There's no shortage of excitement for Portage la Prairie's cycling community this week. Bike Week officially kicked off its second year in Portage on Saturday, with a pancake breakfast held at Heritage Square. The week is organized through a partnership between the city's Active Transportation Committee, Portage Community Revitalization Corporation, and the Portage la Prairie Regional Library. PCRC Community Engagement Coordinator Stefanie McKim says there are a number of free activities taking place throughout the week, wrapping up with bike to school or work day on Friday.

"That's a big one. It's really important to get everybody involved and show people that we have a lot of pathways in our city, and they're connected very well, so it's easy to bike to work and easy to bike to school. It's important to help get in the habit of maintaining a green community by using your bike."

Mayor Irvine Ferris signed a formal proclamation to recognize Bike Week, and says this year's edition of the initiative promises to be quite exciting. 

Mayor Irvine Ferris signs a proclamation marking Bike Week

"We had our first one last year. This one promises to be even bigger and better. Our Active Transportation Committee has done an awesome job organizing a week that's full of activities for cyclists. There will be activities every single day of the week including Friday, which is bike to work, bike to school day. We certainly encourage the whole community to get involved in that, and use their bikes that day as the main mode of transportation."

Art and historic tours, a family cookie ride, and even yoga are all planned throughout the week.