Tour de Kinngait gets hearts racing, and bikes too
Event inspired by Tour de France drew cyclists from across the hamlet for prizes and celebratory barbecue
The first-ever Tour de Kinngait brought out 200 spectators on Monday to cheer on competitors. Here, Blaney Tapaungi wears the coveted yellow jersey after winning the 14-and-under division in the race. (Photo courtesy of Hamlet of Kinngait)
Kinngait residents closed out the summer Monday with their first-ever Tour de Kinngait.
About 200 people lined up to cheer cyclists along the more than two-kilometre-long route through the middle of Kinngait. The race is inspired by the Tour de France, an annual 3,500-kilometre bicycle race around France.
Organizers hope Kinngait’s race will become an annual event, said Kimberley Young, senior administrative officer for the hamlet.
“The community has struggled in the last few years,” she said, adding the hamlet is trying to plan more events to bring people together.
“We’re just trying to rebuild that community spirit and that look-after-your-neighbour kind of mentality in the community.”
Last fall, the hamlet was looking for opportunities for community activities when Peter Smith, a teacher in Kinngait, said he thought it would be great to have a bike race there.
“Kinngait is a beautiful town with a lot of [hills] and it reminded me of the Tour de France and I thought it would be a great location for a bicycle race,” he said Thursday.
In the style of the Tour de France where the leading cyclist traditionally wears a yellow jersey, winners of the Tour de Kinngait were awarded bright yellow T-shirts to commemorate their victory.
Racers were split into two age groups: 14 and under, and 15 and over.
The first-place winner for the 14-and-under race was Blaney Tapaungi, 10, who received a new bike. The second-place finisher was given a $150 gift certificate donated by the Northern Store.
Rounding out the adults, first-place winner Joanasie Geetah received a new bicycle and second-place finisher Manumikalla Makkigak got a $150 gift card, also from the Northern Store.
The race is the second of two new community events organized by the hamlet in the past couple of weeks. The first Kinngait Clam Festival was held on Aug. 24 and 25.
Young said there is a push to create more inclusive social gatherings for elders, incorporating traditional crafts and “back-to-the-roots kind of programming.”
“I think it was a good inaugural race and I hope there has been enough interest this year that next year it’s bigger,” Smith said.
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