As part of Bike to Work Week, which runs from May 27 to June 2 across B.C., Abbotsford residents came together to ride to work with Ryan Walter on Wednesday morning.
Walter, president of the Abbotsford Heat and former NHL player, led a bike ride through the city to encourage people to bike to work and school.
Walter road a route through the city, starting and ending at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre, allowing cyclists to join in and veer off where needed.
Organizers of the ride said such events are 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,” said 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.”
Participants in Bike to Work week can win prizes – 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,” said Gifford.
