If you are driving around Windsor and notice a group of cyclists dressed in maple leaf attire, they want you to know that this is part of a long-standing Canada Day tradition among friends and family.
About 20 years ago, neighbors Tom Lyons and Tom Davis, who both live on Byng Road and happen to have the same first name, started their first Canada Day bike parade.
Friends, family and neighbors rode bikes to the Canada Day Parade and returned to Davis' house, where they enjoyed a casual gathering by his backyard pool.
“That’s why we were allowed to host the Canada Day party every year,” Davis said.
Over time, this tradition developed into a pedal pub crawl.
On Sunday, about 40 people in Canadian clothing were seen cycling between the assembly points.
“Every year we go to different places. Today we started at Good Time Charly. We were actually going to go to Hook and Ladder, but we ended up at the Victoria Tavern,” Lyons said.
“When we drive through the neighborhoods, people wave and honk. We even sang O Canada at someone's house,” Lyons added.
But the greatest joy for the neighbors is seeing how the tradition is continued by the next generation.
“I told my daughter that I hope she will continue this when we are no longer able to do it. One day it will be in her home and bring friends, family and children together,” Davis said.
Lyons, who is a little older than Davis, looks forward to his grandchildren joining him one day.
The cyclists usually meet on July 1st for Canada Day, but this year they decided to meet on June 30th because Canada Day falls on a Monday and they have a rest day after that.
On Monday, the Canada Day parade route returns to downtown Windsor for the first time since 2019.