It has been a looooooong winter, but June is Bike Month! Let’s get out there and ride.

Bike Month, as the title suggests, is a month-long celebration of all things cycling in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA). From Monday, May 31 to Wednesday, June 30, enjoy hundreds of virtual events across Toronto and as many IRL distanced rides as you’d like.

Cats riding bicycles is not a scheduled event, sorry

This still being a pandemic and all, people are encouraged to cycle with members of their own household, to respect physical distancing, and follow all public health advice to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Toronto is currently in the Shutdown Zone of the Province’s COVID-19 response framework and subject to a provincial Stay-at-Home order. Though Bike to Work Day is cancelled for 2021, May 31 is Ride a Bike Day … a really simple event you can do anywhere and anytime, no registration involved. Just hop on a bike sometime that day :).

Cycling is a safe and healthy option to move around the city. Whether it’s riding to, from or for work, or running errands, or for recreation, cycling allows you to keep active and maintain physical distance from others. You’re also leaving more room on transit and on our roads for some people, such as essential and frontline workers, who may rely these options and have to travel further than the 10-KM sweet-spot.

On average, cycling to any destination within 10 km takes less than 40 minutes. The City of Toronto has installed a ton of new bike lanes, such as the Bloor St. extension on Danforth Ave. and on University Ave. as part of the Cycling Network Plan and ActiveTO. Much of this new infrastructure separates cyclists from vehicle traffic (yay!!!).

And we haven’t even mentioned all of the new bike parking at UHN!

There’s a special TO Cycling Map, the Cyclists Handbook, and information on programs such as TTC Rack and Roll. If you need any of these resources in print form, let us know in the comments or email uhncycling@uhn.ca.

Bike Month Contest

There are even more reasons to get pedaling this year! The Bike Month contest offers two ways to win a $25 credit for a free meal on Ritual, or a $50 gift card to a local bike shop:

Log the trips you take by bike on the Bike Month kilometre counter at bikemonth.ca. Every additional trip logged increases your chances of winning!
Play Bike Month bingo! Complete an activity on the Bike Month Bingo card to earn an additional contest entry for every activity you complete.We’re huge fans of BINGO here, as you may remember from Earth Month.

There are 60 prizes in total, don’t miss out!

Bike Month Events

Bike Month includes a lot of great virtual events catered to the cycling-curious to seasoned riders.

Smart Commute is offering FREE cycling webinars, and as UHN is a longtime member of Smart Commute, don’t be shy to try ’em all. All webinars will be on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. More info:

Safe Cycling 101 – Wednesday, June 2 from noon to 1 p.m.

Everything you need to know to bike with confidence in the city. Topics includes: equipment and bike fit, safe riding techniques, rules & responsibilities, choosing your route, and more.

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Basic Bike Maintenance – Wednesday, June 9 from noon to 1 p.m.

Our instructor will show you the basics of how to maintain your bike. Topics include: safety checks, pumping your tires, tightening your brakes, lubing your chain, and ensuring your bike is the right fit.

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Get there by Bike! – Wednesday, June 16 from noon to 1 p.m.

Do more on your daily trips by bike! We’ll walk you through how you can do everything from commuting to work to picking up your kids and even doing a grocery run by bike.

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Biking in All Weather Conditions – Wednesday, June 23 from noon to 1 p.m.

Make all-season cycling a breeze. Cycle Toronto will guide you through topics including: choosing clothing and gear for wet and cold weather, bicycle maintenance and storage tips, winter route-planning, and safe riding techniques for weather-related hazards.

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Are you a new cyclist?

Want to ride your bike to work but don’t know where to start? Check out this great guide from Cycle Toronto and Toronto Public Health!

More Reasons Why?

Beyond the countless personal health benefits, there’s a real space efficiency to cycling that makes the whole city move better. Our friends Down Under decided to recreate a famous photograph that shows just how much road space each type of transportation takes to move the same number of people.

From left to right, we see what 69 people (the capacity of a Canberra bus) look like when walking, busing, cycling or driving. This looks great for 3 out of 4. Enjoy a quick video showing the making of …