Summer of the bike: eight cyclists who ride in style
Remember those “I survived Toronto” T-shirts from summer 2003? The checklist on them read: SARS, West Nile, Mad Cow, SARS again. The 2009 tee would be less lethal but more depressing: rain, recession, trash, tornadoes, more rain.
But Torontonians took it in stride. When it poured, we crammed into the slew of fantastic new cafés. When the sun finally shone, it wasn’t just kids spread-eagled on the grass in Trinity-Bellwoods. Dinner parties were an excuse to plow through stockpiled LCBO bottles, and with ferry service to the Island on pause, everyone suddenly remembered the Beach. The Rolling Stones didn’t need to bail the city out this time. We did it ourselves.
With a new DIY attitude came one crucial summer accessory: the bicycle. Cheaper than driving and more individual than a new pair of jeans, it seemed like everyone from Bay Street’s suits to bespectacled Queen Westers to new moms in Leslieville was sporting two wheels. Whatever the style, there was a bike to match. Here, a look at eight Toronto cyclists who did it with aplomb.
THIS CITY
Obsessive coverage of Toronto, straight to your inbox
