July 10, 2010 (Canmore, AB) – Olympic cross-country skier Devon Kershaw will be taking to the streets of Canmore, Alberta next week to raise awareness for bicycle safety. The two-time Olympian and three-time World Cup medalist will be teaming up with the Share The Road Cycling Coalition to host a community bike ride in Canmore to promote safe cycling and highlight the important benefits of creating bicycle-friendly communities across Canada. The 20-kilometre community ride will start and finish at the Civic Centre Plaza in downtown Canmore and will be open to cyclists of all ages and abilities.

Kershaw first joined forces with Share The Road in 2009 when he and Coalition Founder and CEO Eleanor McMahon organized a Share the Road Ride in Sudbury, Ontario in memory of Devon’s girlfriend and former national ski team member Sofie Manarin who was killed on a training ride on her bike in Sudbury in 2001. The Canmore event will mark Share The Road’s first initiative outside of Ontario.

July 10, 2010 (Canmore, AB) – As the lead Athlete Ambassador for Share The Road, Kershaw has dedicated significant time and energy to promoting the work of the Coalition, most recently hosting a fundraising event in Toronto in May 2010. Kershaw will provide a brief address to riders before the Canmore ride rolls out at 6pm next Friday. “This is a great opportunity for the local community to come together for a great cause,” said Kershaw. “Tragic accidents can be avoided when we increase levels of awareness and care taken by cyclists and motorists alike. We shouldn’t have to think twice about encouraging people to be active, environmentally-conscientious and to have fun by riding their bikes.”

Also providing remarks at the event will be Share The Road Founder Eleanor McMahon and Mayor of Canmore Ron Casey. Kershaw will lead the leisurely-paced ride and will be joined on his bike by many of his fellow Olympians that also live and train in the Bow Valley. “It’s a particularly relevant issue for athletes,” noted Kershaw. “Between riding, roller-skiing and running we are probably on the road at least 15 hours per week. By increasing awareness we can all continue to enjoy these activities safely.”

Share The Road’s signature event, The Ride for Greg, has been held in Burlington since 2006 in memory of Ms. McMahon’s husband and former OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart who was killed on a training ride in June of 2006. In addition to the Canmore ride, Share The Road events are planned this summer for Ottawa, Sudbury (once again to be hosted by Kershaw) and Burlington, Ontario.

Share The Road Canmore – Community Group Ride
– WHEN – Friday, July 16th, 6pm
– WHERE – 20km loop starting and finishing at the Canmore Civic Centre Plaza
– WHO – Devon Kershaw, Olympic Cross-Country Skier & 3-time World Cup Medalist

About Share The Road – read more here .
The Share The Road Cycling Coalition is an Ontario-based cycling advocacy organization created in 2008 to unite cycling organizations and work with and on behalf of municipalities to enhance their ability to make their communities more bicycle-friendly. The organization’s specific focus is on developing public policy at the provincial level in order to provide the kind of legislative, programmatic and funding instruments such as exist in other Canadian provinces notably Quebec and British Columbia. With cycling a burgeoning mode of transportation across the globe, and communities looking to enhance the health and well being of their citizens, the Coalition is developing partnerships with like-minded stakeholders across Ontario and Canada, and has focused on developing partnerships geared to building bicycle friendly communities. The organization was created in memory of OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, husband of Founder and CEO Eleanor McMahon, killed in a cycling collision in June 2006. An environmental scan and significant best practice research were conducted as part of the business case and organizational development plan which preceded the Coalition’s official launch in 2008.