Hello from the GTA, hanging out in Pickering right now, trying to get some serious ‘rest on’ so I’m ready for a show at one of the biggest shops in Ontario, Bay Cycle, tomorrow. (Noon sharp for anyone that is local)

Crashed during the last school show today, slipped out on the back wheel and landed on my now bruised sit bones. First proper bail of the tour, but I’m fine, finished the show, and might do some yoga to limber up…maybe I’ll play my didgeridoo partly to vibrate some healing blood flow to my low back and sit bones, but mainly to acknowledge my jealousy that Caryn is going to see Xavier Rudd play in Vancouver later on tonight!!!!

What a great week though! Yesterday, one of the police officers on the Pedal-For-Hope team came up with a skit for an elementary school. I pretended to be a photographer during their presentation, then he pretended to set up to jump over a couple staff members, making it sound legit, finally, the bike was taken away from him out of fear and they asked the audience if anyone else might be able to do it instead, I jumped in, pretended to be just a novice, and then leaped over them. We scared everyone because no one new I was going to be at that school! Good times!!

I watched at least 50 kids get their head shaved this week, many of them were girls! Lots of full locks to be made in to wigs.

I also put one of the cops on the spot and made him sing “listen to your heart” by Roxette in front of a thousand high schoolers because earlier he was joking around with me about one of my quotes in my presentation. He stepped up and busted out in song, it was great!

Nine schools in total this week, plus an awesome mountain bike ride with the Shimano crew in Peterborough. Gotta rest up!!

I feel so grateful to everyone I have met while on this tour, it has been epic in every way so far!

Ryan

I would love your support! Here are the details: http://bit.ly/9MVJsk

The Cops for Cancer crew in Peterborough, ON, are trying to raise a million bucks for pediatric cancer research and prevention. They are setting a healthy lifestyle example by riding their bikes on a ‘Pedal for Hope’ tour visiting various schools.

My contribution is to give my Trials of Life presentation to the top three fundraising schools. On top of that, I have agreed to have my head shaved by the Cops on June 1st at one of the schools…that is if I manage to raise $1000 toward this cause.

Are you willing to skip a haircut and put that money toward a great  cause?

I have set up a donation page through the Canadian Cancer Society, and set an example by donating $20, the money saved by skipping my last haircut; if you’d like to do the same, or just have some spare funds you’d like to give, please visit my page at:

http://bit.ly/9MVJsk

Here is a quick youtube blurb about I posted a couple days ago too:

Ride ON!

Ryan

Olympic athletes are so darn disciplined, where do they get it from?! I managed to get myself in to a contest with my friend and Olympic silver medalist Dave Calder, he’s a rower from Victoria, BC. It’s not a rowing contest, I’m not that crazy, it’s a contest to see who can accumulate the most carbon friendly transportation km’s among our friends….and he’s already in the lead

So I need your help! Project Blue Sky has a beautiful widget (look to the right to see it in my blog) that you can use to track the number of green km’s you travel, for instance biking, walking, or transit’ing.

If you don’t do it for climate change, then maybe you can do it for my ego by going to Projectbluesky.ca, signing up, joining my team named “Alternative Approach”, then entering your km’s in the cool km tracking widget, be sure to enter my team/group name ALTERNATIVE APPROACH when you do so.

I chose that team name because I’m technically classified as an alternative sport athlete, and taking transit or riding your bike to the store/work/school is an ‘alternative’ approach to driving solo in your car.

Dave is already in the lead, and I only have one week to show him how transportation saavy my friends are.

Ride ON!!

Earlier this Summer, I spent a day filming to help out with some promotion for the new Sea to Sky Trail. This multi-use trail is already open in sections and will ultimately run from Squamish to Whistler to Pemberton, and on to D’Arcy. Pretty sweet! Working with Jack Christie is always a delight, and getting to hold a boom mic for Dr. David Suzuki was an honor The team that put this promotional film together did a fantastic job. The purpose of this film is to generate interest and support for the completion of this important project; so please check it out, and picture yourself exploring by foot, bike, wheelchair, or even unicycle,  this spectacular part of the world.

We have a great program in Canada designed to get old cars off the road, and now it will help to add more bikes on them with the support of bike companies such as Norco; the initiative is called Retire Your Ride.

The President of Norco, John Williams shared recently:

“…This is a joint program with The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada, Government of Canada and The Clean Air Foundation.  Essentially anyone in Canada who scraps a pre-1995 vehicle is eligible for a $300 federal rebate that can be used towards the purchase of a new bike.  Norco has also agreed to supplement the discount on a range of bikes through participating dealers. This may get some media attention as the federal government is sponsoring this program with $92 million committed over four years.” Very cool! And if you live in the lower mainland, don’t forget to add the benefits of the Scrap It program for an extra $1200 toward a new bike, whew!!

The other item of note, locally here in Vancouver anyway, is the test trial of the conversion of a car lane on the Burrard Street Bridge to a dedicated bike lane. There is a little write-up about it on the VACC website. Of course there is some controversy; but my biased opinion sees way more positives than negatives. Lots of good news in the bike world these days!

I’ll keep this post short and sweet….

BC Bike Race:

The most beautiful, challenging, and well run adventure mt bike race in the world is happening in BC this week. On Friday, July 3rd, I’ll be doing a show at the Squamish Stage at 2pm. 

Port Moody Trials Park Grand Re-Opening:

If you live close to Vancouver and would like to try riding trials, come out on July 4th at 10am to the Port Moody Trials Park under the Murrey Street Overpass. Bring your bike and come ride some new obstacles, learn from the local pros, and eat some free food.

Yogathon:

Come join thousands of people at Thunderbird Stadium (UBC) on July 11th to raise money for kids impacted by HIV so they can go to Camp Mooba, a weeklong Summer Camp. Before and after the largest yoga practice in Canada, I’ll be doing some trials demos. Should be an incredible atmosphere! I actually just visited the kids at the camp which is close to my home in Port Moody to teach some yoga and do a trials show. They’re having some great adventures and making some good friends, smiles all around. 

Project BlueSky:

The official launch of Project Blue Sky will be happening next week, and I’m glad to be endorsing and helping spread the word. I’ll talk more about how great this project is soon, but feel free to click on the link for now…

Norco’s 2010 product launch is coming up in a couple weeks, should be a blast. Then I’m off to the Yukon for a mountain bike adventure with the Ride Guide Mountain Bike Show.

Ride On!!

Welcome to Bike to Work Week 2009!

What a fantastic time of year to be out on the road, path, or trail, riding your bike. The weather (in BC anyway) is perfect for riding, the spring flowers are in full bloom with their fragrance’s blowing in the wind; delightful in every way…well, it’s actually pouring rain this morning

May 11-17th is Bike to Work Week, a celebration to thank all the dedicated bicycle commuters and a promotion to recruit and convince potential cyclists to give it a try.

For all those folks who don’t need to commute to work every day (students, self employed, parents, or pro athletes), we’re not leaving you out, this week is still for you because you still need to go places—to get groceries, mail a letter, pick up a movie rental, or visit a friend. So why not hop on the bike this week!

Are you training for a race or do you work out at a gym?  If so, then save some time by getting your training in while you ride to work or as you ride to get all your errands done! Or, if you ride to recreate, then do it while en route to your family’s house instead of driving there. It just makes sense in so many ways!!

Now, for all the existing commuters, I think it’s safe to say we’d love to see more bikes on the road; but often when we’re racing to and from work, we enter in to battle mode, righteous bike against evil car. It’s so important to create a positive reputation for cyclists, so please obey the rules of the road, don’t blast through red lights and pull sketchy moves that freak out vehicle drivers. These may be potential cyclists, or people with political power (actually that’s all of us), so we need to be responsible; a nod, wave, or smile can go a very long way (for both the driver and you for that matter).

But sometimes vehicle drivers are irresponsible and ignorant, putting cyclists at risk. As a vehicle driver, I have been guilty of this myself—so I would still suggest that you maintain good form and trust that as long as they see you (or you make yourself noticed), that they’ll register their mistake and hopefully not do it again; but if instead you started waiving your finger, banging on their vehicle, and yelling profanities, it may trigger their road rage and possibly put them in the camp of belief that cyclists don’t belong on the road in the first place. Cycling advocacy groups don’t need any roadblocks in their already uphill battle for better cycling infrastructure! We need everyone on our side!!

Many cities have bicycle commuter stations set up along popular riding routes this week with free coffee, mechanical support, advocacy information, and general good cheer. In my own locale, Norco Bikes, Caps Westwood, and Secret Cycle will be on hand to help out at both the Port Moody and Coquitlam stations. The local VACC committee will also have fresh baked goods to share….I’m a sucker for baked goods! 

So please take advantage of Bike to Work Week (or month) and spread the good word; this officially dedicated week gives you an excuse to start a conversation with your friends, family, co-workers, and yet-to-be-involved city councils. Share your experiences and speak about the myriad benefits that come along with a cycling lifestyle. Amen to the bicycle. Ride safely. Have Fun!!

Getting youth on bikes. That’s key. You get them on bikes at a young age, and it’s in their blood forever. Bikes are a huge part of the future, whether that be for transportation or fun. Once a cyclist, always a cyclist. That’s the mission of the Sprockids program, and it’s being relaunched and rebranded in hopes of spreading to as many schools as possible. 

So I spent the last couple days visiting some schools in North and West Vancouver doing a short demo and telling them about Sprockids. Brent Martin, the man responsible for the relaunch wants to see that this 19 year old program, created by Doug Detwiller, in as many schools around the globe as possible. It’s no easy goal, but so crucial in inspiring todays sedentary youth of a life full of health, fun, and environmental stewardship. I’m sure you’ll hear more as things progress and grow.

All the best,

Ryan

Hey Folks,

The David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) is putting the pressure on John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), to make the 2010 Winter Games carbon neutral. I recently added my signature, along with 70 other athletes, to reinforce the incredible importance such an action holds. Now it’s your turn…

When I dream of the future, there is no issue of greater concern than that of climate change. VANOC has an opportunity to inspire the world by taking action, and frankly responsibility, for the immense carbon footprint such an event leaves in it’s wake.

I am certain that in hindsight, such a decision will seem obvious to them; lets make sure they don’t have any regrets. Taking responsibility for the environment is of utmost important, and we need to let them know we believe this, and feel strongly about it. So please follow this link, and lend your name to the cause, then pass it along to your friends. It’s simple, it’s fast, and if acted on, will have a long lasting and far reaching effect on the world.

Ryan

Just trying to figure out what this coalition between Liberals and NDP is all about. Turns out it could mean some fantastic things for all Canadians, and as a progressive voter, I want to spread the good word. Please watch this video to make some sense of the situation:

Now go to the the Canadians for a Progressive Coalition website and sign the petition

For further details, check out this message from Elizabeth May of the Green Party.

If you want to do more, the Green Party is in desperate need of funds, especially now that Harper is trying to eliminate federal funding for federal political parties. Click here to donate, even if it’s just five bucks! Here’s the intro to the e-mail I recieved from the Green Party about the subject of federal funding:

Today Jim Flaherty announced that the Tories will cut the public subsidy to all federal political parties. It is disguised as a response to the economic crisis. It is actually a scheme to destroy Harper’s political opponents. It is an assault on fair financing rules brought about through sweeping reforms. These reforms were designed to eliminate the power of Big Money in our elections. Harper wants that power back… 

This petition won’t take long either, please make the time, and lend your name. If not, corporate interest could blind the Canadian public in future elections. Please click here for the petition!!

Our democracy isn’t in full working order, and Harper is  trying use the strong arm which will make it a lot worse (except for the minority of greedy conservatives).  It’s bad news all around if we don’t act now!