June 8 – 14, 2020 marked the 9th annual Bike Week in Winnipeg and the first ever Virtual Bike Week. While our original planning was for another week long celebration of riding bikes for all Winnipeggers with multiple activities and events, the Covid19 pandemic had other ideas. With the event having to go virtual and on-line we decided to create daily events that people could take part in on their own or with members of their immediate family.
As in the past, we kicked off with the week with Bike to Work Day on Monday, June 8. The event gave people options whether they were already back at work, working from home or not working at that time to get out and ride. It certainly was a very different Bike to Work Day, without the many pit-stops and other activities, however seeing the number of bikes out on that day was encouraging. This event has been going on since 2007 and our hope is to continue to grow it in the coming years.
Through the rest of the week we encouraged Winnipeggers to get out and ride with events such as Bike to Park Day, Bike to Take-out Day, Bike to Small Business Day, Bike Somewhere New Day and more. These activities were designed not just to encourage people to get out and ride their bikes, but to support local business and provide activities for famiies.
Bike Week will be back bigger and better in 2021 and we hope that Winnipeggers will join us in celebrating the bicycle and everyone that rides.