Mayor, MP To Compete In No-Pedal Bike Race

The pedals are off between Mayor Don Darling and Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long.

They will go head-to-head in a no-pedal bike race during the annual Mayors Ride on Sunday.

Nick Cameron with Saint John Cycle said the family-friendly bike ride started three years ago as a way to encourage people to get cycling.

Cameron said the idea for a bike race came from Councillor Donna Reardon.

“She suggested that we include something for people that are currently not cycling, they might not have a bike but they’re curious so they want to start biking,” said Cameron.

The ride usually goes from uptown to the UNB Saint John campus, but Cameron said they decided to change up the route for their fourth year.

“We’re going to go from Rockwood Park to the Queen’s Square Farmers Market,” Cameron said. “Where that’s been a popular destination now, we want to get the idea in people’s heads that they don’t always have to drive there.”

Once at the market, Darling and Long will grab their helmets and race down Queen’s Square.

The Mayors Ride will leave the Lily Lake parking lot at 11:30 a.m. and the no-pedal race will start around noon. A return shuttle bus to Rockwood Park will be available at 1 and 1:30 p.m. for those who do not want to bicycle back.

Cameron said they are also collecting donations for Saint John Bike Share.

“The program started out of the Crescent Valley Resource Centre,” he said. “They take gently used bikes and refurbish them for members in the community and they gift those bikes back into the community for free.”

So far, Saint John Bike Share has given away over 500 bikes to those in need, Cameron said.