Urban Poker Ride rolling on Saturday

Now that the annual snow storm threat of the May long weekend has come and gone, perhaps we can finally look forward to summer. It’s about time, as Lethbridge BikeFest is in full swing, with a series of rides and events coming up for the last week of the month.

We’ve strived to bring together all sectors of our small-yet-mighty local cycling community, and this year’s festival has already been a great success with film screenings, the fourth annual Jane’s Ride and a great mechanic workshop to get those bikes in tip top shape.

Now let’s look ahead to the last 10 days of events — literally something happening every single day.

The biggest event happens this Saturday, with the Urban Poker Ride — a leisurely cruise down the Bike Boulevard, ending at Ascent Cycle for a bicycle show n shine and barbecue.

There will be live music along the route and tons of prizes for everyone who participates. Stations will be set up along the route where riders will collect playing cards, and whoever has the best poker hand at the end wins the grand prize.

Ascent Cycle has also reached out to some of the crazy local bike collectors, who are coming out of the woodwork to show off some rare and unique velocipedes.

If you want to see bicycles like you’ve never seen before, you don’t want to miss this event! Join us for the poker ride, or just the show n shine at Ascent — either way, this will be a fun event for all ages.

We’ve also got a whole week of Noon-Hour Bike Concerts lined up to roll through the downtown core every day from May 27-31, with the Rockin’ Rickshaw blasting tunes from some great local musicians.

Get yourself a seat on one of the restaurant patios to enjoy some tunes as we ride by and make Lethbridge just a little more weird.

One of the best parts of organizing #YQLBikeFest has been the eagerness of all the local bike clubs to get involved, with each one putting on their own special event next week.

On Monday at 6:30 p.m., meet up with Headwinds Cycling Club at Coulee Brew Co for a 40-kilometre group ride — spandex optional. Lethbridge Area Cycle Association is hosting a female-only mountain bike skills session on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (meet at the Lethbridge College parking lot N), and to cap off the whole week, June 2 is BMX Day in Alberta, with free rides on their awesome track.

Whether you’re a casual cruiser, a retro roadie, or muddy mountain biker, there’s something for everyone to participate in with BikeFest. Stay tuned and follow BikeBridge on social media or visit

for full info and details.