Dollar-a-day 'Purple Bikes' ride again in Whitehorse

markz

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https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dollar-day-apos-purple-bikes-130000383.html
A Whitehorse bicycle mechanic has resurrected a project renting bikes for about a dollar a day for the summer.

Philippe LeBlond started the Purple Bike program about 20 years ago in Yukon.


One recurring issue has been storage.

LeBlond has more than 100 bikes in the fleet and also needs room to park his mobile repair bus.

Now the Yukon Transportation Museum has offered space in its lot near the Whitehorse airport. LeBlond jokes that he's become somewhat of an exhibit, as people ask about his work.

He works out of a modified 1991 Bluebird school bus that he takes to Yukon communities. Since 1994 he has visited Dawson City, Mayo and Watson Lake repairing and selling bikes where there are no bike shops.

The Purple Bikes are available for rent, with a deposit, in Whitehorse. A rental fee of about $75 covers the entire summer.
 
I like that. 75 day riding season. As my sister likes to say, "it's funny, because it's sad, because it's true."

I guess the other 290 days a year, the local sport is huddling inside and praying for release from your suffering.
 
Yes, but some of those 75 days in the Yukon have no nights. Passed thru Whitehorse about 2010 . Early June and I was enthusiastically unpacking my car around 11PM in the light when I realized people in the motel were trying to sleep thru my racket. Dang, people follow regular hours up there, but the local golf course would have allowed play at that time.
 
docw009 said:
have no nights. Passed thru Whitehorse about 2010 .
[strike]
Or it can also be no light depending on the time of year[/strike]

My bad I am mistaken
http://www.yukonmd.ca/hoursofdaylight.php
Daylight hours range from five hours of daylight in December to twenty hours in June. Twilight lasts all night from late May to mid-July.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowknife



Its on my bucket list to ride my ebike up that way. I am thinking for charity, do something useful.
 
It was on my bucket list to drive to Alaska on the Alcan. The road was not what I thought, only gravel in a few places. Fairly flat as it follows a river bed, but still tough for a bicycle. Great scenery, but you get that in Alberta already.
 
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