Students at Kelly Creek Community School are getting pumped up for Bike to Work Week.
Bike to Work Week is a week-long event, from Monday, May 25, to Saturday, May 30, that encourages adults and school children to don their helmets and cycle their way to health, happiness, reduced carbon emissions and prizes.
“Biking is great stuff for good health,” said Kerry Jones, Powell River Bike to Work Week organizer. Jones said she bikes for health, fun and to reduce carbon emissions.
While Jones admits people here might not choose to join because of the many hills, or the weather, grade seven student, Brooklyn Penrose, said when it comes to biking “you’ve just got to go for it.”
“Biking is awesome,” said Andrew Shostak, Kelly Creek principal. “It’s great to see all ages [kindergarten to grade seven] out on their bikes, learning new skills and having fun.”
Shostak is having students at the school participate in what he calls “Bike at School Week.”
The students, who have already been instrumental in the construction of the new bike park at Powell River Recreation Complex, will push their passion for pedalling by helping younger students become better riders by leading balance-building skills through slow races to help riders keep in control of their bikes.
However, when it comes to biking, going slow might not be what students prefer. Darby Small, 13, said she likes to go as fast as she can, while Hez Reynolds-Snyder said he likes, “getting air.”
These students agree, though, that the real fun comes when facing fears, trying something new and nailing it. “I was so proud when I finally mastered a jump at the bike park,” said Small.
Brendan Behan, president of Powell River Cycling Association, said a lot of adults’ reluctance to get out there and cycle is in their heads.
“Powell River is a bit hilly,” said Behan, “but after you do it a few times you don’t even think about it.”
Behan said he has been cycling with his children almost since they were born. He was in trouble with his wife for thinking of transporting their newborn home in a bike chariot.
“Some of my kids’ best memories are in the back of that chariot shouting, ‘Go faster Dad!’ as I’m chugging up the Wildwood Hill with 40 pounds of weight behind me, just loving it,” said Behan.
“It is the opposite of video games and getting dropped off in a car,” he said, of how cycling impacts children. “There’s fun, fitness and independence, positivity, promotion of healthy attitudes and being active.”
According to data published on the Bike to Work BC website, the Powell River event has offset over 5,000 kilograms of carbon emissions since 2011—the amount put out by five average-sized cars driving from Vancouver to Quebec City.
Behan said biking also helps people enjoy their commute. “Powell River is small and there’s so many options and it actually becomes fun,” said Behan. “It’s a bit of a game if you are commuting...finding different routes every day.”
There is also a positive mental balance too, he added. “While everybody else is strapped into their automobile you can actually have a nice peaceful ride. It’s kind of a Zen thing to do in the morning and at the end of the day.”
Last year, 147 registered riders took part in Powell River’s Bike to Work Week, a number that has been holding steady since 2011.
“We would like to make sure [riders] register and log their approximate kilometres,” said Jones, who wants to see more registered cyclists out this year.
She said individual riders and teams can register online using an email address, while school-based teams can register under an adult team leader, since the children themselves may not have an email.
Jones said there are great prizes this year for participants including a cycling trip for two from Prague to Budapest.
There will also be “Celebration Stations” outside First Credit Union, from Monday to Friday, where bike mechanics will be available free of charge to check bike tires, brakes and oil chains and keep riders and bikes running safely. There will also be free coffee each morning, daily draw prizes and a Friday pancake breakfast.
Chris Bratseth, a teacher at Brooks Secondary School, is also helping to organize a family-friendly Bike Night Ride to wrap up the week, at 4 pm Saturday, May 30, an event that also includes a free barbecue. He hopes to make night rides a monthly event.
“It will be a casual ride without any hills,” said Constable Tim Kenning, Powell River RCMP officer helping to run the event. “Just a casual bike night to make [people] aware that cycling is a reasonable way to travel and you don’t always have to be driving your big trucks around.”
According to Kenning, “The route starts at Powell River Recreation Complex, heads up Joyce [Avenue] to Manson [Avenue], does a loop back from Duncan [Street].”
“Biking is an enjoyable way to get around,” said Kenning, but day or night, being visible is important. “The more visible you are the more likely a vehicle can see you and give you the respect you deserve.”
Any way a person does it, Bike to Work Week does not have to be an all-or-nothing event. Behan said, bike commutes don’t have to be a competition and he even recommends that riders walk hills if they want to.
“We live in Powell River for a reason, it’s not chock-a-block full of traffic,” said Behan, who feels pretty safe on the roads and trails.
Good equipment is also a factor in enjoying the ride. While Jones recommends a good bike with gears, Behan said electric bikes can take some of the huff and puff out of hills.
For Shostak, biking is a great way for children to get their independence. And, riding can help adults feel like a kid again.
The thrill of riding should be for adults as it is for 12-year-old Scott McKenzie, “about the excitement of going up and down hills as fast as you can,” while wearing a helmet, of course.
Safety tips
1. Be visible: wear reflective clothing, and install reflectors and lights on your bike.
2. Be aware: know your surroundings and have an awareness of the other vehicles around you.
3. Follow the rules of the road: stay off the sidewalk, ride with traffic and come to a full stop at red lights and stop signs.
Trail tips
Powell River Cycling Association offers up a few tips when taking the trails and sometimes it is just down to planning the best route. Take, for instance, a trip from Wildwood to Westview. The route depends upon the type of bike.
Using a road bike, ride down the Wildwood Hill, across the bridge then on to Cedar or Poplar Street, up Lombardy Avenue, to join the relatively flat Manson Avenue toward Westview.
If using a hybrid or mountain bike, an alternative would be at Townsite to head past the Catalyst Paper Corporation mill and go along Willingdon Beach Trail.
A mountain bike allows connection with the trail system behind Brooks Secondary School at Timberlane Avenue, through the recreation complex grounds and into Westview.
