MANITOULIN—A sea of cyclists gathered at South Baymouth’s Chi-Cheemaun ferry terminal on June 3, waiting for the ferry to bring even more cyclists to their event—the Manitoulin Passage Ride. A cheer went up from the crowd when the ferry arrived. Once the vehicles had been discharged, the flow of riders wheeling their bikes off the ship seemed endless. Cyclists from all over Ontario and some from Quebec were present. Participants sported T-shirts from Oakville, Thunder Bay; there were riders from Toronto, Port Perry, Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa, Sarnia and Windsor.
While the Chi-Cheemaun loaded its cargo of vehicles heading back to Tobermory, the cyclists registered, got their t-shirts and gathered en masse. As the ship glided off behind them, a photo was captured of all the cyclists—an annual photo op tradition, an important part of the experience. This year’s event was sold out once again, though the final tally at the end of registration was more like 220. Still, a formidable sight as they set out on Highway 6.
“The Manitoulin Passage Ride started in 2011,” explained Maya Mielonen, organizer of the event, and president of MICA. “(First) we celebrated the paved shoulders on Highway 6, then we kept on celebrating—the Georgian Bay Cycle Route, the paved shoulders on 540, the paved shoulders on 551,” she explained with a laugh, “And we kept celebrating…”
This is the eleventh event, COVID preventing it from happening for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.
Ms. Mielonen is very proud, and rightly so, of the work Manitoulin Island Cycling Advocates (MICA) does for the Island. “We attract cyclists,” she stated. “We offer five to six weeks of all-inclusive cycle tours in June and September, to make sure that our accommodations and eateries have a good season; bringing shoulder season tourism to the island.” The Passage Ride also brings much in the way of financial support to Island businesses.
“My wife and I did one of the cycling tours last September,” said Glenn Johnson of Thunder Bay. “We wanted to come back to the Island, but we didn’t want to do another tour, so we decided to try this, and we brought four other couples with us,” he added.
The ride consists of three routes: short, medium and long. “But they don’t have to commit to that,” Ms. Mielonen explained, “they can switch and change and do whichever they feel like. There are support stations every 35 kilometres, the first one being in Mindemoya. And a vehicle sweeps them, making sure they get to point B. The routes are all flagged and the support stations have water and fruit and some power bars and things like that. And on Sunday they have a choice again short, medium and long and they get lunch at the Tehkummah hall catered by the Triangle Club. That’s their fundraiser, so we bring money in to all the communities.”
It was a windy ride, the sun, shrouded with the smoke of distant forest fires, did not seem intense by the water’s edge, but inland, climbing endless hills, the humidity crept in and the temperature climbed. Still, the cyclists gathered at Maja’s Garden in Mindemoya, where there were refreshments and live music, were buoyant and energetic. There was much laughter and the enthusiasm as strong as it had been hours before, with many ready to carry on to Providence Bay.
While the Chi-Cheemaun was once free for the event cyclists, Brenda Sawyers said, “I totally understand—(the ferry) has lost a lot of revenue these last few years. But that did not deter me in the least.” Brenda is from Toronto, arriving in Tobermory on Friday, leaving her vehicle there to cross to the Island with her bicycle. “Tomorrow’s going to be a very long day,” she said with a sigh, “but it’s totally worth it.”
