The 2026 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure has made its way to Windsor-Essex.
More than 100 cyclists from Canada and the United States are cycling throughout the region and are checking out waterfront destinations across Windsor-Essex, Pelee Island and Michigan.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning as the cyclists and local officials celebrated Canada’s newest binational cycling destination.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the cyclists made their way to the Gordie Howe International Bridge to cycle across it for the first time and head into Michigan.
Executive Director of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust Marlaine Koehler feels Windsor-Essex has done an impressive job investing in active transportation.
“The bridge gives it sizzle, but the bridge is one day and it’s a connection,” says Koehler. “It’s the experiences; five days of cycling in Windsor-Essex, and we could have had six or seven.”
She says she’s pleased to bring the cycle tourists to the region to celebrate the new bridge and the local communities.
“I don’t know that locals really appreciate everything that they have here and how we can bundle it together into some amazing experiences for people that will be both on bike, but they leave those bikes behind; they go into those pubs; they love to go into the museums, and they will go to the beaches even with their bike gear on, leaving their bike to the side; these are curious explorers,” she says.
Town of Thessalon Mayor Jordan Bird is the ride ambassador.
He says he’s been riding with the group for three years, and feels this ride is special.
“Today’s ride, I think it marks a huge milestone crossing the border into another country,” says Bird. “It shows our network doesn’t just end in Canada; we’re expanding on into the U.S. ”
The multi-use path at the Gordie Howe International Bridge is the first signed international crossing of both the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and the Trans Canada Trail.
The cyclists started exploring the region on Monday and will be here until Friday, August 14.
The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure was previously in Windsor-Essex in 2013 for the Lake Erie trail expansion.
