Fabulous Family-Friendly Bike Activities

The below list of bike activities which will keep you and your children pedaling through the summer.

1. Sunday Bike Days run every Sunday from 9 - 12 on the Ottawa River Parkway. I like to take one or both of the older boys. Sometimes, I admit we do a ride and then head up to the Harvest Loaf on Wellington for a croissant and coffee (well, coffee for me, anyway).  This weekend we plan to bike down to the Ottawa Children's Festival at Lebreton Flats.

2. Capital Velofest
All the details can be found at http://www.capitalvelofest.ca/ but essentially it's two days of bike rodeo featuring games, product demos, bike safety and fun! On Saturday it will be held at City Hall from 11 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from 10-1 at Brantwood Park and at 6:00 in Kitchissippi (see item 3, below).  There is also a Tour de Nuit on Saturday from 5-11 pm. Your bicycle must have both a bell and a light to participate in Tour de Nuit.

3. Kitchissippi Rides to the Inukshuks at Remic Rapids, Sunday June 3, 6 p.m.
In connection with Capital VeloFest, the Cycling Champions are hosting a community biking event. We are encouraging riders of all abilities to bike to the Inukshuks at Remic Rapids. Feel free to bring your own nut-free picnic. John Ceprano, stone sculptor extraordinaire, will host a stone balance workshop for all interested participants. This is organized by Hintonburg Bike Champion Kathleen Wilker who you should read or follow for all neighbourhood things that are bike related. She can be found on twitter at @kathleenwilker and also writes a family blogpost at Momentum Magazine. Her many blog posts about family biking can be found at: http://momentummag.com/topics/kathleen_wilker

4. Broadview Bike Rodeo - June 15, 4-7 pm, rain or shine

The first edition of this bike rodeo was held last year and featured sessions on helmet fitting, bike care and rules of the road. It also allowed participants to test their bike handling skills on a number of challenges. The kids loved it. This year the events may expand to include things such as skills demonstrations / competitions, a 'bike gallery', bike decorating and/or a parade.  No promises though - this is still in the development stage!

Concepts to be taught at the bike rodeo will be taken from http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/cycling/young-cyclist-guide/index.shtml.

A blog about a blog about biking

I don’t usually blog about other peoples blogs but here’s the thing: if you like to bike and you have a family that likes to bike you should read this blog: http://momentumplanet.com/blog

A majority of it is written by neighbourhood parent and avid cyclist Kathleen Wilker. Her blog focuses on family cycling and at this particular time includes the following topics:

• Bicycle Adventures in the City
• After School Bike Club (yes our local schools are becoming more bicycle conscious.  Broadview had a bike rodeo last week and at least two local schools have bicycle champions and bicycle clubs.  Fantastic ideas that are catching on fast)
• Bike Decorating Part II (in preparation for the Hintonburg Bike Parade to ArtsPark on May 28th and in conjunction with Hintonburg's knitting and fibre haven Wabi Sabi http://www.wabi-sabi.ca/)
• Bike + Fibre = Parade Ready Bike Art (again, Wabi Sabi)
• Cycle the Social History of West Ottawa (a Jane's Walk on wheels)
• The ABC's of Bike Repair
• Go Take a (Bike) Hike

It also includes some equally interesting topics by other authors, including coach and gear expert Michael Stenning such as:

• Children and Competitive Riding: How, when and why should kids be introduced to racing?
• How to Successfully Resolve Cycling Disputes
• Bike Trailer 101

And:

• Family of 5 Rides the MS Bike Tour for the 5th Time, by Grant Lawson 

Momentum Planet (http://www.momentumplanet.com/) also has a full fledged cycling magazine available in both a digital and print version if you're looking for broader coverage of cycling issues.  But start with Kathleen's blog.  I think you'll find it's worth it.