It's been about six years since one local family started using their bicycles as their main source of transportation.
Amanda Drew and Kyrke Gaudreau, who both work at UNBC, cycle to work all year round and then throw it into high gear by taking the insurance off their vehicle from the time the snow is gone until it comes back so their only source of transportation is two wheelers.
Those big box store runs are quite the adventure when they bring along their 16-month-old daughter, Jamie, and a big trailer into the cycling mix.
Drew said she even biked up University Way on her due date when she was pregnant with Jamie just to say she did.
"Being more active, getting outside, enjoying the fresh air and also not having to pay for gas is also a big driving factor as well," Drew, the energy technician at UNBC, said about what inspired her to steer towards two-wheeled transportation.
"We basically bike everywhere and I commute to UNBC every day," Drew said, who lives near Moore's Meadow. "And I also bike my daughter to daycare every day as we have a trailer for her and on the weekends we go do our errands with our bikes."
The Prince George Cycling Club is hosting Bike to Work Week and the kick off is Monday at 6:45 a.m. at City Hall with Mayor Lyn Hall offering a few words to celebrate the occasion followed by a catered breakfast by Sassafras Savouries, a local downtown restaurant.
The cycling club has hosted the event since 2009 and before that it was presented by the regional district, event coordinator Jessy Rajan said.
For Drew and the family, to be successful at commuting only by bicycle does take some effort.
"You definitely have to plan out your day accordingly and add a little extra time," Drew said. "Once you start doing it you get used to the routine and it just becomes natural."
The local cycling club would like participants of Bike to Work Week to register, even if it's not cycling to work, they'd still like to see people register who are doing any kind of commuting by bike.
In conjunction, Bike to School Week hosts a kick-off event Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Exploration Place, where children are invited to bring along their bikes to take part in a bike rodeo, enjoy healthy snacks and beverages, get information about safe biking and local routes, while taking in the bus demonstration provided by B.C. Transit and checking out the fun booths and local vendors.
Rajan encourages a teacher, parent or administrator to take on the team leader role for groups of children participating in the Bike to School program so personal information of those who are underage is not disclosed publicly.
At the end of the week, the team leader can log all the kilometres traveled by the participants.
Everyone is welcome to register at biketowork.ca/prince-george. Drew would like to encourage everyone to participate.
"There are so many benefits to cycling," Drew said. "Even if you might be a little reluctant, stay safe and give it a try. You might end up enjoying it."
