Flashback Friday: 2022 Winter Solstice Ride in Pictures

It’s less than a week now until this year’s Winter Solstice Bike Ride in North Hagley Park next Friday 21st starting from 5.30pm. Hopefully the weather won’t be as miserable as it has been today; at this stage it’s a little unclear whether things will have cleared up by then. Ah well, just rug up if necessary for the cold or wet and make sure to bling up your bike! A Friday night is usually a good one for attracting a decent-sized audience, so I look forward to seeing plenty of people there – and tell your friends! Two years ago, we saw a smallish crowd of enthusiastic riders enjoy the cruisy circuit around the park, as these pictures from my June 2022 post show…

Another year, another successful Winter Solstice Matariki Night Light Ride under our belt! Last Tuesday saw the latest incarnation of this popular event, with lots of enthusiastic people and their bikes decked out in all manner of colourful bright flashing paraphernalia.

Sadly the numbers were down a bit on recent years, with an estimated 179 people (and a few pets!) joining the fun. Maybe the cooling weather or the prospect of a school night dampened the enthusiasm of a few punters, and our good friend Covid may also be having an effect on how many are currently well enough or keen enough to venture out right now. Hopefully next year will see an improvement again!

Thanks to the model yacht club who put on quite a display with their boats floating on Victoria Lake festooned in all sorts of amazing colours. And we also had a saxophone accompaniment as you went past the golf club this year, courtesy of Rachel Travaille.

Here’s just a few more photos that I grabbed, but you can find a greater collection of even better ones on this shared drive.

Were you at the Solstice Ride this year?