Bike bingo in Yukon

Socks. A burl. Bear spray. And in one case, all those items, plus a spare tube, a banana, and a shirt and shorts hanging on a tree. These are scenes from the Contagious Mountain Bike Club’s bingo contest that riders shared with each other online.

In spring, cmbc treasurer Christine Prescott was inspired by a social-media post she saw by a friend at the Bike Instructor Certification Program. It was a ninesquare bingo card with mountain bike-related activities in each space. Prescott cooked up a five-by-five card, with no free space in the centre, that featured some easy tasks – “Let out a joyous ‘whoop’ on the trail” – and some that only a rider based near Whitehorse could do: “Grey Mountain ride with 3+ trails.” From July 1 to 20, more than 40 people participated. They ranged in age from six to 61. Seven riders completed the whole card. Winners got gift cards for local shops, Cadence Cycle and Icycle Sports.

“Because of covid, we couldn’t run any of our usual big, popular events this year, like our Dirt Girls group rides, gravity skills clinics or bicycle garage sale,” Prescott says. “We needed to get creative to find fun things we could do while keeping in line with the health measures in place. The physicaldistancing challenge kept our community feeling alive even when we were apart.” Funds raised through the challenge are going to youth-oriented trailbuilding programs in the area, including Singletrack to Success and the Grey Mountain Dream Trail project by the byte – Empowering Youth Society. Prescott figures there may be more bingo in the club’s future – possibly in the snow. “Fat biking is so huge here, so I think a similar winter event would be popular,” she says.— MP