DIVERSION x MAAP Equinox Experience | Spring 25

On March 22, DIVERSION teamed up with MAAP to chase 12 hours of light. Together, we hosted an relay where riders took on one of Vancouver’s most iconic cycling routes—Stanley Park. Throughout the day, cyclists tagged in and out, some spinning a few laps, while others pushed themselves to stay in the saddle for the entire 12 hours. By sunset, several had racked up over 200km and climbed more than 2100 meters.

For many traditions around the world this is a special time of year. It is a time of rebirth, it is a time for renewal, it is the New Year, indeed it is Spring! On the day where our solar source shares its warmth equally between the hemispheres, festivities such as Nowruz and Lunar New Year call humanity to gather in reunion and celebration of new life. Our celebration today channels those same ways; we gather after months apart and months of longing to be together in celebration of the new season. Today we ride from sunrise to sunset.

The forecast has been grim. Furtive chatter about hours riding in the rain have been exchanged in the weeks leading up to this day. For those unfamiliar, weather patterns across the Pacific Northwest at this time of year are notoriously unpredictable, cold and punishing. As we gather under ambivalent skies, armed to varying degrees under layers of protective goretex and lycra, the buzz is decidedly subdued and coy. Steaming mugs of coffee are passed around, clutched and sipped; a faint boost to the mood when for many our ability to complete this ride is just as unknown as the weather.

The rollout is gentle. Our adventure today will be both long but never far for we are blessed to ride around the ten kilometer promenade of Stanley Park at the heart of our city. A tent and support truck, laden with provisions, is situated on course for any and all that require some respite from the task. This spot will prove vital to morale and energy as our day progresses. The rain remains abated but the air is cold and damp, cruel to exposed skin but as we begin our adventure a steeliness, palpable and familiar, can be felt amongst our number. Bring it on.

We enter the park, quiet under muted morning skies and begin our journey. The pace is contained and our group huddles close as we navigate puddles and potholes. After several laps we break to chew and chat, slightly warmer and more alive than before. And so the rhythm of the day is established as we set out again; each departure a new configuration of friends old and new. Some laps are fast while others proceed at a saunter. The cyclical and proximal orientation of the route means constant evolution as riders come and go, joining when and where they can before departing back to prior commitments. Others have stayed and remain, lap after lap, as the highs and lows of long days in the saddle reveal themselves.

As the day stretches on, skies which in prior days had delivered a marathon of precipitation now reveal cracks of blue and skittish rays of sun tease us with forgotten warmth. The invitation to shed layers is accepted by some, revealing colour beneath the dark armor of rain shells. Like hidden buds on the stem, we are begging for light and begging for heat. We are ready to molt our tired winter gear and emerge into the new season flying high, fresh, fast and free. Today is a celebration of the beginning of the season, of promises of new adventures, of incredible experiences, beautiful lessons and of friendships made and strengthened on the roads ahead.

It is now late in the day and legs are weary. Some continue on until the final hour. Most have gone home to family, friends and other commitments. We have all reunited to celebrate the change of the season and to look forward to our journeys together. This is DIVERSION. This is MAAP. This is the EQUINOX experience.

EQUINOX RIDING ESSENTIALS