Five ways to make your bike part of your Halloween costume

 

Still scrambling for an idea for your Halloween costume? Why not incorporate your bike and ride around town in the spirit of the day? Here are five ideas sure to make people smile as you cycle past them.

1. ET

 

Who could forget this iconic image from Steven Spielberg’s classic film? Wear a red hoodie and attach a blanket-wrapped stuffed toy to the front of your bike to recreate the Elliot and E.T. escape scene.

2. Napoleon Dynamite

In the 2004 comedy, Napoleon Dynamite’s primary mode of transportation is his bicycle. Once you’ve recreated his hair and glasses, make yourself even more recognizable by wearing the character’s famous “Vote for Pedro” t-shirt.

3. Anne of Green Gables

 

 

 

As a slightly more refined – and Canadian - choice, dress as Anne of Green Gables from the second of the series of films inspired by Lucy M. Montgomery’s classic novels.

4. Wizards on Brooms

 

 

 

 

A group of LA cyclists had a lot of fun dressing up as characters from Harry Potter and turning their bikes into brooms for the occasion. With enough friends you might even be able to play a quick game of Quidditch!

5. Turn your bike into a noble steed

 

 

For an annual Halloween race in Wisconsin, one rider turned her bike into a horse. But why stop there? With a little construction skill you could transform your bike into an elephant, a shark or a dinosaur and amaze passersby.

The sky’s the limit for costume ideas once you start to think outside the box. You can even get your entire team involved in the fun and ride in costume during the 2013 MS Bike Tour – registration opens in November! Just remember to design your costume so that the motion of you or your bike is not disrupted, and your vision is clear.

Whether you’re incorporating your bike or not, let us know what you’re dressing as for Halloween in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter. And if you do ride your bike in costume, send us a photo and we might share it with your fellow riders.

Five impressive bicycle world records

Last week, the Toronto Star wrote about 100 year-old cyclist Robert Marchand, who rode 100 kilometres in just over four hours.  His achievement inspired us to search for some other impressive biking records from the Guinness Book of World Records.

 

 

Tallest rideable bicycle – Pictured above. In 2004, Winnipeg’s Terry Goertzen built and rode a bicycle over 18 feet tall!

 

These bikes at the 2012 MS Bike Tour – Grand Bend to London weren’t quite as tall, but their riders score extra points for style!

Most steps climbed by a bicycle - Three separate riders climbed 2008 stairs on New Year’s Eve 2007, in recognition of the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Longest distance cycling backward in 24 hours – In 2004, American Darl Bonnema cycled 180 kilometres – backwards! – in a single day.

Fastest crossing of America by bicycle – Rob Kish made the journey in only 8 days, 3 hours and 11 minutes back in 1992.

Fastest circumnavigation by bicycle – The United Kingdom’s Alan Bate circled the globe – starting and finishing in Bangkok, Thailand – in 127 days, a total distance of nearly 30,000 kilometres.

We may not set any new world records during the upcoming 2013 MS Bike Tour, but we are already North America’s largest cycling series! We hope many of you will set new personal or team bests and share your goals in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.


 

Our thanks

This weekend many Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving, an opportunity to take a moment and appreciate the joys in their lives, both big and small. The MS Bike Tour team is grateful – today and every day – for the participants, donors, sponsors and volunteers who contribute their time, energy, funds and resources to help us end MS.

What are you thankful for? Share in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.

We hope your weekend is full of family, friends and, of course, good food!