Biking enthusiast Kristy Gabelhouse wasn’t able to participate in Nanaimo’s GoByBike Week this spring, but she had a good excuse. As the Grand Prize winner of 2021’s #FallGoByBikeWeek, she spent Spring GoByBike Week redeeming her prize, an Exodus Travels Cycling Adventure for two in France!
“I kept getting the word idyllic in my head while biking. So pretty. What an amazing experience! Both my Mom and I agreed that biking was the highlight of the trip,” she says.
Kristy participated in at least four GoByBike events before winning the grand prize in 2021. Before the pandemic she enjoyed cycling to work as a stress-free way to start and end the day, and when she started working from home she found a great route to ride on her lunch break.
“It hits some of Nanaimo’s multi-use trails (and hills). I also enjoy mountain biking and I’m a member of the Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club. Biking in the forest is definitely one of my favourite activities and I often have a huge grin on my face as I ride,” she says. “Now that I’ve done this biking trip in France I definitely see more biking related trips in my future. Maybe even biking and camping since we saw lots of that too!”
Fall GoByBikeWeek Oct. 3 - 16
For your own chance to win an Exodus Travels grand prize trip like Kristy, participate in 2022 Fall GoByBike Week Oct. 3 to 16! Registration is free, and open now at gobybikebc.ca.
The Fall GoByBike Week Grand Prize is an Exodus Travels self-guided cycling adventure for two in Italy: Cycling in Tuscany: Pisa to Florence. To enter the grand prize draw, register for Fall GoByBikeWeek, log at least one bike ride Oct. 3 - 16, and enter the Exodus prize draw at exodustravels.com.
Read more about the trip and how to enter at gobybikebc.ca/blog/2022/08/15/fall-grand-prize.
Cyclists have many other chances to win local and provincial prizes during Fall GoByBike Week. Take the bus or carpool part way and cycle the rest, use other wheels like scooters and rollerblades, cycle around the block or on local trails — #AnyRideCounts.
Get active, save on gas and participate in a movement!
With the high price of gas, now is the perfect time to learn more about safe, enjoyable year-round cycling. GoByBikeBC is here to help, with tips on gear, route planning and other resources for fall and winter cycling. Register for StreetWise Cycling Online, a free online course, and feel empowered to cycle with confidence.
The first 100 people to complete the online course, register for Fall GoByBikeWeek, and log at least one bike ride will receive a GoByBike BC front bike light or a seat cover!
Craig Brownlee participated in GoByBike Week for the first time this spring, after moving to Fort St. John.
“My school has participated in the past, and this was my first year here. It was great to bike with the students and challenge myself to bike to work to a rural school which is a 35 minute drive from home. The benefits of becoming more active and saving a little gas money were great incentives as well,” he says.
“I appreciate that there is a BC challenge to participate in as it gives us the sense of being part of something bigger. I was so impressed 12-year-olds biking 38km three days in a row, 13-year-olds biking 60km to and from school four days in a row, and others biking as far or further and still having another bike ride in the evening. There were groups of kids biking together and supporting each other as they improved their fitness and their idea of how they can get around in their community.”
2022 Spring GoByBike Week by the numbers:
- 37,242 participants
- 12,303 of which were new participants
- 1,161,977 kilometres biked
- 251,917 kilograms of greenhouse gases saved from entering the atmosphere
Schools, workplaces, community groups, families, and friends are encouraged to form teams and compete with other teams in their community and across BC. Participating as part of a team is more fun than biking solo!
Register now at gobybikebc.ca and log your rides Oct. 3 - 16!
