The Alberta Avenue area can be experienced in a way that combines both community building and an active lifestyle with the Alberta Avenue Cycle Nights group.

“It was started off to sort of get people [in the neighbourhood] used to riding or learning how to ride on the bike paths and bike network,” says Maggie Glasgow, one of the group creators. “[And then] also just to get exercise in a sociable kind of way.”

Glasgow and two other local residents started the group in 2019 after a discussion at their local community league.

“We were talking about how the bike network had expanded and a lot of people were unsure of how to use [it], all the rules and everything around [it], so we decided to start this group.” 

The group meets every Wednesday at 7 pm at 114 Ave and 95 St (beside OTTO Food & Drink) and doesn’t follow a regular route. Instead, they map each ride as it happens, basing the decision on who shows up and their skill levels.

“It all depends on who comes,” says Glasgow. “If there are people that…maybe they have a bad knee or their stamina just isn’t up, then we will usually just ride on the bike network and not go down into the river valley. [Often] we just kind of explore and see what’s around.”

The group will also use a general consensus when determining how long each ride will last. 

“In the fall, we usually don’t get more than an hour in,” says Glasgow. “It depends. Some weeks it will be a large group and everybody is like, ‘Yeah, let’s go for longer, let’s see where we get to.’ Nothing is really set in stone.” 

Glasgow notes the group is open to the public and is free to join. For now the rides are arranged using Facebook, though other social media platforms could be considered in the future if needed. Cyclists are also free to post in the group if they want to connect with someone for a bike ride that’s independent of the regularly scheduled meets. 

According to its Facebook page, the group now includes 217 members, though Glasgow clarifies that rides themselves have consisted of anywhere from a few participants to a maximum of 12-14 riders. She notes, however, that she would be happy to see an increase in people attending each ride.

“We’d like to see more, a lot of people are interested,” says Glasgow. “Maybe if [you’re] shy, come on out, because it’s a really nice group of people that go and are really welcoming. As we ride, we talk, we get to know people. It’s a good time.”

Glasgow adds the group is planning to incorporate rides on Sundays geared towards kids or adults who are new to cycling or who want to get back into the sport. She clarifies these rides would be a “no pressure sort of ride.”

“I think a lot of people in this neighbourhood…want more accessibility using alternate forms of transportation,” says Glasgow. “Now, with the bike routes, I feel so much more comfortable and I’ve gotten back into cycling and I use my bike all the time.”

The group is on Facebook under the name Alberta Avenue Cycle Nights. 

She adds that anyone interested in cycling can visit the Bike Edmonton Downtown Community Workshop for affordable equipment. 

Andres is slowly studying nursing while working full time. He spends most of his free time either reading or going to used book stores. He has a collection of over 1,200 books.