Biking for a cause

Valentine’s Day wasn’t just the day for chocolate and kisses, it also marked the eighth-annual UNB Recreation Cyclethon in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick.

“Well for me, the main purpose is heart and stroke, we have a lot of heart issues in our family on both sides, so I really want to support that,” said Tracey Gulliver, one of the cyclists.

Gulliver’s personal connection keeps her coming back every year since the Cyclethon began.

Classes began half past every hour. After each class, there was a break to give the bikers doing more than one class a chance to breathe.

The 30-minute sessions began at 6:30AM with the last one at 12:10PM.

A minimum five-dollar donation per class was required with all the proceeds supporting Heart and Stroke NB.

There were other ways to donate like by purchasing some of the used equipment for sale

“It’s heartwarming and it’s nice to be able to give back to the community,” Caitlin Doyle, the training and testing coordinator at URec, said.

This was Doyle’s seventh year being a part of the Cyclethon.

After each class, prizes were drawn for along with grand prizes like a one-year URec membership, a personal training starter pack, and a one-year URec locker and towel service.

Cyclists also had incentives like a five per cent discount up to 25 per cent on their URec memberships per each completed class.

UNB Recreation memberships include access to the two gym facilities with training equipment, weights, an indoor track and cardio machines as well as access to a variety of group fitness classes, like cycling.

“We bring so many members together and so many non-members that come in and check out our facilities,” Doyle said.

She loves the energy the Cyclethon brings to gym facilities.

Despite the many prize incentives, the biggest incentive for cyclists was supporting a good cause.

URec raised $1200 for Heart and Stroke NB so far, but the total may be slightly higher as donations are being accepted until the end of February.

For Gulliver, it’s been eight years and she’s still not tired of participating in the annual Cyclethon.

“It [the environment] is very supportive and everyone is in a good mood,” Gulliver said.