While COVID-19 halted their plans to bike together for the seventh annual Love Your Bike festival, it certainly didn’t stop bike lovers from discussing a common aspect they share: a love for their community.
Saturday’s festival organized by St. Andrews Church, 2 Rivers Church and the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation (GCAT) was held at The Wooly Pub back patio and saw over 60 people ride their bikes to the event and listen to bike lovers share stories about biking being more than just a physical activity.
Normally the festival hosts two bike rides where community members collectively drive to Guelph Lake from Downtown Guelph and from Exhibition Park back to the downtown core.
“We decided to simplify it this year,” said Mike Darmon, vice-president of GCAT.
He said he is often moved and inspired by the many stories about why people love biking and thought it would be a fitting activity during the pandemic when COVID-19 restrictions complicate planning a group ride.
“I actually thought about it this year because we hear lots of great stories just through advocacy work like ‘this is why I love biking because this happened to me or that happened to me,’” said Darmon.
Stories discussed developing a connection with nature, people and places through biking.
Alex Ball, a member of GCAT spoke about appreciating nature through bike rides by sharing a personal story where he hopped off his bike and disrupted traffic to save a troubled gosling, something he would have likely not seen if he was sitting in a car.
Sherrylea Perera, another member of the GCAT spoke about struggling to settle into her new life when she moved into England ten years ago.
“I had some challenges, I had some difficulties settling in. I didn’t have any friends at that time, I didn’t have much family nearby and I didn’t have a sense of community,” said Perera.
She said once she and her husband purchased bikes, things began to change.
“Being on a bike helps break that barrier. I was finally out and connecting with the community,” said Perera.
“As I got on that bike and I was using those two wheels, I was saying ‘Hi’ to people on the street, they’d engage in conversation, ‘Where are you from! What are you up to? What brought you here?’ and at that point, I started to connect with people around me, connect with people the community and the lay of the land.”
She said biking allowed her to feel a sense of belonging and ownership by just understanding the city and town and what connected it all.
Bike lovers also won prizes such as a mountain bike, water bottles and seat covers sponsored by Steam Whistle. Participants also engaged in a ‘Wrench-Off,’ a game in which whoever replaces the tube of a flat tire fastest, wins.
GCAT also announced its commitment to donating 10 bikes to refugee families in Guelph, complete with training and mentorship.
“We have these awesome community events happening throughout the city so have those newcomers, we have those refugees partaking in events like this too, to help with that socialization and integration,” said John Borthwick, minister of St. Andrew’s Church.
“We really look forward to taking things off in 2021 and getting things rolling and hopefully getting bikes to those in need and having a big impact on new folks in our community.”