Students and staff can swing by the ‘Celebration Station’ at Petch Fountain on June 3 from 10:30 a.m-12:30 p.m for coffee, snacks, bike tune-ups, prizes, and more!
Photo by Avery Treadwell.
May 30 marks the first day of BC’s Go By Bike Week, which runs until June 5. UVic, in partnership with the province-wide event, will be hosting its own to help encourage students to consider biking as an option.
Go By Bike Week is a challenge to British Columbians to bike as much as possible for one week. Whether it’s to work, school, for fun, or as exercise or stress relief, participants can log their total kilometres at www.GoByBikeBC.ca and will be entered into a prize draw.
The prizes for the Spring Go By Bike Week include two Pedego Avenue E-Bikes, three cycling bags, a Patagonia jacket or hoodie, ten BikeBAC trackers, two Swagman bike bags, and a $1 000 Active Transportation Prize for one school across B.C.
During Bike Week, transit will be free in Victoria for anyone using the bike rack or carrying a bike helmet.
The original event, Bike to Work Week, was established in Greater Victoria in 1995 by a group of cyclists who wanted to increase the popularity of commuter cycling. Their first event had approximately 500 participants. In 2025, there were 60 709 participants. Over the years, the event expanded to include Bike to School, and now many communities across B.C. run a combined Bike to Work & School week.
To include non-commuter biking into Bike Week, the organizers changed their name from Bike to Work BC Society to GoByBike BC Society.
Quentin Randall, executive director of GoByBike BC Society, said in a statement on the society’s website that logged rides contribute to an anonymized dataset that is shared with provincial and community decision-makers.
“[The data] strengthens the case for better infrastructure, smarter planning, and continued active transportation investment in all areas of the province. And it’s important to remember that rides can be logged not only during GoByBike Weeks, but year-round,” he said.
Randall pointed to Bike-Friendly BC, a no-cost provincial business directory to help connect cyclists with local bike-friendly businesses.
“This is a simple, high-impact way to strengthen your local cycling ecosystem,” Randall said. “I encourage you to nominate businesses in your community and share the directory widely with your local networks. The more inclusive and visible we make this program, the more we support both active transportation and local economic activity.”
GoByBike BC Society partners with municipalities, Indigenous communities, cycling clubs, schools, regional districts, and individuals to support the delivery of local cycling events and campaigns. UVic is a Community sponsor of Go By Bike Week in Victoria.
Go By Bike Week also includes events planned by local communities. UVic’s featured event takes place on June 2 at 10 a.m. at the Petch Foundation. The Celebration Station will include: prize draws and giveaways, refreshments, bike mechanic support and basic tune-up advice provided by Oak Bay Bike, information from local exhibitors and community partners, Go By Bike Week encouragement and rider support, and a chance to connect with Capital Bike and fellow riders.
Exhibitors at the event include Capital Bike and Used.ca.
Those looking to participate can visit the GoByBike website to discover local events, find updates, and access contact information for Community Coordinators.
