Pedal N Pint celebrates 20 years of Revelstoke biking

Head to the Revelstoke Community and Aquatic centre every Thursday at 6 p.m. from mid-spring to early fall and you’ll run into a collection of cyclists readying to hit the trails for Pedal and Pint. Working through the crowd will be organizer Brent Strand, checking in with riders new and old and seeing where the energy is at for the evening. 

With over 50 people joining in Thursday, Sept. 11 to mark the 20th anniversary of Pedal and Pint, the energy was noticeably high, even with many having been at work just minutes before. Strand welcomed various riders by name and was quick with inside jokes here and there.

“This is one of our biggest groups ever,” Strand yelled to the crowd. “Where have you all been hiding?”

For 20 years, Strand has gathered cyclists together before heading out to one of the various trail networks around Revelstoke. From late March, when the Revelstoke Cycling Association declares paths open up until, “we’re pushing through snow more than we’re pedaling,” the Pedal and Pint ride doesn’t miss a week. The record so far sits at 41 consecutive weeks of riding in a single Pedal and Pint season.

“Everyone’s jazzed, people from all different types of riding. We’ll even get tourists who join in” he said. The goal of the evening, no matter the skill level, is to enjoy time outside with others.

Strand moved from Fort McMurray, Alta. over 20 years ago and quickly noticed an opportunity to bring a bike-focused event from his old pedaling grounds to Revelstoke.

“There was a good bike culture up there, and part of that was we’d always go on a Tuesday evening ride, then go out to the pub for a beer and socialize. It was just good camaraderie,” Strand said, adding he was surprised no such social event was in Revelstoke at that time. 

So, he started spreading the word and showing up every Thursday, originally at what is now Skookum Cycle. What started as four other riders showing up weekly has grown over the years to even as many as 60 riders during a filming of Next Exit, hosted by mountain bike magazine Freehub. 

In all 20 years of hosting Pedal and Pint, Strand has only pedaled out solo twice. He blamed both instances on heavier-than-usual precipitation, even for the interior temperate rainforest.

For the anniversary ride, Strand led the group down to the Big Eddy bridge where they readied for a celebratory photo and drone shot of the crowd going over the bridge before heading out to the Boulder Mountain trail network.

“One of these days, I’m going to teach you that number-off game!” Strand yelled, midway through another recount of riders to see who had made it to the bridge. Riders jokingly called out various numbers, trying to organize themselves from one to 50.

The trails ridden vary from night to night, oftentimes chosen by Strand himself. Whether he’s riding fan-favourite trails backwards or linking two different trail lines together, Strand tries to keep things different accessible to as many riders as possible week-after-week.

“If someone decides to do a beer drop for the evening, I might let them choose the direction. Sometimes the group is poopy about our route, but I’ll just tell them they can lead then. They tend to settle down at that,” Strand said.

While there might be a surprise drink drop-off somewhere on the trail, and while some riders pack in drinks, Strand has seen the shifting culture around drinking and smoking also change within the Pedal and Pint nights.

“It used to be whenever you stopped you’d see someone light up real fast. You still see vapes and maybe a cigarette or a joint. But [it’s] nowhere near the level it used to be,” he said. 

Non-alcoholic options have also become more common over the years even though the group will still finish off the night at River City Pub, which has hosted the riders every week in the 20 years, offering a starting order of free nachos alongside a jug or two of beer. The evening slowly winds down with dinners ordered and tales of previous rides shared.

“It is neat to have all these people show up week after week just because I show up to go for a little group ride,” Strand said. “You feel like a kid. All we want to do is go and ride bikes together and have fun.”