Saskatoon Cycles January 2020 Newsletter
Building a winter cycling community
Close to 20 people turned out to December 6th to get the lowdown on winter cycling (photo above). Thanks to our workshop facilitator Dr. Jasmine Hasselback, who led the session with great enthusiasm and loads of good information. Thanks also to the other veteran winter riders in the room (including Jeff Hehn and Tyler Rittinger) who pitched in with their advice and recommendations. Eight workshop participants have been paired up with a buddy to go for a ride together or meet for coffee to ask questions and share their progress. Kudos to our Saskatoon Cycles members who put their names forward to help a new rider get started and build a stronger winter cycling community. And thank you to Bike Doctor for hosting the workshop in their loft — it’s a great community space!
Advocacy, fundraising, and Bike Valet are top priorities for 2020
On December 14 our Board spent a half-day setting our priorities for the coming year with support from facilitator Tim Nicol. In 2020, Saskatoon Cycles will focus its energy and attention on three main areas:
- Our advocacy efforts this year will focus on providing leadership for Liveable yxe, which is a diverse group that provides information to the electorate about specific issues for the provincial and municipal elections.
- Bike Valet
- Fundraising
In the coming year, we will host a couple of meetings to engage Saskatoon Cycles members in discussions on specific topics or issues. The first session will take place in mid-May (location TBD), and will focus on members’ top-of-mind issues heading in to this fall’s municipal and provincial elections.
Great turnout for Annual General Meeting
Close to 50 members took part in our Annual General Meeting, November 14 at the Grad Students Commons. There was a great meal with craft beer from 9 Mile. We recognized a couple of young leaders for their efforts in support of Climate Strike. And we did the premiere screening of our new film Life on Two Wheels, which was a big hit with attendees (see story below).
Your Board members for 2019-2020 are:
- Ingrid Larson
- Jim Arnold
- John Dosman
- Erin Edwards
- Cathy Watts
- Zack MacGregor
- Gwen Charman
Thank you to our outgoing Board members, Jerome Nicol and Brodie Thompson.
Life on Two Wheels
We have a number of screenings lined up for our new video, including
- Edwards School of Business (marketing students are building a plan to help us promote our Bike Valet service)
- Bridge City Bicycle Coop – Video Shorts (date TBA)
- Saskatchewan Environment Society (April 14, 2020 at the Frances Morrison library)
- Jane’s Walk (May 1 at the Remai Modern)
Thanks again to the Saskatchewan Health Authority for funding the production of this great video, which brings a smile to your face as it helps normalize cycling in our community.
And a huge shout-out to Andrei Feheregyhazi for producing Life on Two Wheels. Andrei is a very diverse artist. Be sure to check out some of his other amazing videos on YouTube.
Lands of Lost Borders: Reading by Kate Harris
Put a hold in your calendar: Author Kate Harris will be at the University of Saskatchewan March 4 for two public events. She will do a reading and discussion about her book Lands of Lost Borders at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery from 2 – 3:30 pm. From 7 – 8:45 pm, she will deliver a talk called My Writing Life, followed by a Q and A and book signing, at Convocation Hall (To gauge numbers for the evening event, the University is asking people to register here — no charge). Both sessions are hosted by USask’s Arts and Sciences Book Club.
Kate Harris is a writer and adventurer with a knack for getting lost. Named one of Canada’s top modern-day explorers, her nature and travel writing has been featured in The Walrus, Canadian Geographic Travel, Sidetracked and The Georgia Review. Her debut memoir, Lands of Lost Borders, was a number one national bestseller and the winner of multiple awards, including the RBC Taylor Prize, the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.
Add your data to BikeMaps.org
At our AGM in November, we presented on this crowd-sourcing tool and encouraged members to use it. Be sure to visit their site and leave a short report when you experience:
- Collisions
- Near misses (including negative encounters with cars/drivers)
- Thefts
- Cycling hazards or faulty infrastructure
- New infrastructure
There are already many reports now logged for Saskatoon. bikemaps.org is being used extensively in other communities as a way to identify dangerous situations for people who are riding their bikes. We plan to discuss the data that’s gathered with the City of Saskatoon.
Mark your calendar: Bike Sale and Expo
This year’s Bike Sale and Expo will take place May 9, from 9 am to 3 pm, at Brunskill School. We will be accepting donated bikes that are in a reasonable condition, and will also be selling bikes on commission. The Bike Expo will feature many local groups, businesses, and individuals who want to show everything bike related. We will definitely need volunteers. If you can help with set-up the night before (May 8) or the Sale and Expo (May 9), please email Cathy Watts ctwatts@sasktel.
Learn to ride course: e-bikes
This summer we are planning to offer a short course (5 sessions) for older adults, on riding electric bikes. It will be aimed at building confidence in beginners, and helping nurture a community of like-minded riders. We will be looking for an experienced, confident cyclist to lead the course. You will receive extensive training about e-bikes and have support in developing content to meet the objectives of the course.
2019 saw some good and some bad for walkers in Saskatoon
Hats off to our friends at Walking Saskatoon for a great two-part post about last year’s highs and lows for walkers in this city. Both pieces are well worth a read:
