The Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club held an open house at Northgate Trails yesterday night, which kicked off Bike Week.
According to Club President Brenda Gregory, the main goal of the open house was to get people out to see the trails, as well as initiate them into the cycling culture, by trying out a brand-new fat bike for free.
It's for every age group to enjoy and it's an all-season facility, as well, so you can come winter, spring, summer and fall. You can walk, you can hike, you can bike, you can mountain bike, you can fat bike and you can snowshoe... We do have a trail that you can cross country to, as well.
Gregory felt fantastic that people were finally able to come to visit the facility for organized events again.
Even though people visited the trails while staying within their family bubbles, there hasn't been a lot of group get-togethers. With the exception of family bubbles, simple gatherings - like people sitting at picnic tables and talking - haven't been allowed for two years and three months.
She also hopes that people consider getting around by bike, instead of by car.
The more bikes you see out there, I think people will think "why aren't I cycling to work, instead of taking my car for five minutes? I could cycle for twelve minutes and that would benefit me so much more"... You look at some of the Northern European countries who have a massive cycling culture there... You look at schoolyards and [they're] just packed with children's bicycles. We would like to get there.
There are events planned for the upcoming year, including a Manitoba Cycling Association race, which will take place on August 7th. The race will be open to everyone, including people who've never been in a race before.
