A memorial ride is being held Dec. 8 to honour longtime cycling advocate Arno Schortinghuis who died unexpectedly on Nov. 30.
The ride will begin at Victoria and Broadway at noon on Saturday, and take the Central Valley Greenway east into Burnaby, then around Burnaby Lake and into New Westminster.
The group will move onto the BC Parkway near the 22nd Street SkyTrain, and head back into Burnaby, with the ride ending at Ross Street and 37th in east Vancouver where riders will pay a final tribute to Schortinghuis at about 3:30 p.m. There will be two planned rest stops — one at the Brunette River in east Burnaby and one at the River Market at the Quay in New Westminster.
The total distance will be about 35 kilometres, according to Colin Stein who published a post about Schortinghuis on the Van Bikes website.
“Over the past decade, Arno put most of his waking life (or so it seemed) to advocating for and promoting cycling safety, accessibility, urban commuting and touring — to decision-makers, planning and engineering staff at all levels of government, in meetings, at public events, and across all forms of media — always with a characteristic twinkle in his eye,” Stein wrote.
"He was always the person to check a fact, look up legislation, debunk fake news, gently put down a troll, appear on-camera, help make quorum, start a new committee, and store (and haul out) the extra bus bike rack for a demonstration at a Surrey library. Arno was that guy."
Read Stein's entire piece HERE.
Schortinghuis' significant contributions to the cycling community are evident in the many organizations he was involved with. Most recently, he was president of the BC Cycling Coalition. Previously, he was a board member and past president of HUB Cycling (formerly Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition), a co-chair of the HUB Cycling Regional Advisory Committee and a board member of Bike to Work BC Society/GoByBike Society. He was also a founding member of Canada Bikes.
Celebrate Arno's life - join Vancouver's cycling community for a group ride:
— Van Bikes (@vanbikesca) December 5, 2018
Saturday, Dec. 8 • 12 noon
Meeting place: Victoria & Broadway (SE corner)
Central Valley Greenway BC Parkway Ridgeway Greenway @ArnoBikes pic.twitter.com/pFqmjodPPr
Like Stein, Ken Ohrn also fondly remembers Schortinghuis. He posted his thoughts on the Price Tags website.
“He was a champion for expanding choices in transportation and, in particular, the creation of safe and effective infrastructure for those who choose to travel by bicycle. He could be found in boardrooms, meeting rooms, open house events and online — taking on the issues and providing cogent, well-thought-out opinion,” wrote Ohrn.
Read Ohrn's complete post HERE.
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (B.E.S.T.) described Schortinghuis as a "local cycling legend" who "was a champion for increased sustainable transportation options and, in particular, the creation of safe and effective cycling infrastructure."
Erin O'Melinn, executive director of HUB Cycling, knew Schortinghuis for about a decade.
"He was very well loved. He got along with everyone, even when he was pushing hard to make change..." she said.
O'Melinn said he devoted thousands of volunteer hours to improving cycling in the region and had probably travelled on more bike routes in Metro Vancouver than any other cyclist she knows.
"Arno was an institution in cycling advocacy, and worked tirelessly for many years to improve cycling conditions within HUB Cycling, BC Cycling Coalition and Canada Bikes, among many other worthy causes. His generosity of heart combined with his tenacity made him a unique advocate who has left a distinct mark on safer and more accessible cycling," she wrote in an email to the Courier.
"He travelled the world on two wheels, coming back with new ideas for local improvements, and gave so much of his time to see these improvements take place here."
noconnor@vancourier.com
