If the fair spring weather is not enough of a reason to take the bicycle out of storage, there is just one week left to register for Powell River’s ninth annual Bike to Work and School Week.
Renamed GoByBike Week for 2018, the focus has changed to encompass any trips on a bike that would have previously been taken in a vehicle. Locally, momentum keeps building for the event, according to coordinator Kerry Jones.
“Last year we had 357 people participating, 61 teams and 176 new cyclists,” she said.
Not only does the event encourage healthy life choices, saving money and the environment, participants can log their kilometres and be entered to win some great prizes, including a cycling holiday in Portugal, she added.
The hope is that once people do dust off their bikes, they will continue to ride them on a more regular basis, according to Powell River Cycling Association president Russell Brewer.
“The whole event is about creating awareness and getting people to give it a try,” he said. “Maybe they’ll like it and keep doing it.”
Fun activities will be held throughout the week, including celebration stations for morning commuters, group cycling meet-ups and a pancake breakfast. The Rotary Club of Powell River’s Bike Safety Rodeo, aimed at youth cycling and safety, will also coincide with the event this year. Putting more of an emphasis on young people cycling has been one of the aims, said Brewer.
“They really want to focus on kids so it’s not just a bike to work, it’s bike to school, bike to whatever you’re doing,” he added.
Brewer said local schools have been strong supporters of the program.
“They really jump on board,” he said.
Another important aspect of the event is promoting the cycling infrastructure currently underway in Powell River.
“We’ve been really working with the city and we’re going to start seeing more infrastructure, more lanes going in this summer as well,” said Brewer.
This is positive not only for cyclists, but for anyone getting around town without a vehicle, he added.
“This is also good for pedestrians, scooters, e-bikes and mopeds,” said Brewer. “We’re going to start seeing more of that, especially with the price of fuel.”
Bike to Work Week was started in 1995 by a group of Victoria commuter cyclists. The first event had about 500 participants.
In 2017 almost 45,000 people in 56 communities took part.
“It’s about cycling for fun and also for the health benefits of it,” said Jones. “Good physical health and better mental health.”
For more information, go to biketowork.ca/powell-river.
