Community bike event returns virtually this fall

Central Okanagan residents have another reason to ride their bike this fall. Bike to Work and School Week returns on Sept. 28 with a new name to encourage residents to hop on their bikes and log their trips for a chance to win prizes. 

After being postponed earlier this year, the annual event will take place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4. Now called GoByBike Week, the event has been expanded to include all types of bike trips. Registration is now open on a new provincial website and trip-logging platform, and all new and returning participants will need to create a new account. 

“We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people out riding  bikes this spring and summer,” says Matt Worona, New Mobility Specialist with the City of Kelowna. “Whether you’re experienced or new to riding your bike in the Central Okanagan, GoByBike Week is the perfect time to challenge yourself and others to make more trips by bike.” 

This year, any ride counts. While there will be no in-person events in the Central Okanagan due to COVID-19, any time participants ride their bike – such as for exercise, recreation, or transportation – they can log their trips online and be entered to win some great prizes, including the provincial grand prize of a cycling trip for two to Portugal. 

Event organizers are hopeful the Central Okanagan will stay clear of smoke. Smoke levels will be monitored leading up to the event, and any changes to GoByBike Week will be communicated. 

The 2019 spring Bike to Work Week event saw more than 2,300 residents across the region travel 91,500 kilometres by bike, saving nearly 20,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases. GoByBike Week Central Okanagan is proudly supported by the Sustainable Transportation Partnership of the Central Okanagan (STPCO), a partnership of the City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, District of Peachland, District of Lake Country, and the Regional District of Central Okanagan – as well as the Province of British Columbia and GoByBike BC. 

For more information about GoByBike Central Okanagan and how to register, visit smartTRIPS.ca.