Bike to Work Week is just the kickstart many of us need to get out of cars and onto our bike – and then to keep right on riding, and staying fit and happy.
The fifth annual event on the Sunshine Coast was record-breaking. The final numbers aren’t in yet, but at the time of writing we’ve noted 444 registered participants, with a combined total of more than 17,500 kilometres cycled! For a community of our size and demographics, that’s remarkable, and close to double what we did last year.
This year we had numerous elementary schools join in, with no greater reward needed than to see the beaming smiles on the faces of the kids as they rode their bikes to school. Meanwhile the friendly competition between Elphinstone and Chatelech secondary schools continued once again, with Elphi logging slightly more kilometres, but with more than twice the number of riders.
A surprise highlight was seeing the Sechelt RCMP bike patrol out, showing off the benefits of biking at work, not just to work.
Bike to Work Week is about encouraging as many people as possible to try cycling for transportation, and to hopefully see it as a viable, healthy alternative to sitting in a car. Nicholas, a Grade 8 student from Elphinstone Secondary, remarked how cycling instead of busing to school “has really opened [his] eyes to the importance of healthy habits.”
We also hope that a greater numbers of cyclists on the road leads to greater acceptance by other road users, which results in greater road safety. Thank you to all the motorists for their patience and politeness on the road. And to the 121 new riders who got on their bikes and tried out biking to work, way to go!
Sincere thanks to this year’s celebration station volunteers whose enthusiasm was felt by all, and to our generous local sponsors.
To all participants, don’t forget to enter the kilometres you cycled at www.biketowork.ca/sunshine-coast before June 9.
