Many thanks to everyone who came out and participated in Clean Air Day 2016!

The day began with free coffee and cinnamon buns for walking and biking commuters, at the corner of Osborne and Assiniboine. Our new friends from Coop Vélo Cité were there bright and early, promoting the new community bike hub they are establishing in St.Boniface.

From the get-go, we were busy, serving over 300 beaming commuters during the morning rush hour. Who knew that a commute could be so pleasant?! Many of the people who stopped to visit shared stories from their Commuter Challenge experience, and for a time it felt like Winnipeg just might be one of the meccas of bike culture in the world! We’re happy to think of it that way, at least. :-)

Once the rush died down, we biked back to our office, grabbed our gear, and headed to the Forks to welcome hundreds of students to our big outdoor celebration of health, mobility and the environment. We were joined by friends from Manitoba Public Insurance, Health Canada, Bike WinnipegThe W.R.E.N.C.H., Freedom Concepts, and the Flaming Cheetahs bike group. Bike blender smoothies were a hit, and the Cheetahs’ obstacle course demonstrations were fantastic. Students learned a ton about bicycles, and riding them, from the WRENCH, Bike Winnipeg and Freedom Concepts. Many classes arrived on bikes, and the forks was abuzz with activity because of it. The rain held off until the last student left, and then invigorated us all on our bike rides home. A perfect day, by almost any account!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us and helped make it a spectacular event! We can’t wait to do it again next year, and we look forward to working with everyone again. Check out our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for lots of coverage of the day – and thanks to all those who shared their experience with us!

If you haven’t been logging your commutes for Commuter Challenge this week, get on it! There are still prizes to be won.

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