We are very excited to announce…
The Big Toronto Bike Ride presented by Bike Law Canada 2023
The Big Toronto Bike Ride presented by Bike Law Canada is back and this year we’re all riding together! Join us on a lively ride around town, make a new cycling friend at the post-ride social, and, most importantly, help Cycle Toronto raise funds for even more programming and advocacy in 2024. We’ve spent 2023 amplifying cyclists’ voices during the municipal by-election, helping folks take up biking at our Learn-to-Ride program, and advocating for an expanded cycling network across Toronto. We have even bigger and better goals for 2024, but we need your help to accomplish them.
Register now, space is limited!
Event Details
We’re excited to host you on Sunday, October 1st, 2023! Fundraise and ride with us on a ~12km ride to celebrate our big wins and help us continue our work to bring tangible change to Toronto’s cycling culture and infrastructure projects.
How much are the tickets and fundraising targets for participants?
In order to take part in the Big Toronto Bike Ride and the post-ride social, participants need to purchase a non-tax receiptable ticket for $30 and fundraise at least $150 (fundraising donations are tax receiptable). You can fundraise individually or you can join a team of fundraisers. Teams are required to average $150 per team member. For example, if you have a 4-person team, your target will be $600.
We also have a limited number of family tickets available for $60 (1 adult + up to 2 youths under 19). We’d love for you to register on behalf of your family and fundraise together.
Participants have until the end of the day on Saturday, September 30th to reach their fundraising minimum.
All participants will receive a free drink ticket (19+) and food at the post-ride social, with further beverages also available for purchase at the venue.
Where and when is the event?
Riders should arrive at the northwest corner of Christie Pits Park at 4:30 pm. That is the southeast corner of Crawford and Barton. The ride will depart at 5:15, will last about 90 minutes, and will finish near Dundas and River. The route will be announced shortly and will feature a variety of old and new cycling infrastructure. A post-ride social for participants will be held at Bevy at 738 Dundas St. E from 6:30 - 10:00 pm.
NOTE: A map of the ride will be released in the coming weeks. Please note there will be no road closures or additional traffic management requested from Toronto Police Services. Experienced cycling educators will be on hand, but all riders are expected to adhere to rules of the road. Like February’s Coldest Day of the Year Ride, the route will take place along cycling infrastructure where possible.
Our Business Sponsors
We would like to thank our business sponsors for their endless support for our work, and to help us make this event a success. We couldn't do this work without you.
From left to right, our business sponsors for the event:Toronto Hydro, Curbside Cycle, and Urbane Cyclist
Can I be a sponsor of the ride this year?
Becoming a Business Sponsor for the Big Toronto Bike Ride is a great way of showing your business' support for active transportation in the city.
You will be riding alongside advocates, community leaders, businesses, and individuals who care about seeing Toronto transform into a city that prioritizes the safety of all road users. Most importantly, your contribution will make a significant impact to help reach our $50,000 fundraising goal.
You will have the opportunity to showcase your business’ support for our work before and during the fundraising event. This includes recognition on our social media platforms, website, and any communication materials for the Big Ride.
Click on the link above to learn more about how to become a Business Sponsor with us for the ride, and contact [email protected] to get started.
Are there any prizes or any cool new Cycle Toronto merch?
It’s been a while since we designed an in-house limited edition T-shirt for one of our events – for this year’s fundraiser, we’re selling limited edition t-shirts to our supporters, online and in-person at the event. Fundraisers who raise above $500 will also receive their own free tee as a special thank you for their effort.
We’re happy to announce that we’ll be providing prizes to our top fundraisers once again. Scroll down to see the prize sponsors for this year!
More questions? Visit our FAQ section below to learn more about how to register as a fundraiser, or as a fundraising team.
Prize Sponsors
Spinco - Top Team Prize
SPINCO offers full-body spin classes led by their dedicated instructors, designed to strengthen the body and energize the mind. With your collaboration, their private ride classes are curated to uplift and inspire, moving in unison to the beat of the music to connect and empower your community. Check out their classes here!
As a prize sponsor, Spinco is offering the top fundraising team a private studio session led by their incredible studio instructors. The class can fit up to 35 people, so you can invite your friends, family, and colleagues to join you for the private session! The classes can take place anytime during October – November, and the Cycle Toronto team will be in touch to coordinate a date and time that works for the winning team.
Henderson Brewing Co - Top individual prize
Henderson Brewery was founded in 2013 after industry veterans and beer lovers, Steve Himel and Adin Wener, decided there was an opportunity to apply craft brewing values and techniques to more approachable beer styles, in order to make beer that anyone would be happy to find in their fridge day after day. Since then, they’ve brewed hundreds of different styles, hosted hundreds of thousands of people, packaged millions of liters of beer, and won dozens of brewing awards.
The top individual fundraiser wins a private tasting with the brewery, which can accommodate up to 10 people.
Our fundraisers also get entered into a chance to win a gift pack from Henderson, which includes a case of their classic beer and some cool merch!
Two Wheel Gear is a Canadian high-end design company specializing in outdoor equipment for cyclists and bike commuters. It focuses on technical bags and panniers using recycled materials and sustainable business practices.
This year, they’re partnering with Cycle Toronto to offer some exciting prizes to our Big Toronto Bike Ride fundraisers. These include a pannier backpack, a commuter backpack, and handlebar bags to make your bike rides more convenient and hassle free.
- 1 Pannier Backpack LITE - Black
- 1 Pannier Backpack LITE - Olive
- 1 Commute Backpack - Grey
- 3 Dayliner Mini Handlebar Bags
Patagonia, a retail company that produces clothing and gear for the outdoors, has been a proud prize sponsor for Cycle Toronto events. This year, they’re supporting the Big Toronto Bike Ride to give a lucky fundraiser a Patagonia bag of goodies. The prize pack includes:
Prize pack from Patagonia:
- 1 Brodeo Beanie
- 1 P-6 Label Trad Cap
- 1 Atom Sling 8L
- 1 Patagonia Book- Tools for Grassroots Activists
InsideOut Studio in Leaside is a private studio that offers healthy and wellness services to help you reach your fitness goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle. They offer a range of services, from private studio sessions, group classes, to nutritional consulting, workplace wellness programs, and private at-home training, to name a few. This year, they’re partnering with Cycle Toronto to offer 3 private studio sessions to 2 lucky fundraisers!
Sweet Pete's has been proudly serving Toronto and beyond for decades. Located in Bloordale Village, Sweet Pete’s offers a range of services for the cycling community, including cycling gear, accessories, bike apparel, and more; it’s your one stop shop for all things bike related. They’ve also been a long-standing supporter of Cycle Toronto’s work, and have been a champion for cycling in Toronto – support from local bike shops such as Sweet Pete’s gives us the ground support we need to continue to do our work, and we’re excited to have them as a prize sponsor this year. When you fundraise for the Big Toronto Bike Ride, you get the chance to win a prize from Sweet Pete’s; prizes include a Lazer Helmet, a pair of Trek lights, and a $50 giftcard to visit Sweet Pete’s!
Pedal People has handcrafted products for the everyday urban cyclist. They’re providing prizes to our fundraisers this year, and will be tabling at the Big Toronto Bike Ride itself. Here’s what they had to say about themselves:
“Through our globally handcrafted products and artisan-involvement, we want you to express yourself by bringing beauty to your bike. Our products are made for the urban cyclist—whether you’re riding around town, commuting to work, or meeting a friend for coffee. Our products offer function, fashion, and fun on and off-road. We believe that when you love your bike accessories, you want to ride more often. And what better way to ride than in style?”
Visit back here to see what prizes you can win from them.
Fundraising FAQ
What is Cycle Toronto?
Cycle Toronto is a member-supported charity [Registered Charity #: 816664957 RR 0001] that works to make Toronto a healthy, safe and vibrant cycling city for all. We are focused on advocacy, education and encouragement, as we work to shape policy and infrastructure, and build community to transform our city’s cycling culture. We engage a diversity of people in our work, pursuing evidence-based solutions that make cycling a viable option for all Torontonians. We believe that streets are for people, and that no traffic fatalities are acceptable.
What is Bike Law Canada?
What is the Big Toronto Bike Ride fundraising model?
The Big Toronto Bike Ride presented by Bike Law Canada is a fundraising event supporting Cycle Toronto’s advocacy, education, and encouragement work. As in previous years, the event is a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign that relies on participants to fundraise with us.
Participants create a personal page or team fundraising page, and direct their network to donate to their campaign, with top fundraisers winning prizes from our sponsors. Participants have until the day before the ride to fundraise. The peer-to-peer fundraising model not only helps us fundraise a higher amount, but grows awareness about our organization and helps us reach new audiences.
How do I create an account?
Visit the Canada Helps fundraising campaign page, and click “Join as an individual”. You will be prompted to create an account with Canada Helps and you will be asked to input details about your profile, such as your name and email address. If you already have an existing Canada Helps account, you can use the email address and password associated with that account.
Note: If there is a team you would like to join, click “Join a team” instead of “Join as an individual”.
What should I include in my fundraising profile?
After creating a profile, simply set your targeted fundraising amount – the minimum amount is $150, but we highly recommend setting a higher goal to motivate your network to donate more.
Why do I have to fundraise $150?
Cycle Toronto’s Big Toronto Bike Ride is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the organization – the funds that we raise help us maintain and expand our advocacy and education work. We’re an expanding organization with big dreams – we want to build a cycling city all Torontonians can be proud of. We’re expecting a lot of people to celebrate with us this October, and the only way we can continue our work at the level we want is if all participants contribute to this big fundraising event. We think $150 of tax receiptable fundraising is an achievable goal, and it’s even more fun when you create or join a team to raise money together!
How do I create a fundraising team?
You can go on our main fundraising page and click “Create a team”. You will be asked for some details such as the total goal of the team and the group name, along with a description of the team. You can even invite members to join the team, provided that they haven’t created an account already. If they have an existing “individual” fundraising profile, contact Cycle Toronto staff and we can manually add that person to your team.
Note: Fundraising team goals depend on the number of team members; each individual should still has a minimum goal of $150 per fundraiser, so set your team fundraising goal accordingly!
How do I join a fundraising team after I have created an individual account?
If you originally signed up as an “individual” fundraiser, and now want to join an existing team’s page, contact the Cycle Toronto staff at [email protected] and we can manually assign you to the desired team.
Where do I access the brand toolkit?
Participants are invited to download promotional materials from the participant page in order to promote their fundraising page. These materials are great for social media!
Who do I contact if I have issues with my profile?
Contact the Cycle Toronto staff at [email protected].
Is my ticket purchase included in my fundraising amount?
No. Your ticket purchase helps us host all the participants at the post-ride social. All fundraisers (19+) get a complimentary drink ticket and complimentary food. In short, your ticket purchase is NOT included in the fundraising goal you set for your peer-to-peer campaign.
