On the first weekend in June, beginning Friday, May 31st, the Old Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA) in partnership with the Ottawa Tennis & Lawn Bowling Club (OTLBC) will host the second Capital Spokes Bike Rally & Rodeo.

The Capital Spokes Bike Rally & Rodeo has a little bit of something for everyone!

Getting There

OSCA’s Traffic & Safety Committee is inviting our neighbouring communities to help make this cycling event as much fun and as practical as possible. Each community will decide its own cycle route. Depending on where cyclists live, their routes will take them along streets like Percy, Glebe Avenue, O’Connor, Bank, Echo Drive, Avenue Road, Main Street, Brookfield, Clementine, Aylmer Avenue & Colonel By Drive.

So, if you’ve been wondering about cycle routes in your neighbourhood or how on earth to create a map when cycling is not what you do everyday or very often, fear not! Check out our maps:

We’ve created 10 km routes (for the more experienced cyclists) that can be adapted to half their length or even shorter. It all depends on the expertise or age range of cyclists joining the rally. Starting points typically begin at your community centre and end in Windsor Park.

Heron Park to Windsor Park

Riverview Park to Windsor Park

Dow's Lake to Windsor Park

Dalhousie Park (Glebe Annex) to Windsor Park

Old Town Hall (Old Ottawa East) to Windsor Park

Firehall (Old Ottawa South) to Windsor Park

Glebe Community Centre to Windsor Park

For shorter more family-friendly maps from 2017 click here.

Extra Routes to/from Windsor Park, Firehall, OTLBC:

Firehall to OTLBC

Windsor Park to Firehall

Windsor Park to OTLBC

Depending on the length of your route, starting points might differ! The destination (Windsor Park) however is constant!

If you’re feeling creative and have a group of cyclists that want a more innovative approach you can go to biketoworkottawa.ca or mapmyride.com.

Something for Everyone

For Old Ottawa South residents, the Sunday morning rally begins at 9:00 am and runs from 2.48 – 5.12 km in length, arriving at Windsor Park around 10:00 am where some of the City’s finest traffic and safety experts will share tips on bicycle safety and know-how.

And yes, our young cyclists will have an opportunity to demonstrate some of their best riding skills in obstacle courses designed to teach them the safer handling of their untamed bike broncos. Under the guidance of Safe Cycling Ottawa, the tennis courts at Windsor Park will serve as fenced-in safety corrals to practice turns, bike balance, and hand signals.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service will give out medical data carriers for kids to put on helmets, firefighters will show kids how fire trucks work and some of the safety features that need to be observed around large vehicles. Safer Roads Ottawa will provide safe cycling gear (armbands, ankle straps, bells, lights, etc.) and the police will also be present. They never fail to impress the younger crowd with their rather large shiny motorbikes.

Volunteer Leaders

And what about the more experienced bike broncos in our community? Well, we’re looking to them to help lead and direct their communities along the designated pathways and crossroads that lead to Windsor Park. For these seasoned cyclists, we have a free one-day training session offered by certified CAN-BIKE instructors. Just let us know now if you are interested so that we can book a training session in advance of the event. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Parents are encouraged to participate. Capital Spokes is designed to explore and promote safe cycle routes in OOS and neighbouring communities, and to provide cyclists with the tools and know-how to travel safely.

There is no age limit. You can create your own route, or you can team up with fellow cyclists to stretch the routes to match your cycling potential. Let’s be creative!

For those of you interested in a more active role in the rally and rodeo, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Winnie Pietrykowski is a longtime resident of OOS, a community activist, an OSCA Board member, and a member of OSCA’s Traffic & Safety Committee.