Bike Month Bingo: Completing every square

One of our Bike Month Bingo participants was so enthusiastic about the contest that they completed every single bingo square. Here is what Emma had to say about their experience:

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A person on a bike in a blue shirt smiles broadly and gives a thumbs up

What inspired you to do all of the activities on the Bike Month bingo card?

The T-shirt was a great incentive for attempting the Bike Bingo card. I felt like I already did a lot of the activities on the squares on a day-to-day basis, so putting in a bit more effort was fun! Once I completed a few lines, the other squares didn't seem so daunting and it was a fun challenge to complete EVERYTHING. It was also an excellent excuse to meet up with friends for some bike riding fun while being safe and physically distant during the pandemic.

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A person takes a selfie as another rides past while waving

What activities were the most difficult to complete and why?

The most difficult activities were riding in the rain (I'm a generally cautious person and didn't want to put my bike through a downpour), and riding every part of the Humber Trail. It's a long trail with multiple sections and was the most time-consuming out of all the squares, even though the ride itself was very pleasant. My group of friends and I went all the way to the Claireville Dam!

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Wet roads reflect street lights at night.

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$A sign says \$

Which activity was your favourite?

My favourite activity was riding around the Toronto Islands. I always love the ferry ride over and the ride was gorgeous because the leaves were starting to change colour and since people had gone back to work and school a bit, the islands were pretty bare. I went multiple times and enjoyed all the space for cycling!!!

Did you try anything new to complete Bike Month Bingo? What was that experience like? What did you learn?

The newest thing was visiting a bike hub, I'd never done that before! I was so happy to gain some knowledge about my bike instead of just handing it over to a mechanic. It was still a bit tough because of Covid-19 measures that were put in place, but I really appreciate the opportunity to learn and get a bit more hands-on with my bike. I also had never really ridden in the rain. It was an excellent mental challenge and reinforced that I need to have a guard so that water and muck doesn't splash up my back, but it was still loads of fun!

Did you do any of the activities multiple times? Why?

I ended up doing many of the activities multiple times. I think getting takeout is an excellent challenge because it encourages buying local which hopefully helps people in the pandemic (even though I shouldn't be getting takeout often haha). Otherwise, any excuse to bike is a great one! I rode on multiple of the new routes, like the one on Bloor, and really utilized the corridor on Avenue/Queen's Park/University to get to and from work. I think I ended up taking the ttc only once or twice in September, and I'm still biking to and from work in shorts! Going on physically distanced bike rides with friends was a favourite of mine especially around the Islands which is one of my favourite places in Toronto. I also persuaded my mum and brother to get into cycling a bit, thanks to the influence of bike month! My mum even got to riding a bike as I ran beside her. It was easier to complete some squares multiple times because the weather in September was pretty excellent, in that it was never too hot and it's always easy to layer up.