Bike to Work Week Nanaimo got off to a strong Monday, judging by the number of cyclists who stopped by celebration stations and cycling commuters on Nanaimo roads.
"I noticed on my ride in [Monday] morning there a noticeable number of new jackets visible on cyclists around town," said Richard Littlemore, cycling director with the Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition. "Which is great, because it means they're ready and not going to let poor weather stop them."
Littlemore said he was impressed with the number of riders he met at the celebration station on Wakesiah Avenue during his trip into work.
"There were lots of people there, it was cool and nice to see. There's no scientific measure for how many new cyclists are out there, you just sort of say, 'hey, there's a guy cycling I've never seen before' so it's kind of neat."
Celebration stations will continue throughout the week to support people riding their bicycles to work by providing refreshments and granola bars and some technical support.
Cyclists can look for a celebration station June 1 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital from 6:45-9:15 a.m., hosted by Pacific Rim Bicycles and Vancouver Island Health Authority; June 2 at E&N Trail and Norwell/Jinglepot from 3-5 p.m. hosted by Oak Bay Bikes and the City of Nanaimo; June 3 at the E&N Trail and Mostar Road from 4-6 p.m. hosted by Arrowsmith Bikes.
Bike To Work Week, which runs from May 30 to June 5, wraps up at 1:30 p.m. at Maffeo Sutton Park Sunday with a bike decorating contest, an organized bike ride through Maffeo Sutton Park, tune-ups, live music,a bike polo demonstration and draw prizes.
In 2010, 41 teams registered for the event, involving 173 riders who logged more than 9,000 kilometres.