Every morning, Patrick Foran leaves his St. John’s neighbourhood home on his bicycle and peddles his way to work, taking side streets and trails and roads.
He’s been doing it for 20 years, and it doesn’t matter the season, or the weather.
“Honestly, I crave it,” Foran told CBC News. “You start your day on your way to work with that kind of energy boost that you get from cycling and the fresh air and the endorphins and all that. And then as you finish your day you get the same thing.”
More than a means of staying active in the winter, Foran said it can also be a money-saving alternate mode of transportation.
“I think all these things together are kind of motivating people. Plus it’s exercise. It’s fun,” he said.
Foran says older bikes are great for winter cycling because it’s easy to find replacement parts. (Mark Cumby/CBC)
But what does it take to cycle through St. John’s as the snow piles up to create bottle necks on busy motorways? For anyone considering the move, Foran advises against using a summer bike or an expensive mountain bike because of the road salt causing parts to wear down.
Foran said he has a bike solely for the winter, which is an aluminum road bike from the 1980s.
“Old bikes are perfect for winter riding because the parts are usually plentiful and not expensive,” he said.
Preparation is key
Otis Crandell, a member of the cycling non-profit Ordinary Spokes, said it’s important to plan for a winter ride.
“Sometimes you have to watch out for if there’s a bit of ice on the road, particularly black ice. Usually you can kind of predict when it will be,” he said.
Crandell, like Foran, dresses warm for the winter rides. He advises mittens and a headband or an insert that fits into a helmet to keep ears warm.
Otis Crandell says keeping an eye on the forecast is important. (Mark Cumby/CBC)
The Outfitters, an outdoor clothing and equipment shop with locations in downtown St. John’s and Mount Pearl, caters to the winter cycling movement.
Co-owner Jonathan Earle said his shop has seen an increase in cycling from the summer through to the winter.
“Business has been steady. I mean, I think there’s definitely more people biking in general, whether that’s the winter or the summer, all year round,” he said.
Maksym Maslii, an employee of the shop in Mount Pearl, has been biking for more than a decade. He estimates he cycles approximately 8,000 kilometres per year.
“That’s … my lifestyle. Not everybody, you know, can do it,” he said.
Maksym Maslii says he’d like to see additional biking infrastructure so more people would feel comfortable cycling. (Mark Cumby/CBC)
But with the proper city infrastructure, anyone could cycle through the winter, he added.
“For example, in Amsterdam, everybody bikes,” Maslii said. “It’s not the question [of] if you have a bike, it’s a question [of] how many bikes you have.”
He said the necessary infrastructure, like bike lanes, helps more people get on the road, and hopes St. John’s starts adopting more biking infrastructure.
Canada Games boost
Foran said he’s also seen more people on bikes this winter. He credits the recent Canada Summer Games, hosted in St. John’s.
“There was the great mountain biking races up in Pippy Park. There was the circuit downtown,” he said.
“People were really reintroduced to competitive cycling and maybe that awakened to something in some folks.”
Earle agreed.
“It was a really good exposure for the sport,” he said.
Download ourfree CBC News appto sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for ourdaily headlines newsletter here. Clickhere to visit our landing page.