There was no holding back two-year-old Finley Ward as he zipped up and down the parking lot at Lee Park in North Bay Sunday afternoon.
He was one of many participants at the Rediscover Cycling Festival, put on by Discovery Routes Trails Organization.
“He really likes riding on his strider bike, a type of peddle-less bike used to teach kids to ride. So I brought him here to see other kids riding around and enjoying their bike. It is a good experience for him, and motivates him to continue riding his bike,” explained dad Mike Ward.
Summer officially arrives on June 21, which means plenty of biking weather ahead for cyclists of all ages. Now is a good time to get everything in gear.
Liz McCarty, brought her three children and their friend to the festival to get ready for bike season.
“They love biking. They love being outside. I thought they might learn something new, learn how to take care of their bikes better and have some fun,” said McCarty.
Nathan Smith loves hopping on his bike and putting it to the test.
“I’m trying to learn how to jump on my bike. I like to go off ramps, and I like to go fast down hills,” said Smith.
“I’m getting my brakes fixed today because when I first got it, my brakes weren’t working much.”
Discovery Routes board member Lance Belanger, joined other volunteers providing free tune-ups.
“We’re having a general look over just to make sure that the bikes are safe, and that they’re tuned properly, so people can enjoy their bikes to the fullest. We’ve been seeing a lot of braking gear issues, nothing that’s critical, but we can definitely give better performance with just a little tune-up.”
The intent of the one-day festival was to get everyone cycling again.
“We want people to get reacquainted with their bikes by getting them out of their sheds, out of their garages, and on to our roads and trails,” said Cycling Educator Connie Hergott.
“We have some kids out there on a strider bike, or a balance bike, we have kids with training wheels, and we have full grown regular size bikes, and lots of adults trying it out too,” said Hergott.
The festival put cyclists through the paces testing their abilities with an obstacle course and skills challenge area.
The adults were having as much fun as the youngsters.
“The whole idea for adults is rediscovering their bike and changing their bad biking habits is a great move forward,” said Hergott.
A new program being offered to adults this summer is “Bike to Basics”.
“We’re encouraging older adults or those who have had bikes stored away for years, to dust off that bike and bring it back out. We’ve got some fantastic bike mechanics that are very skilled at making sure the bikes are road worthy. They can also help fit the bike to the person, properly,” said Jennifer McCourt Executive Director Discovery Routes Trail System.
“Once you’ve got the bike road worthy again, we’ve got some Discovery rides happening, very gentle rides on the trails around North Bay with a certified cycling instructor,” said McCourt.
The bikes don’t need to be top of the line to enjoy the experience. As long as the brakes are working properly, the bike is a good fit, and the gears do what they’re intended to do, McCourt says you can enjoy the trails.
Bike to Basics runs Wednesday evenings.
“We do ask people to register so we know who to expect. It is at the lower lodge at the ski hill from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. There is no cost for tune-ups unless your bike needs parts, but donations are greatly appreciated so we can continue to run the program.”
More information is available at discoveryroutes.ca .
