From the Town of Huntsville
With registration opening May 9 for both the Huntsville Mayor’s Bike Ride and Kids’ Bike Rodeo, along with an open call for sponsors to help purchase bikes for local youth, it’s time to get pumped for these two community events.
The Town of Huntsville, The SportLab and local organizations, including Huntsville Mountain Bike Association, TriMuskoka, Kiwanis Club of Huntsville Muskoka, the OPP, Algonquin Outfitters, Muskoka Bike Pro Shop and Rotary Club of North Muskoka, are championing these two fun, free and family-friendly cycling events this spring.
“We are thrilled to partner once again with these community organizations to bring residents the Mayor’s Bike Ride and the Kids’ Bike Rodeo,” explains Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock. “Through these types of community-led events, we hope to instill in residents cycling safety and a life-long appreciation for recreation, transportation, environmentalism, exercise, and health. There are so many social, environmental, physical, and mental health benefits to active transportation – we want everyone to experience how easy it is to get around our community on a bike.”
Mayor’s Bike Ride
Join Mayor Nancy Alcock and The SportLab, a local performance medicine clinic, for the seventh annual Mayor’s Bike Ride, taking place on Thursday, June 13, 2024 (rain date: Tuesday, June 18). Participants are asked to arrive for check-in at 6 p.m., ride starts at 6:30 p.m., from River Mill Park. Pre-register online at this link (registration starts May 9 at 8:30 a.m.) for the event to save time, or you can register at the park prior to the ride.
Led by experienced community cyclists, there are four cycling options: a 20-minute family friendly ride, a one-hour in town ride for intermediate level cyclists, a one-hour road ride for more advanced level cyclists led by TriMuskoka Triathlon Club, or a one-hour mountain bike ride for intermediate level riders led by the Huntsville Mountain Bike Association. All routes are wonderful opportunities to give cycling a try or up your cycling game while traveling through a variety of neighborhoods in Huntsville on a social ride. For those without a bike wanting to give it a try, Muskoka Bike Pro Shop will have bike rentals at their shop, by donation. Pay what you can, knowing the proceeds will go to support Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions.
Kids’ Bike Rodeo
Summer in Huntsville is around the corner and it’s a great time of year to discuss cycling and road safety with your children and family. The Town of Huntsville, The SportLab, the O.P.P., the Kiwanis Club of Huntsville Muskoka, Algonquin Outfitters, Muskoka Bike Pro Shop, and the Rotary Club of North Muskoka host the annual Kids’ Bike Rodeo. A fun, free, educational clinic for kids aged four to nine years old to encourage safe cycling, on Thursday, June 6, 2024, with start times at 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., at the Canada Summit Centre (Don Lough Arena). Parents and guardians are asked to supervise their participants. The Kids’ Bike Rodeo is free of charge, however advanced registration is required at huntsville.ca (registration starts May 9 at 8:30 a.m.).
Kids make their way through a variety of stations designed to improve their cycling knowledge and skills. Stations include helmet and bike safety checks, recognizing road signs, learning cycling hand signals, a mock intersection, and an agility course. The entire rotation takes approximately 30 minutes and wraps up with a completed checklist and certificate. Please arrive 15 minutes ahead of your registered timeslot for check in.
Sponsorship Opportunity – Bikes & Helmets
Last year we started a new initiative to provide local children experiencing barriers to recreation with a bike and safety helmet. Through the generous support of local organizations and businesses, we received seven (7) bike sponsorships last year. This year, our goal is to find a minimum of five bike sponsors so we can pair them with five more young riders. This is an excellent way to invest in physical activity for youth and encourage active transportation in the Town of Huntsville.
To sponsor a bike/helmet, or for more information on The Mayor’s Bike Ride and the Kids’ Bike Rodeo please contact [email protected] or call 705-789-6421 ext. 3032.
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It is good to see an emphasis on biking here. Next we need to see road improvements to accomodate bicycles. It was unfortunate that the extensive construction along Aspdin last year didn’t really make big enough lanes for bikes to be safe.