Biking to work beneficial for mind as well as body
Cyclist who says it makes him feel better among participants in Bike to Work and School Week
Greg Hlady jokes his creativity and vitamin D is up, while his anger is down. He attributes it all to cycling to work.
“It’s true,” said Hlady while stopped Monday morning at the Celebration Station for Bike to Work and School Week at downtown’s Stuart Park.
“I work better, feel better, and even my sore back is better because cycling works your core and helps you lose weight.”
Hlady is a goldsmith at Canadian Jewelry Exchange in South Pandosy.
He cycles to work every day from his home in Glenmore, a 12-kilometre round trip.
“I probably cycle 6,000 kilometres a year,” said Hlady. “For me, it isn’t biketo-work week, but bike-to-work summer and bike-to-work year.”
This is Bike to Work and School Week in the Central Okanagan, the annual campaign urging people to hop on their bikes, get some exercise, have some fun and reduce greenhouse gases by leaving their cars at home.
At Monday’s Celebration Station, there wasn’t just free coffee and yogurt parfaits, but water and cookies. As well, you could get your bike tuned up for free by ChainLine Cycle, stretch with Hot Box Yoga, enter a draw to win
a new bike, and register and log trips at the GoByBikeBC.ca booth.
Hlady met friends Ester and Dave Moore at the Celebration Station for coffee and yogurt parfaits from the Bean Scene.
The Moores were on a circuitous bike-to-work route.
Both of them work from their home near Knox Mountain — Ester on contract to lawyers, and Dave runs his own business, New Age Delivery.
On Monday, they cycled with their kids, age eight and 12, to drop them off at Glenmore Elementary.
Then, to further mark Bike to Work and School Week, they continued on to the Celebration Station because they heard the Bean Scene coffee and yogurt parfaits were so good.
“This is the 14th annual Bike to Work Week, which has been renamed Bike to Work and School Week because we’re really celebrating any trip that replaces a car,” said Andrea Mackintosh of Green Step Solutions, which is on contract with the City of Kelowna for the week.
“So, we’re encouraging people to certainly bike to work and school, but also to run errands, visit friends and for exercise.”
For the next five days, there will be Celebration Stations at different locations throughout the city as well as satellite stations for refreshments and entering the draw.
Today
— 6:30-9 a.m. Celebration Station at Grace Baptist Church, 1150 Glenmore Dr.
— 7-9 a.m. Satellite stations at Outbound Cycle (3011 Louie Dr. in West Kelowna), TerraWest Environmental and Cherry Hill Coffee at 1414 Hunter Court and Bikeways at 1216 St. Paul St.
Wednesday
— 6:30-9 a.m. Celebration Station at Westbank First Nation Office, 515 Highway 97 S. in West Kelowna.
— 7-9 a.m. Satellite stations at Nature’s Fare in Orchard Plaza, Lululemon downtown, YMCA in Rutland and Lake Country Municipal Office.
Thursday
— 6:30-9 a.m. Celebration Station at Mission Creek Regional Park, 2363 Springfield Rd.
— 7-9 a.m. Satellite stations at ChainLine Cycle at 1139 Ellis St., Pounce & Hound Pet Goods at 2720 Richter St. and KF Aerospace beside the Kelowna airport.
Friday
— 6:30-9 a.m. Celebration Station at Boyce-Gyro Beach.
— 7-9 a.m. Satellite stations at The Lions Cyclery at 1276 Ellis St. and parking lot B at UBC Okanagan.
— 4-6 p.m. Party at Prospera Place to mark the end of the work week.
Saturday
— 9-11 a.m. Satellite station at Urban Harvest Organic Delivery at 806 Crowley Ave.
Monday through Friday
— 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Satellite station at Peachland Community Centre.
More information is at SmartTrips.ca.
Register for Bike to Work and School Week, log your cycling trips and enter to win the grand prize of a weeklong cycling trip in Italy at GoByBikeBC.ca.