The ‘impossible’ is possible

St. James-Assiniboia

Grant Park

Elmwood

Winnipeg’s ‘Bicycle Mayor’ can add published author to her resumé.

Last spring, Patty Wiens, a 52-year-old St. James resident, was bestowed the title of “Bicycle Mayor” by BYCS, an Amsterdam-based non-governmental organization at the centre of an international network of bike enthusiasts. Since then, she has continued to be an outspoken proponent of improving safety and infrastructure for cyclists in the city.

“When I was first chosen as bicycle mayor, I had these lofty goals of helping connect the bicycle network and normalize riding a bike for transportation,” she said.

Then on June 6, 2024, Rob Jenner, a member of the local cycling community, was killed in a hit and run accident on Wellington Crescent.

“The community was up in arms. My focus really shifted from, Oh, isn’t this wonderful to … we have to do something,” Wiens said. “My role kind of became connecting two sides of the bike community, the activists and the advocates. My volunteer hours went from maybe five hours a week to 30 or 40. But the cool thing is we built a lot of relationships.”

Now, she’s put that experience into a new book, That’ll Never Work Here, out later this month from Great Plains Press.

“I’ve always wanted to write, but never thought of myself as a writer. I always wondered, what is it that I’m gonna write about, that I’m so passionate about that I want to write about?” Wiens said.

That’ll Never Work Here: Challenging the Myths Around Biking in a Winter City is the second in the City Project series, edited by Elmwood residents Emma and Michel Durand-Wood that aims to tackle, “the components that go into making a thriving city,” according to Michel Durand-Wood.

Born and raised in Brazil, Wiens moved to Winnipeg at the age of 17 and quickly traded in her bike for a car. As the subtitle of her new book suggests, in time, Wiens embraced all-season cycling, and aims to show others that it can be done here.

“With everything going on in the world, it feels more important than ever. It feels quaint, like, Oh I’m gonna ride my bike to make a difference. But you realize, the bike is the difference,” she said.

“I do say that the best thing you can do is pull that bike down from the rafters and ride it,” Wiens added. “You can’t imagine how much your life is going to change.”

And while cycling has put Wiens in the spotlight, she is actively looking to platform other women working to make urban environments a more inclusive place for all. She recently launched a podcast, That’s HER Problem, where she has interviewed women from around the world about the work they’re doing in their communities.

“A lot of things I’ve learned about urbanism has come from men, because guys have been talking about this the past few years,” she said. “But what are the women saying? Why aren’t we hearing more from women?”

With That’ll Never Work Here still fresh off the presses, Wiens is already looking to the future.

“There’s more coming,” she said. “I think it will be to focus on women’s stories. I can’t tell you the amount of hate I get from men. It’s gross. Women’s stories need to be told. When women are prioritized, everyone benefits. They’re still the primary caregivers, no matter how modern we get, a large percentage of society still depends on women as caregivers. We need to take that into consideration.”

The official launch for That’ll Never Work Here will be held at McNally Robinson Booksellers (1120 Grant Ave.) on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Those in attendance will get the chance to participate in a trivia game, Who said it? A cyclist or Taylor Swift?

“There is a theme, there are Easter eggs in here; if you’re a Swiftie, you’ll catch them,” Wiens said, with a laugh. “It won’t be all about Taylor Swift, but it’s fun, and without going too off topic, it’s the language of the revolution. Young girls are speaking those lyrics. Little girls know this. I’m important to communicate those micro-messages to young girls.”

Visit pattybikes.com for more information.