Share the Road: Cycling activism hits the street (4 photos)

The sun is out and the roads are clear, time to pump up those tires and grease up that chain — bike season is officially upon us.

In an area that some would call a city of drivers, the Share the Road Cycling Coalition is trying to make biking in the Nickel City a little bit safer.

On May 28, Share the Road hosted its seventh annual ride in Sudbury, aiming to demonstrate proper cycling safety techniques and promote the active pastime.

Among those in attendance was Olympian and three-time World Cup medalist Devon Kershaw, who has been attending the ride since it began in Sudbury.

“It always really touches me to see people come out and support an event like this because it’s not just supporting the event – it’s supporting themselves,” said Kershaw, who said he has a vested interest in cycling safety ever since he lost his then girlfriend, Sofie Manarin, to a cycling accident in 2001.

The event drew nearly 100 people of all ages and cycling experience to take part in the leisurely ride. Marie-Lea Green was one of those riders. She said living in the Minnow Lake area allows her and her husband to commute on their bikes to their nearby workplaces.

“[Cycling] is great — you get to explore and find new trails and see new places and neighbourhoods that you didn’t even know existed,” Green said.

Chris Gore, manager of community partnerships with the City of Greater Sudbury, said that as much as the ride is about promoting proper safety practices for cyclists, it is also about teaching motorists to share the road.

“It’s not just cars that go on the road; bikes also belong on the road,” said Gore. “The ride is really an opportunity to illustrate that there are cyclists out there and we want to be able to accommodate both cyclists and motorists on the same road.”

For more information on Share the Road, visit the website.