ice

The editors of I Bike TO have been working on a subliminal scheme all winter long to get all of our readers to attend the Icycle 2009 Ice Bike Races. Our banner image at the top of the page is currently a crop of the starting line from a previous year's "rubber class" race, and earlier in the winter we featured a home-made studded tire.

But now we're being right up front about it: Come on out to Dufferin Grove Park this Saturday at 9:00pm for what promises to be the most fun and entertaining annual winter cycling event in Toronto. Seriously, don't miss this!

Some of Toronto's fastest street and track riders will be taking to the ice with their home-made studded tires. Aggressive racing, tight camaraderie among the racers, and a rambunctious audience make this one of the best cycling events you'll see. It's all topped off with a fantastic "rubber class" race that brings everyone onto the ice without their studded tires to share a laugh as we all fall down and slide into the boards.

Whether you're participating in the "real" races, or just wobbling around in the "rubber class", or just watching it all go by, I guarantee you'll have a good time. Just bring some warm clothes and a bit of coin for hot chocolate.

This year there will be an after-party held a few blocks away at Bike Pirates to keep the party rolling long in the the evening.

Bloor Viaduct Feb. 25, 2008
Hamish took this photo on Feb 25, 2008. The same day I went to College street and the situation had not been fixed either for much of College street. Same on Harbord as Wes pointed out to me in an email that morning.
Clearly the bike lane on the viaduct is being used as the snow dump and subsequent ice melting section. The real message about cycling in Toronto as far as the city is concerned is in how it treats cyclists and the facilities that exist.

This Saturday, February 16th at 6:00pm Toronto's best annual winter cycling event takes place at Dufferin Grove Park. It's Icycle 2008, and it's all about bike racing on ice.

Studded Tire

I'm not usually too interested in bike races, but this takes it up a notch. These cyclists build the most aggressive studded tires possible, much better than what you'll get commercially, and then race fast while looping around the arena.

You might expect to see tons of spills and wipeouts, but the studded tires generally keep excellent grip. I can guarantee you'll see some good spinouts and crashes into the boards though!