Bourkevale bike club gains traction

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This article was published 31/08/2022 (1468 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. JAMES-ASSINIBOIA

WEST END

As the adage goes, sometimes inspiration can be found in unlikely places.

On Aug. 16, the Bourkevale Community Centre bike club explored the back lanes of Bruce Park in search of the scene that inspired Doc Snyder’s House, a painting by Group of Seven artist Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald.

For a time, FitzGerald lived at 30 Deer Lodge Pl. Snyder was his neighbour. The painting depicts a snowy scene — much different than the hot, muggy day during which the bike club embarked on the search.

Though the cyclists didn’t find the location (the streetscape has changed significantly since 1931), they were delighted to imagine where the celebrated artist may have stood.

The bike club leaves from Bourkevale Community Centre at 7 p.m. every Wednesday. Anyone is welcome to join, from toddlers to seniors. And participants need not be from the Bruce Park neighbourhood.

Daevid Ramey, who recently announced his bid to become the councillor for St. James, founded the bike club earlier this summer. He says the group was born from the need to connect with community during the pandemic.

“We were looking for ways we could support the people in our community and get them actively engaged without having to commit to being part of a program,” Ramey said.

“Our intention is always to get together as neighbours and explore and do things that we wouldn’t necessarily do on our own.”

Bike club events have included rides to The Forks, Yellow Ribbon Greenway Trail, Assiniboine Park, and the Sturgeon Creek Greenway trail.

“What’s really great about it, because we’re riding slow — and because we’re on a lot of slow streets or closed streets or bicycle paths — we can ride together and have conversations. That’s the really brilliant part,” Ramey said, “We can catch up with the week. We can share some ideas.”

The group has grown steadily since its inception, Ramey said. Cyclists from the West End and St. James have joined the ranks. Though attendance ebbs and flows each week, over a dozen participants turned out on Aug. 16.

Bourkevale resident Salina Rabsch has participated in four bike club events, so far. She says the club has been a means to connect with neighbours and see the city in a new way. At the most recent event, she was joined by a young Ukrainian girl whose family Rabsch is hosting.

Rabsch points to a recent bike club ride, which saw the group stop by the children’s rehabilitation centre on Wellington Crescent, as a standout trip.

“(Daevid) had a whole historical piece on it. I didn’t even know it existed. And on the way back, we stumbled across the Dirty Catfish Brass Band in Wolseley. We were immersed in a parade,” Rabsch said.

The club plans to meet each Wednesday until the weather turns cool, potentially until the end of September.

For more information about upcoming events at Bourkevale Community Centre, visit www.bourkevale.com