Coun. Donovan Cavers helps make a drink for fellow councillors with the bike blender in front our City Hall earlier this month as a way to rev up support for Bike to Work Week.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
May 27, 2013 - 8:17 AM
With nearly 100 teams registered for the annual Bike to Work Week you may notice an influx of bicycles in Kamloops this week.
The fifth annual event runs from today, May 27, to Sunday, June 2 and will see commuters use bicycles to get to work and school and enjoy events such as lemonade stands and celebration stations around the city.
The celebration stations will take place mornings and afternoons during the work week and will feature a variety of items from snacks, prizes and bus racks to practice on to a bike mechanic – for simple repairs – and even a photographer for portraits of commuters with their bicycles.
Created as a way to encourage cycling as a sustainable form of commuting event coordinator James Gordon notes cycling is fun, healthy, less expensive than driving a car and is good for the environment.
“Bottom line is we believe bike commuting is great for people, great for the planet and great for the community,” Gordon says, “just give it a try, go one day, go one way one day.”
A commuter challenge between cyclists and cars will face off during 'rush hour' around downtown and the North Shore this afternoon. MLA Terry Lake will take part with his electric car, Coun. Donovan Cavers will be riding his 18-speed bicycle, Franco Annicchiarico, owner of Franco's Auto Service, will be driving a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa, Jim Gudjonson of Thompson Rivers University will be riding his electric bicycle and Richard and Fearon Blair will be riding a tandem bike.
The fun challenge will see participants start around 4:50 p.m. - the height of rush hour in Kamloops – and all will have to go through five check points during the estimated 30-minute route. The finish line – the north side of the Overlander Bridge – will also be the afternoon celebration station.
Three Kamloops schools are also taking part in Bike to School Week and will hold mini celebrations at lunch for the participating staff and students.
Kamloops is one of 34 B.C. Communities to take part Bike to Work Week. Last year 108 teams took part and in 2011, 73 teams took part.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013