Toronto's Bike Month includes everything from polka to pastries

What does polka music, church breakfasts, custard tarts and portrait photography have in common? They are some of the hundreds of events in Bike Month that kicked off with Bike to Work Day on May 29 and runs all month ending on June 30. Here are eight events sure to get your spokes spinning. 

Tour de Dufflet is a long-standing Bike Month tradition that sees cyclists make a day of touring to three different Dufflet Pastries shops. Owner Dufflet Rosenberg is an avid cyclist and offers up refreshments to registered participants as they visit the various shops. “Refreshments include bottled water or brewed coffee and a choice from that day’s bars and brownies to take-away,” she said.

On June 1, the one and only Lemon Bucket Orkestra offers a free and bicycle-powered concert at St. James Park in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. Get a spring tune-up by the folks at Bike Sauce while you boogie.

If you like a good custard tart, then mark June 3 on your calendar. The Custard Tart Ride takes cyclists on a tour of the Ward 18 area of the city, home to numerous Portuguese bakeries famous for creating the perfect custard tart. Meet at Brazil Bakery at 11 a.m.

It’s all polka all the time on June 4 when the annual Polka Ride takes over Roncy. Riders dressed in their best polka-dotted duds meet at Sorauren Park and tour around the area to polka music blasting out of speakers mounted on the back of a bicycle. It’s all the rage. 

There are official bike days at various locations throughout the city. For instance, on June 17, Henderson Brewing and Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop host a bike day celebration in the brewery parking lot complete with free tune-ups, an obstacle course, food trucks and, well, beer of course. And on June 18, Evergreen Brick Works hosts a bike day at its leafy Don Valley home, which includes mountain bike skills clinics, guided trail rides and activities for kids.

On June 24, the pedal-powered parade Bells on Danforth returns for another event. Cyclists gather at Castle Frank Station at 10:30 a.m. and head east for a tour of The Danny all the way to Danforth Road in Scarborough.  

Although not an official Bike Month event, June 10 is the scheduled date of the annual World Naked Bike Ride. Meet at 11 a.m. in Coronation Park for “elaborate body painting.” Rides starts at 1 p.m.

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