Organizers of two mass bike rides through downtown Vancouver and Kitsilano this summer are hoping they will become annual events and grow to become cycling’s versions of the popular Sun Run that attracts tens of thousands of participants.
Former competitive athletes Charmaine Crooks and Mark Ernsting of Our City Ride anticipate more than 5,000 cyclists will get on their bikes Aug. 19 and ride a 15-kilometre route that will begin at David Lam Park in Yaletown and travel through Chinatown, Gastown, Stanley Park and the West End before returning to the park.
Both rides, including HUB Cycling’s “Bike the Night” ride Sept. 16, do not have a race component and are meant to attract cyclists of all ages and abilities. HUB also anticipates up to 5,000 cyclists at its event that will include a ride over the Burrard Bridge, where cyclists are invited to decorate and light up their bikes.
Both groups of organizers hosted smaller rides last year that attracted a combined 850 people.
“Our plan is to really bring communities together in an event that’s really going to showcase our beautiful city and be inclusive so that everyone can be involved – we’re really looking forward to it,” Crooks said Wednesday after city council agreed to fund what will largely be an in-kind donation of $250,000 in engineering and policing costs for both events.
Ernsting said a budget is still being finalized for the Aug. 19 ride and he and Crooks are working with charities on a funding arrangement and ways to get children involved who don’t own bikes. The cost for adult cyclists will be $20 per person and free to all participants under 18 years old. At the night ride, kids under 16 are free. The early bird rate for older participants is $8 and will increase in price closer to the event.
Ernsting has experience in organizing the annual Gastown cycling race and the “super week” cycling events in the Lower Mainland. He’s a former competitive cyclist and Crooks is a five-time Olympian track athlete and silver medalist.
Both run their own sports management companies but came together to organize the mass ride because they said it was an event lacking in Vancouver, a city that has seen an uptick in cyclists, bike lanes and the launch of a bike-share program. Other cities, including Montreal, London and Bogota host mass bike rides. Montreal had 17,000 participants last year.
“We’re really excited to join so many other major cities around the world who have embraced events of this nature, where the community comes together and rides together,” said Crooks, adding that the event will be good for tourism and businesses along the route.
Erin O’Melinn, HUB’s executive director, said the goal of the night ride is for people to first have fun but also to conquer those cyclists’ fears of riding through city streets, and in the evening. O’Melinn noted that a TransLink study showed 41 per cent of people polled in Metro Vancouver said they are held back by a combination of those fears.
“One of the goals of ‘Bike the Night’ is not only to get all ages and abilities out, but to help remove the barrier that some people have about cycling at night,” she said. “Maybe they’re not sure what to do with their bike -- what kind of lights do I need on here? What will it feel like? So this is a really safe way for them to try that out.”
City engineer Jerry Dobrovolny said the public should not be confused that the two rides in any way are similar to the “critical mass” rides, where cyclists disrupt traffic and take over city streets. Dobrovolny said those rides are not on pre-scheduled routes or managed by city staff.
“This is the exact opposite, this is intended to be more like a run – that we have a route that’s well marked, well publicized, well managed and we’ll be doing everything we can to minimize impacts,” Dobrovolny said.
Mayor Gregor Robertson noted the two rides organized by HUB and Our City Ride last year in August and September but said Vancouver has never had a mass “signature” ride for all ages and abilities.
“I fully expect these [rides] will be big successes and will grow over the years to come,” the mayor said. “I won’t be surprised if they become very big and popular rides that bring people from all over to cycle through Vancouver, which is a real treat.”
City council unanimously approved the $250,000, with NPA Coun. George Affleck joking with Vision Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang that they could ride a tandem bike together at the front of the pack. Affleck said that “contrary to public opinion,” he supports cycling and he and his children own bicycles. (The NPA has long been a critic of Vision Vancouver’s decision to build separated bike lanes).
“In fact, I was at Canadian Tire last year with my kids and I was buying some bikes, and three different people came up to me and said, ‘Whoa, wow, George Affleck in the bike section – what the heck is going on?” he told council to laughter from Vision councillors. “I own a bike, I ride a bike, it’s true.”
Added Affleck: “I think these kind of events, if they’re controlled and they’re friendly and family-friendly, are very positive for our city on so many levels. So I will support this and look forward to attending them.”
Jang’s response: “Wow, holy moly.”
@Howellings
