The GoByBike BC Society has announced the return of its Bike to Work and School Week event.
While the COVID-19 pandemic forced the GoByBike BC Society to postpone its spring event, it will hold a fall event Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.
The Society is asking people across British Columbia to leave the car in the garage and choose to ride their bicycles for transportation during GoByBike events — encouraging everyone to enjoy healthy, environmentally-friendly and active transportation.
Participants can log their bike trips on the new GoByBike website and LogMyRide Application and be entered to win amazing prizes.
“It was tough this year seeing the spring event cancelled, but I'm excited for the upcoming event this month,” said Keith MacIntyre, CEO of Big Bear Software in Westbank.
A car accident 20 years ago kept MacIntyre off his bike for several years until he started teaching his two boys how to ride their first bikes.
“I actually had to relearn how to ride my bike again,” he added. “When I attended my first Bike to Work Week in Penticton several years ago, I was shocked at how much easier it was to get to some places on a bike compared to a car. Every year Bike to Work Week has got me on my bike earlier than I normally would have. Getting back in the habit of cycling again encouraged me to complete my first of several triathlons three years ago at the age of 40.”
Big Bear Software was awarded the contract to re-develop the GoByBike BC website complete with a LogMyRide Application.
“We are proud to be a provincial sponsor of the 2020 GoByBike BC event series. It’s exactly the type of partnership we like to attract. We seek opportunities to build software solutions for organizations that benefit many and serve a common purpose — in this case getting our communities thinking about transit by bike and being more active throughout the year,” said MacIntyre. “I'm very proud of our team for what we have accomplished together with the GoByBike BC team.”
The new website has a cleaner look and is easier to navigate. It is user-friendly and built using modern technologies that enable users to either log their trips manually or import rides from Strava, a popular app that lets users track their activities with GPS and share it with friends and other users.
By logging a trip, cyclists qualify for one of many prize draws including the grand prize: a bicycle trip for two to Portugal sponsored by Exodus Travel.
Registration is free and now open at www.gobybikebc.ca.
During the 2019 spring event, 56,074 riders cycled 2.97 million kilometers — rather than drove those kilometers via motor vehicle — and saved 644,005 kilograms of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
A total of 89.1 million calories were burned during this event!
