Peggy Revell
They’re loud, boisterous, and colourful—and the newly-formed bike riding group here is inviting everyone to join them on their weekly “cruise” through town.
“We do have an amazing community,” enthused Krissy Solum, the Fort Frances resident who has spearheaded the two “Every Day is Earth Day” cruises which aim to bring together people for a weekly ride.
“And we should be open to getting to know others,” she reasoned.
Solum said the inspiration behind the bike rides came from a March Break trip to Colorado, where every Thursday people would go on a “cruiser ride” together through the city, downtown, through the streets, and alleyways.
“When I was in it, I was so happy and I felt such a sense of community,” she recalled.
“Families were coming out of their homes with their children, and they were waving to us and yelling at us, and vehicles were stopping and they were so excited to see this group out again.
“I just felt such a sense of community, so I wanted to bring it back to Fort,” she noted.
The “Earth Day” theme of the group came about because Solum originally had wanted to hold the first bike ride on that day, but was out of town.
“Then I thought, ‘Well, you know, Earth Day is every day.’ So that’s the premise behind the ride.”
The first “cruise” took place back on May 18 and went “wonderfully,” said Solum, with 25 people initially coming out and that number rising to more than 40 by the ride’s end.
“It was a lot of fun,” Solum recalled. “We were screaming and yelling and telling people to ride their bikes, and everyone had such a great time.”
She also noted they had great feedback from participants, had vehicles honking, and people waving—and they did feel the “sense of community.”
“I like the fact that lots of people came out,” noted Solum’s nine-year-old nephew, Mac Wilde, who participated in the first ride as well as the second one held last Wednesday.
“I just like it because I like to go bike riding lots, and it’s fun,” he remarked, adding it also was a fun way to see and meet new people and make new friends.
The route that the group follows takes about two hours to complete, starting out from the “big red chair” at Pither’s Point.
From there, they make their way to the water tower, head down Fifth Street, and then head back to the Point via the Portage Avenue subway.
“It’s a really good route, and it’s a good way to get out,” Solum said, noting it’s also a chance to get some exercise.
The route is one everyone can enjoy—no matter their age, she added, stressing that there’s no competition involved and it’s really just “riding to ride.”
Decked out in colourful clothing and costumes for the ride, the bikers aren’t hard to miss.
“One of the most fun things about the cruiser ride in Boulder [Colo.] was that everybody got dressed up,” noted Solum.
“I really loved the eccentric side of that.
“I love dressing up, I love colour—so I thought that would be awesome.”
As well, it’s something that gets attention in a smaller town, she reasoned.
“And it’s fun because when do we get a chance to do that in Fort?”
Part of the enthusiasm from the bike ride comes from the yells and chants which participants shout out while cycling along.
“We started out with ‘Happy Earth Day,’ and it sort of evolved into ‘Ride Your Bike,’ all these bike things,” Solum said about the first ride.
“We had a lot of creative people out and they were coming up with a lot of different things,” echoed Dave Fagerdahl, who also has participated in both rides so far.
Fagerdahl noted that when he lived in Victoria, B.C. with Solum, there were a lot of different bike rides happening there.
“It was just kind of a nice thing. It’s nice to see things like this happening in Fort Frances,” he said, noting it’s also a good way to promote cycling.
He hopes the local “cruises” will continue on in the future.
And one aspect of the “cruise” is the chance for cyclists to travel safely along the road with other vehicles, Solum noted.
“Because that’s a big thing, right? In a big city, you have bike lanes and there’s that acknowledgement of the bike and the car, and we don’t really have that here,” she stressed.
“So this is something for bikers here, that [we’re] acknowledged as a means of transportation.”
While the first two rides have been on Wednesday evenings, Solum is looking to make the weekly time more accessible for people.
At this point she isn’t sure when the next ride will be scheduled, but those looking for information for when the next date is decided can contact her at 274-3538 or by email at solumk@hotmail.com
