City-funded program at B!KE keeps cyclists riding all winter long

Hussein Alkhalil had only ever seen snow once before he moved to Peterborough from Turkey last year.

But that didn’t stop Alkhalil, a long-time cyclist, from getting on his bike this winter.

“Winter I think is not as difficult as I thought, and is a lot of fun,” said Alkhalil, who is originally from Syria but spent a decade in Turkey before he and his family finally settled in Canada.

Through a city-funded program at B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop, Alkhalil  received equipment and training to make his first winter cycling experience a positive one.

B!KE’s Winter Wheels program, now in its seventh year, provides 25 participants with a free set of studded tires, as well as lessons on how to ride in snowy and icy conditions, according to Ness Pringle, one of the program’s coordinators.

Studded bicycle tires can cost $100-150 each, putting them out of the “financial range” of what many people can afford, Pringle said. 

Participants also learn to maintain their bicycles to keep them going all winter, and can join regular group rides from January to March, Pringle said.

Alkhalil has been commuting to his English classes in downtown Peterborough by bike this winter and enjoys it because it gives him a chance to get outside.

“It’s warmer than when we are walking,” he said.

Hailey Finlay tried winter cycling for the first time last year and ran into some snags.

Finlay’s brakes froze at one point and they had trouble navigating slushy streets, so this season they joined the Winter Wheels program to hone their skills, they said.

“Being out biking in all weather, it’s really exciting. It’s such a sense of accomplishment,” Finlay said. “It’s really exciting when you see another biker in the distance in the snow and you give them a wave.”

Jean Greig, who helps run Winter Wheels, said it can be a “huge psychological challenge” to keep cycling all through the winter. 

“But a lot of the time it’s really not as hard as it seems,” she said. “A lot of the time if you’ve got the right clothes and get on your bike, you’re going to have a fantastic trip,” she said.

Winter cycling may seem daunting to some, but according to Pringle it comes with a lot of benefits.

Pringle began cycling because they didn’t want to contribute to climate change by driving a car. But they soon discovered that getting around on two wheels was “also a really great way to just feel better and have better mental health.”

Encouraging more people to keep riding through the coldest months is one of the priorities of the City of Peterborough’s cycling master plan, Greig said.

The plan, adopted by the previous city council in 2022, calls for the establishment of a “priority winter cycling network” that would see improved snow clearing on certain trails and bike paths.

This article was adapated from Eddy Sweeney’s reporting for Trent Radio, which you can listen to here.