Vancouver to support two popular cycling events this year with $250,000 in funding
The money will help rides that attract 20,000 cyclists
In news that may come as a matter of envy for riders in other Canadian cities, two high-profile rides in Vancouver, the CBC reported, will be on the receiving end of $250,000 in funding, courtesy of the city’s government.
The surge in funding is thanks to a unanimous vote at city council this past week, reports say.
Those two events—Our City Ride and Bike the Night—are among the most popular in the cycling-friendly West Coast city, with 2017’s attendance numbers expected to be in the neighbourhood of 20,000 participating cyclists. Logistically, beyond even basic funding, the city is promising to cover most other event-related costs, too, including policing, engineering, route planning and traffic.
Bike the Night 2017, starting in David Lam Park, follows last year’s successful September event, while the Our City Ride—organized by M1 Sports Management, the group also responsible for BC Superweek’s Gastown Grand Prix—will take riders along a 15-km route through the heart of the city, a trip book-ended by ventures into Stanley Park and Vancouver’s west end.
