Bike Score – How bikeable is Vancouver?

According to a study carried out by Bike Score in 10 Canadian cities and 16 American cities, it turns out that Vancouver is very bikeable, indeed. Not as much as Victoria, which keeps its title as the Cycle Capital of Canada, but definitely ahead from Montreal, Toronto or Calgary.

On the flip side, the news are not so bright: Vancouver and all the other Canadian cities in the study score below the 75 mark — far behind the scores on many European cities. And the percentages of ridership all across Canada would still make a Copenhagener laugh and choke a little. In short, no breaking news here: there is still lots of room for improvement.

The coolest part of the study carried out by Seattle-based Walk Score in collaboration with both Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, though, is their “heat maps”: a visual, color based representation of the “bike-friendliness” of every area and neighborhood in the city.

Bike Scores are calculated for each location in a city based on 3 criteria: cycling infrastructure, topography and road connectivity and access to amenities. Those results are then mapped with color, with scores ranging from a low of 0 (deep red) and to a high of 100 (dark green). The American Bike Scores include an additional map showing the percentages of bike commuters by area, as a means to include a measurement for the social component in cycling: chances are that, if more people in your extended network bike, you will be more inclined to try it yourself.

But if Bike Score is wrong and not even peer pressure works to get more people on bikes, then I’d advocate for more sunny morning and afternoons: nothing like the first stretch of beautiful weather after a wet winter to see the daily numbers of Commuter Cup Contenders increase exponentially!

You can check all the bike score cities here. And also look for apartments based on cycling distance. And if you don’t see a Bike Score  for your city, tweet away to get it included: they will be building Bike Score for the top 10 most requested cities.

Weekend Ride – Cleveland Park and Musette Caffè

Route Length: 39.1 km
Route Difficulty: Moderate
Route with Profile:  BikeMap: 1530312

A new destination to add to our default  trifecta of short to medium length rides on the North Shore – namely: Horeshoe Bay, Whytecliff Park and Deep Cove. This ride includes some gradual climbing on Capilano Road, all the way to Cleveland Park, but nothing too crazy. The park overlooks Capilano Lake, and offers some gorgeous views of the Lions. The perfect destination for a little lunch picnic.

2012 MS Bike Tour Team- Glacier Challenge – Aug. 18th + 19th

I’ve personally been doing the Bike Tour to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research for the better part of a decade now, and Cima Coppi has been sending a small team for the past two years. We’d like to do the same this year but with a much more substantial team and are looking at the newest of the MS Bike Tour offerings: The Glacier Challenge

When: Aug. 18th and 19th, 2012
Where: New Denver, West Kootneys, British Columbia
Route Length: Day 1 – 102km, Day 2 – 114km
MS Society: Route Website and Registration
MS Society Contact: Leona Dimock

“The launch of the ride will take place in the picturesque town of New Denver which sits quietly on the shore of Slocan Lake, central to the location of the 1890’s silver mining boom, and just a short jaunt to the ghost town of Sandon.

The ride will start with participants travelling south, along the east shore of Slocan Lake. Highway 6 will take them up and down as the route winds its way through gullies and along ridges, affording a fabulous view of the Selkirk Mountains.

At the south end of the lake the route continues through the Slocan Valley, passing through several small towns, each with its own unique character. This area, with a history of being a haven for war resisters, has developed into an eclectic mix of cultures and features many local artisans.

At the junction with Highway 3A, riders will turn north toward Nelson, travelling along the Kootenay River passing three of the seven hydro electric generating stations and dams situated between Nelson and Castlegar.

Arriving in Nelson, the route travels through the city, past the illustrious Provincial Courthouse; former City Hall now housing Touchstones Museum; and the historic Hume Hotel, reported to be home to a ghost who roams the halls.

The day’s ride will finish at beautiful Lakeside Park, located beside the West Arm of Kootenay Lake.

The park is conveniently located next to the orange bridge that will take riders out of the city and onto Highway 3A toward Kaslo for the start of day two.

The road is a two lane highway with a riding shoulder. It travels along the north shore of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, with mild ups and downs and the morning sun to the right. The breathtaking views and calm water make this ride relaxing and rejuvenating.Riders will stop in Balfour, home to the ferry landing for the Osprey 2000, which delivers the longest free ferry ride in Canada. They will then turn north toward Kaslo for a windy narrow ride along the cliffs, and over coffee creek to go through Ainsworth, home to the area’s hot springs. Over thousands of years the flowing hot water has created caves and tunnels in the area, and can be experienced at the Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, or for the more adventurous, toured at Cody Caves, a 10 kilometre drive up off the highway.

During the stop in Kaslo, participants can tour the historic SS Moyie, a dry-docked paddle wheeler that provided passenger service on Kootenay Lake until the mid 1900’s, and now houses memorabilia from its travels.

Leaving Kaslo, riders will travel over the pass to New Denver through what is known as “The Valley of the Ghosts”. The area was once rich in mining and old sites are still visible from the road. Although upwards of 5000 people resided in the area at the peak of its era, it is virtually deserted now.

The downhill grade that lasts for kilometres is the reward for the uphill grinds. This is not a ride to attempt without training.

Arriving back in New Denver, riders will have the opportunity to celebrate with teammates and enjoy a dip in refreshing Slocan Lake before the final award presentations and closing entertainment.”

If you’re interested in joining for the event send us an email or a note on facebook. It seems like a long time away but there is a fundraising minimum of $250 to participate. Stay tuned for more information.

Happy New Year – 2012 Ride

I felt lucky to be able to ride on January 1st in nice weather. I also met up with Bill along the way and we rolled out to Whytecliff park together to burn off some of those holiday calories. Got to catch a nice long sunset out by the sea today.

Happy New Year everyone. All the best for 2012.

A Visit to the Brodie Framebuilding School

Tim, Stephen and I went out to visit the Brodie framebuilding school at the UFV aerospace facility at the Abbotsford airport last night. It was an informal open house, but it was great to see the facilities and just how set up Paul is out there. It’d be one thing to learn framebuilding skills from a local legend like Paul, but it’s another thing to have the potential to learn in such a well outfitted facility. Paul has a serious collection of jigs, milling machines and a good collection of “tricks-of-the-trade” to create a top-notch environment for learning. He even got the interest high by letting those who wanted to get a free first lesson.

I’ve got to admit, I’m pretty tempted to make the investment before Paul takes his handbuilt 18th-century full suspension “Whippet” to NAHBS and the program enrollment explodes. I met Paul years back when I was doing my thesis bicycle project at Emily Carr. He’s a chill guy and he knows his stuff, and he’s completely open to doing new things… or in his case, really old things, from 1888.

For more info about the course: www.ufv.ca/bicycleframe