Cycling Enthusiasts to Hit the Road

'Ride to Road Tour is the reason why all this cycling activity is happening in this city'
Published June 2, 2011  by Trevor Scott Howell in News

As anyone who has crawled through this city’s traffic can attest, there’s little doubt Calgarians enjoy their cars and trucks.

Yet, as several city surveys suggest, a growing number of Calgarians would gladly ditch driving for cycling — if the city actually built safe, dedicated bike infrastructure.

Highlighting this need is the Tour de Nuit Society’s third annual Calgary Bicycle Festival and the Ride the Road tour.

Organizers will introduce a full “hub and spoke” for the tour, with cyclists starting in the city’s deep south in Millrise, as well as in the northeast’s Tuxedo Park. The two groups will rendezvous at Stanley Park, where the festival is held, before embarking on a family ride through downtown.

Calgary’s police will provide rolling road closures for the ride. The past two road tours drew about 200 riders each year, but interest is growing in Calgary, says the president of the Tour de Nuit Society.

“The Ride to Road Tour is the reason why all this cycling activity is happening in this city,” says Gary Beaton. “It’s the seed that everything is derived from.”

The ride starts at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 5, and the family ride begins 12:15 p.m. A $15 to $18 fee applies. Family, senior and student rates are also available.

 


Comments: 6

Centreman wrote:

“The Ride to Road Tour is the reason why all this cycling activity is happening in this city,” says Gary Beaton. “It’s the seed that everything is derived from.”

Right. This event gets sooooo many people out (maybe a hundred) and every single one of them has magically become a bicycle advocate. Right.

on Jun 5th, 2011 at 5:16pm Report Abuse

DavidH wrote:

Yeah, that quote is so ridiculous. Hardly any cyclists in the city are even aware of this ride, let alone influenced by it. The Tour de Nuit Society has pretty much lost its credibility with the egomaniac behaviour of Gary Beaten, and this is just another example. Shocking that FFWD would even publish such rubbish. Yeesh guys.

on Jun 5th, 2011 at 6:47pm Report Abuse

midtoad wrote:

Gary Beaton does a big FU to the hundreds of people in this city who are working on bike advocacy by claiming he's the reason for recent progress. He's the general of a one-man army. The only thing growing is his ego.

on Jun 6th, 2011 at 1:57pm Report Abuse

Ron wrote:

Is it really that Calgarians "enjoy" cars and trucks so much? Or is it simply that the distances here are so great, the weather so unpredictable, the elevation of the terrain so changeable, the quality of many roads so poor (and so littered), and the lack of bicycle paths so frustrating?
I rode a bike a LOT more in Windsor, Ontario than I do here, because it was a more conducive environment.

on Jun 6th, 2011 at 4:58pm Report Abuse

chrisguy wrote:

I'd say there are two things...The City's infrastructure spend is currently not directed at cycling. 96%+ of the annual $300M goes to transit and SOV infrastructure, so it's no wonder that those two modes become the easy go-to options. It wouldn't take much (other than the political will) to get halfway decent onstreet infrastructure built around here.

The second thing...It's the distances, the weather and the elevations that make cycling around Calgary worth it (for me, at least). It sure beats sitting in a car after sitting at a desk all day long.

on Jun 7th, 2011 at 11:04am Report Abuse

ambivalent wrote:

I've never heard of this event, but that's all right.

I'm really looking forward to changes to Calgary's infrastructure that will truly increase the number of cyclists out there on the road. I have a bike, I love my bike, but I don't love riding on the roads with Calgary drivers.

on Jun 8th, 2011 at 4:26pm Report Abuse


Post comment: (Login or Register)


All Content Copyright © Fast Forward Weekly 1995-2012

About Us Contact Us Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Use