On May 29th bring your family, friends and work mates and Bike to Work (or school) with Ryan Walter. Harv Bergen, owner of LifeCycles, and Ryan Walter, President of the Abbotsford Heat and former NHL player, will be leading a bike ride through the city of Abbotsford to encourage residents to bike to work and school.
Walter says, “I can’t wait to see who will be joining me for Bike to Work with Ryan Walter.”
Walter has played more than 1,000 games over 15 seasons in the NHL. Amongst his many achievements, he won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens.
Walter supports the Bike to Work program because he says: “I am always up for exercise and doing my part to improve the air quality in the Fraser Valley… oh yes, and to save a little money on gas, too.”
The bike ride will start at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre at 7 am and follow a route through the city that allows residents to join where it’s most convenient for them. The ride will stop and wait for people at The Keg at 7:15, Abbotsford Community Services at 7:25, Mill Lake Park (South Entrance) at 7:35, Peardonville and Beaver at 7:45, and at Celebration Station at Abbotsford Regional Hospital at 8 am where participants can enjoy free snacks and get to know Ryan Walter. The ride will continue back to, and end at, the Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre.
Residents can veer off the route and bike to work or school as needed.
Organizers say that Bike to Work with Ryan Walter is a great opportunity for new commuter cyclists to try biking to work or school in a group setting where people can learn the rules of cycling in traffic while feeling more comfortable surrounded by fellow cyclists.
“Biking to work or school gives people an opportunity to be active and work out while they get to where they need to go,” says Terri-Lynn Gifford, Program Coordinator of Bike to Work Week Fraser Valley. “Biking to work also helps improve mental health and well-being, gets people energized for the day, and improves productivity at work.”
Commuting by bike has an added benefit to the environment. Commuting to work by vehicle is one of the leading causes of Greenhouse Gas emissions and choosing to cycle instead can help improve air quality dramatically. Last year during Bike to Work Week, close to 20,000 participants BC-wide saved 209,610 kg of Greenhouse Gases from entering the atmosphere in just one week.
Bike to Work Week runs May 27 – June 2 across BC this year. Participation is free. Go to www.biketowork.ca to register. Participants only need to cycle one day during Bike to Work Week to be entered into the prize draw. If people cannot cycle to work or school, they can cycle to run errands, meet friends for coffee, or anywhere else that they’d normally drive to in order to qualify for the prize draw. “The goal is to cut down the use of a vehicle during Bike to Work Week and use a bike instead,” says Gifford. “We hope people discover that biking to get where you need to go can be enjoyable and do-able—in many cases.”
For more information about Bike to Work events happening in the community, visit www.biketowork.ca/fraservalley.