By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Cycling Club will host Baranof Island’s first ever half-century bike ride this Saturday. The long distance ride will serve as a capstone to a series of bicycle-related events this week, including the installation of Sitka’s first public bicycle fix-It station and the teaching of a bike maintenance class.
Sitka Cycling Club president Doug Osborne said that the half-century (50 mile) ride is not a race, “it’s just meant to be enjoyable and enjoy the scenery.” The full route will run from downtown to Green Lake, then back north to Starrigavan, and finally back to town.
These events are a combined effort on behalf of the Hames Center, Sitka Counseling, the Sitka Cycling Club, and the Susitna Bike Institute. The SBI, a non-profit organization based in Anchorage, is sponsoring the fix-it station, and will also be teaching a bike maintenance course in the hangar at UAS 6-9 p.m. Thursday. The course costs $30, and although registration is not required, anyone interested can call and register with Emma Klein, Vice President of the Sitka Cycling Club at 907-966-8785.
In addition to these two public events, the SBI is holding an intensive 40-hour bike mechanics class for five Sitkans who have expressed interest in opening a bike co-op in town, subsidized by both the Hames Center and Sitka Counseling.
Jake Falvey, left, is tutored by Anchorage bike mechanic Scott Menzies, right, today in the Yaw Art Center building on the Sheldon Jackson campus. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
The bike repair co-op will be located in the Hames Center, and should begin operations in September, though the exact schedule remains up in the air, Osborne said. He said the co-op “does not want to compete with the bike shop, but it would be to expand cycling.” Osborne believes that the two can coexist without issue.
Bill Hughes, owner of Sitka’s Yellow Jersey Bike Shop, was out of town and unavailable for comment, but the Sentinel did speak with James Pelletier, head mechanic and manager at the bike shop. Pelletier expressed concern that the new cycling co-op could draw business away from the Yellow Jersey, but hoped the situation would work out well for both parties. He said he does not “know if there is really enough population to cover what could essentially be two shops” in Sitka, though the exact services and hours of the co-op remain undecided. While Pelletier was happy to see Sitkans take an increased interest in cycling, he noted that the Yellow Jersey’s profit margins “end up being a three percent kind of deal if we’re lucky.”
The bike club has obtained city approval for installation of its fix-it station at the corner of Lake and Lincoln Streets on Friday, with the official opening scheduled for 9:10 a.m. on Saturday. SBI instructors Charlie Lowell and Scott Menzies will be on hand to demonstrate how to use the station. Osborne said the project would be impossible without city cooperation and that “a big thanks goes to (public works engineer) Dave Longtin and to the city.”
Once the fix-it station is open, the half-century bike ride will begin. For people who may not want to ride the full 50-mile route, there will be other, shorter route options. The shortest will be a family friendly seven mile round trip to and from Whale Park.
A major motivator for all of these cycling events and services, Osborne said, is the desire to provide “healthy activities for youths.” He went on to say that Sitka is an ideal place for cyclists because of the moderate climate and short road network.
Anyone interested in participating in any part of the half-century ride should be at the intersection of Lake and Lincoln by 9 a.m. on Saturday for the free registration, Osborne said. The bike ride itself should begin at 9:30. Anyone interested in keeping up with cycling events in town can sign up for the cycling club for free at www.sitkacycling.wordpress.com.
Osborne was optimistic about these cycling activities and the future of expanded cycling opportunities in Sitka. He said “that’s what we’re trying to promote, more people out there biking.”
