“We live in a vibrant town and have the privilege of living on one of the most beautiful places on earth,” said Dr. Lowell Greib of The SportLab, which partners with the Town of Huntsville to for the annual Mayor’s Bike Ride. “Cycling is a wonderful way to experience the community from a recreational perspective but also is a great means of transportation.”
The fifth annual Mayor’s Bike Ride was held on Wednesday, June 19. Cyclists gathered at River Mill Park before the 12-kilometre ride. Even though the weather had turned grey, the event brought out more than 20 active riders. Mayor Scott Aitchison said that the threat of rain may have dimmed the number of riders but called the group that did come out to ride “a hearty crew”.
The free, family-friendly community event promotes education and awareness of the positive environmental carbon offsets of cycling as an alternative to personal vehicle use, as well as encouraging a bike-friendly community and active lifestyles.
Mayor Aitchison was unable to ride with the group this year, but he gave a motivational shout out to all of the riders.
“Thank you for participating and promoting active healthy living…it’s important to [maintain] active and healthy lives,” he said. “You are all leading by example in our community by riding and it’s important to see the young people out.”
He also said a big thank you to Greib for organizing the event and for getting him on a bike to ride.
Mayor Scott Aitchison and Dr. Lowell Greib at the fifth annual Mayor’s Bike Ride
Ready to ride!
Dr. Lowell Greib leads the 2019 Mayor’s Bike Ride
Who says you always have to have two wheels on the ground?
As an ex-professional endurance mountain biker, and medical director at The SportLab, Dr. Greib is always looking for ways to bring the community together using cycling as an engagement tool.
In addition to the Mayor’s Bike Ride, The SportLab, along with the Town of Huntsville and the Rotary Club of North Muskoka held a Kids’ Bike Rodeo at Huntsville Public School on June 6 to help improve cycling knowledge, skills and confidence for young cyclists.
Algonquin Outfitters gave every bike at the Kids’ Bike Rodeo a safety check-up (Photo courtesy of The SportLab)
OPP officer Josh Fleming gave young riders some tips (Photo courtesy of The SportLab)
The Kids’ Bike Rodeo course simulates what kind of riding conditions and signs kids might encounter in the community (Photo courtesy of The SportLab)
Every Kids’ Bike Rodeo participant got a certificate for completing the course (Photo courtesy of The SportLab)
These events bring awareness to the use of roadways for cycling, promote respectful sharing of the road between cyclists and motorists, and help advocate for increased access to active transportation routes and trails in Huntsville.
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