoon Wintershines festival. This is the second year the even had been organized. (See post about last years ride: Ice Cycle 2010)
Just like last year, it was pretty darn cold…
This was the forecast when I got up… It didn’t warm up all that much by noon…
(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)
Frosty morning… (actually I took this picture later in the afternoon while heading out to do something else… but you get the idea…)
Cool ice sculpture at Wintershines.
Amanda all kitted up. WE didn’t actually get a picture of me with the kids – it was super cold and we just didn’t hang out anywhere very long. Every time I stopped to take a picture Amanda told me to get moving – so I didn’t even bother asking her to take the camera and snap one of us…
Of course when she got home she said she was going to do a post on her blog and wondered if I’d taken any pics and if there were any pics of us on the Yuba… when it dawned on her that since SHE hadn’t taken any, then we probably didn’t HAVE any…
Luckily someone else got a great picture of the whole family and posted it on the weather network – you can see it here:
Wintershines at Weather Network
Bryn’s Cargo Bike and E’s awesome super-spiked winter bike.
The crowd begins to gather.
On the left there smiling in the green helmet is Charlie Clark our awesome ward six cycling city councilor!
The Mayor also came out with some words of encouragement. I thought he said something about planning to spend more for cycling infrastructure… which I thought was funny because I’m pretty sure he voted against increasing funding for cycling infrastructure projects… but… whatever… Nice of him to come out. maybe next year we can get him one bike and ride with us!!
Doctah Matt.
Ellen. How she rides in that jacket…? I don’t know. Just goes to show – whatever works!!
Some more festive participants.
Bryn and crew rolling out.
Robert (with the camera).
The ride – with the beautiful Saskatoon Delta Bessborough Hotel in the background.
We had police blocking every intersection for us as well as a car leading and following the ride (Thanks Saskatoon Police Service!). Too bad they didn’t have their bike cops out like last year…
Riding through downtown.
More of Downtown.
Cool bike.
Back where we started at the end of the ride.
The Red Ensign!
Red (I get to call him that, we're on a first name basis...) is responsible for this great video of the ride:
Anyway… good fun (if a little nippy). I think there was about 160 riders out. 225 had originally signed up, but -40°C weather is enough to daunt even some of the more “hard-core” riders… Already looking forward to next year!
Great stuff! As I've said before, I admire all y'all up there in the Prairies that stick it out and bike through winters that would make anyone from Portland cry! It's hard to think of -24C as a "high" when the last couple weeks the high in Portland has pretty much hovered at 10C. You should have heard me curse the gods the morning it got down to 1C!
ReplyDeletei think its great that "we all" get together for these rides. it is absolutely ridonculous, but fun none the less.
ReplyDelete