You are invited to Cycleloopia! An event to gather and celebrate all the ways we can cycle together. Show off your wheels, ride a loop around the park, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the music. The focus of the event is on the many ways we cycle, with an emphasis on sharing adaptive bicycles and techniques. Everyone welcome.

We know the disability community loves to ride their bikes, trikes, tandems, hand cycles and whatever you built that works for you! We don’t get too many opportunities to show off and share our wheels so Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba and Winnipeg Trails are teaming up to throw a little party in the park this summer.

What:
Gather together then join a 3.4km group cycle ride around the park, ending up back at a picnic site. Meet some new folks. Stick around to showcase cycle types,  share mechanical tips, try out something new or simply enjoy free food (Lumpia), music and the view.

Where: Kings Park. The gathering point is picnic site 3, visible south of the “Parking Lot South”.  Here is a precise Google Maps pin.

Address: The closest address, corresponding to the start of the park entrance road, is 198 Kings Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 3G1.

Time: 12:30pm – 4:30pm
12:30 – 1:30 Music starts while we all unload and setup bikes, informal show and shine, wheelchair and cycle mechanics 101, tune ups/mechanics tips/discussion
1:30 – Short pre-ride speeches and gear up
2:00 – Ride starts
3:00 – 4:30 – Meet & Greet

Who: People and their cycles. This event is for persons with disabilities and their friends or family who want to cycle and celebrate all the ways we can ride together.

Arriving by Transit Plus:  The drop off and pick up location is the south parking lot 

Arriving by standard transit bus and then walking/wheeling: The nearest transit stop is Westbound Silverstone at King’s Drive on the Prairie Point route (Bus #672). It is an 11min walk to the gathering site inside Kings Park.

There is a wide pathway running along on the east side of Kings Drive from the bus stop. Once you reach the entrance to the park, there are no sidewalks, and users on foot/bikes/wheelchair share the road with cars, which is a low volume, low speed park access road.

Note for vision impaired navigation from the Silverstone/Kings transit stop:
If coming from the north, be aware that the transit landing pad on the north side of Silverstone avenue is not connected to the sidewalk network. You may want to cross the street to head south or walk east along the road median for ~20′ to reach the sidewalk again at the intersection. There are also no curb cuts or detectable pavers to guide you coming from the stop itself. There is a sidewalk across the street on the south side of Silverstone, which then connects to another on Kings Drive and then towards the park entrance. We will volunteers available to guide anyone who would like assistance coming from the bus stop upon request. Please indicate this when you register.

Note on other bus routes/stops: Winnipeg has a new transit route system with frequent service to certain hubs. One is the U of M. So, there is also the option of taking the more frequent buses going to the heart of the U of M using the Blue Line, but then the walk to the park is considerably longer. Navigation from the bus stop through the U of M campus parking lots may be difficult for first time users.

Arriving by car: The south parking lot is closest has 2 official accessible parking spots available. We will be on site to create more with cones as necessary.

Wheelchair storage and transferring: If desired, wheelchair valet is available and transfer assistance is offered. Wheelchair users may want to have a chair and a cycle on site.

Cycle or wheelchair pickups: In case someone wants an easy way to move their cycles, we are organizing a van to shuttle cycles to the site, from your home, if needed.  Pickup is Friday between 5 and 8pm. Drop-off is between 5 and 8pm on Saturday. To schedule a cycling equipment pickup, please complete THIS FORM.  Our goal is to make it easier for folks to participate even if you don’t have car access. We are encouraging everyone to bring their cycles out and extras to share if they have them.  If you have more than one cycle to show others that’s awesome! We will do our best to accommodate as many people’s “bikes” as possible.

Bikes and Tricycles on hand and available to try:  People without cycles of their own are VERY welcome to join and try something out or borrow one for a bit! Winnipeg Trails and ASC have some cycles to share + some of the particpiants  will be bringing extras. Come check out tandem trikes, trikes, handcycles and more. First come first serve, we don’t guarantee there will be a cycle for everyone for the ride, but there will be time to test things out, swap, etc..

About the Loop and the site

The bike path we plan to ride together is 3.4km loop parallel to the Red River and has no inclines. The trail is fairly wide, paved, and tree-lined in some areas.
There is also a shorter, more technically demanding paved loop which you can ride on your own. It is a 0.5km that has many small inclines, no shade, wide turns.

For some additional accessibility info, check out the section on Kings Park this recently made document by George Loewen covering parks all over Winnipeg!

The pagoda and the waterfall are popular destinations. Kings Park is famous in Winnipeg for its red pagoda. While it is not directly accessed by the route we will be taking, some people may be interested in checking it out. Is on a cement platform that is raised 6 inches off the ground. The terrain is uneven and a beaten path, off the paved loops leads up to the pagoda sitting by a reflecting pond. The waterfall is located in the south of the park and popular for wedding photos. There is a paved path to the waterfall. It has a medium incline.

About Washroom Accessibility

There is no automatic door button, someone from our team will prop the doors  open during the event, but we cannot guarantee that a member of the public will think to leave it like that. There are gendered washrooms with one accessible stall and one regular stall. The terrain leading up to the washrooms has a slight incline and uneven ground. Distance from our meeting spot to the washroom is about 100 meters.

There are no paved paths to the washrooms and all users share the park access road to get there.

FAQ’s

What if there is bad weather?
The event will be rescheduled if there is a serious risk of thunderstorm.

I just want to check out the adapted bikes, not necessarily ride one, can I come?

YES! This is a chance to see what’s out there.

Can I try someone’s adapted bike?
Some people will have extra cycles to ride, please respect everyone’s adapted equipment and ask permission before riding.

Safety is priority and you would be transferring and riding at your own risk, please be aware of your surroundings and speed.

Can you help me transport my adapted cycle to the park?

Yes. We will do our best to help get your cycle to the park. CLICK HERE to fill out a form to help us plan transportation.

I might need help participating in this event, can I still come?

YES! We will have volunteers at this event to help you out with whatever you need. You can also email Kirby at [email protected]

Can I volunteer or help out?
Yes! Please email [email protected] if you would like to help out.

Event Poster:

Download PDF for print

Brought to you by Accessible Sport Connections Manitoba and Winnipeg Trails.

Made possible with support from the City of Winnipeg, Government of Manitoba, Sport Manitoba and incredible volunteers.

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