Share the Road – Canmore
Last Friday marked an important step towards my dream goal of national expansion of Share the Road. Cycling safety and bike advocacy is something that affects all Canadians, from coast to coast and my involvement with this cause has been extremely rewarding.
Unlike my friends and my unsanctioned Mt. Norquay uphill race last Wednesday – the Friday event was something that we had been planning for quite sometime. It was the first “Share the Road” ride outside of Ontario – and what better place to begin, than below the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies in my adopted home (ok – now definitely my actual home – since I’ve been based here for 9 years now) of Canmore, Alberta.
The goal of the event was to raise awareness of both cyclists and motorists for safer sharing of roadways. Canmore is a special place – as it has the highest percentage of Canadian Olympians per capita in Canada, and the town has done a fantastic job in the last decade putting together kilometers and kilometers of bike paths that snake through the town like a river of asphalt and stone crush - making cycling, rollerskiing, walking and running in the valley a perfect place to enjoy an active lifestyle. In a few weeks there will even be a bike path connecting Canmore to Banff (over 22km in length) to keep cyclists off the busy and dangerous Trans Canada Highway that connects the two mountain towns.
The event itself was a success. A fantastic evening of over 100 like-minded people came together to head out for a scenic and safe ride 20km (thanks to the RCMP who led the ride with a police cruiser).
Eleanor McMahon, friend and founder and CEO of the “Share the Road Cycling Coalition” came from Toronto, Ontario to be present for the momentous first event held in Alberta. She did a wonderful talk, reminding the guests and supporters why safe cycling and building and celebrating bike friendly communities are so vital in Canada.
Pam Hilstad from the town of Canmore was substituted in for the mayor at the last minute and she did a great job highlighting and praising the community for everyone’s tireless work for a safer, more bike-friendly community.
The idea of safer cycling and bicycle awareness is something that I hold very close to my heart. I was drawn the organization for two major reasons: 1) my own tragic circumstances – having lost my best friend and girlfriend in 2001 to a cycling accident involving a truck driver in Sudbury, ON and 2) I continue to use the roads with my friends and teammates twice a day – every day – as we chase our dreams to become the best athletes we can be. I don’t want to see another tragic accident occur on our roadways, and for that reason it’s been a wonderful partnership with “Share the Road.” I am actually a board member for the organization as of a week ago – which is hugely exciting!
In truth – there were two rides going on simultaneously. Chandra and my teammate Alex Harvey – led the “kids ride.”Children under 12 and their parents were treated to a ride on paths by the river that ended at the bike park. It included “awareness tips” for kids for safe cycling practices in town as well as Q&A with the Olympians Chandra, Alex and Ivan Babikov on achieving your dreams. Bonus!
