Kolby Sprague, left and Gaven Sutton, Grade 6 students from Winston Churchill School took part in a Pedal for a Purpose virtual bike ride at College Park School on Thursday. The goal was to ride 1,042 km to match what the Bike for Breakfast YLL fundraiser did last year when they rode to Tuffnell, Sask. and back. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
A mass Pedal for a Purpose e-bike ride at College Park had the look of a cycling combine, but fun and fitness were the main goals.
A secondary objective of the Lloydminster Public School Division (LPSD) event was to tip a hat to the inaugural Bike for Breakfast YLL ride that raised $270,000 for school breakfast programs.
“We’re trying to reach our goal of 1,060 kilometres in six hours,” said LPSD education technology consultant, Shelley Merth, who headed up the event.
“That’s last year’s Bike for Breakfast ride to Tuffnell Sask, so we thought let’s try to ride that today,” she explained.
Merth says the event is all about fun and community and trying to get kids from all schools to come together.
“While we are in support of Bike for Breakfast, it’s not specifically tied to that,” added Merth.
“Bike for Breakfast people were invited to ride, but we just want kids on bikes. This is a good chance to promote bike riding.”
All of the LPSD bikes are connected to the Zwift tracking app with students riding the same virtual course together in shifts.
Quinn Garrison, a Grade 5 student from Rendell Park School, took a breather to talk about her ride.
“It’s really fun; it’s a good workout,” she said, en route to her 20-kilometre goal.
Grade 7 teacher, Cornelius Krahn, said they aim for a 10-15 minute ride per student on the e-bikes.
“It’s a great way to integrate technology as well as fitness,” he said.
The event was supported by Grindin Gears Bikes n’ Boards owner Jim Taylor.
“I’m just here supporting LPSD with the Pedal for a Purpose, so I brought a bike down today and just helping more people get on a bike,” said Taylor.
“It’s pretty phenomenal. It’s awesome that Shelley Merth is putting it together and all the schools supporting it; it’s awesome seeing everybody doing this.”
Merth says Taylor is a great supporter who has helped LPSD get bikes into the schools as well.
“He’s our technical consultant for all things bike,” she said.
Taylor is also the chair of this year’s Bike for Breakfast ride and brought some members along to help the Pedal for a Purpose team reach its distance goal.
Krahn also called what was going on a “loco-motion” event.
“All the schools have sent riders over to College Park and we are hopping on bikes and just having fun together,” he said.
“Fun” was the only word Leslie Parks, a Grade 4 student at Winston Churchill, had time to describe his time in the saddle.
He was laser-focused on cycling 3 km during his turn.
