It might be tough to find a free ride these days, but cyclists can get in on a free lunch and bike inspection at the Bike to Work and School Week 2017 kick-off event.
The lunch and official launch happens Wednesday (May 17) at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Bowen Road and Boxwood Crescent, where cyclists can fuel up on food and get their bikes a once-over by one of Nanaimo’s bike shops.
Consider the group ride at the kick-off lunch a dry run for the real thing. Bike to Work gets underway in earnest May 29 to June 2 when the Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition and the city set up celebration stations around the city offering refreshments, goodies, prizes, contest draws and bike gadget giveaways to entice people of all ages to get out of their cars and hop on their bikes and commute to work and classes.
Celebration stations, hosted by corporate sponsors, local businesses and organizations will be set up at various times and locations throughout the week. Nanaimo RCMP will also be at several celebration stations helping riders get their bikes registered with Project 529 Garage, an anti-theft bicycle registration program that helps prevent bikes from being stolen and recovering those that are.
Anyone wanting to participate in Bike to Work and School Week just needs to register as a team or individual at biketowork.ca and then log kilometres ridden throughout the week to win prizes, including the provincial grand prize: a cycling trip along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast.
“This year the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District is one of the sponsors and they’re making a great effort to get all the kids cycling to school,” said Leo Boone, Bike to Work and School Week event coordinator. “Also the wrap up is at Nanaimo District Secondary School on June 2.”
This year organizers are hoping to get more than 1,000 people out on their bikes throughout the week. As of Friday, more than 200 riders with 110 teams had already registered and Boone said he expects registration numbers will ramp up significantly before the start of Bike to Work Week.
“It’s great that we have the RCMP involved and we can’t do it without the funding from the city, the B.C. Government, all of those sponsors that on our posters and again Arrowsmith Bikes and Rock City Cycles are giving us bikes [for prizes]. One that is for Bike to Work and another for the kids that do Bike to School … and they will awarded at the Friday barbecue wrap up,” Boone said.
For more information or to register, visit www.biketowork.ca.
People can also get updates on Facebook at BiketoWorkBC, on Twitter at @BiketoWorkBC using #Bike2WorkWeek.