Ladies and gentlemen in Victorian garb will be inviting passers-by to join them for tea parties on the roadside, as local members of the North East Valley Project, Northern Artery and Les Belles Vilaines get behind the Bike Wise event. The tea parties will be held from 11.30am to 1pm.
‘‘It's our special way of encouraging people to take part in the fun day,'' tea party co-ordinator Clare Adams said.
‘‘There will be free scones and cups of tea for anyone who wants to join us - the perfect refreshment for thirsty cyclists,'' she said.
The tea parties are part of an ongoing series, with today's Victorian theme in honour of the expected participation of the costumed penny-farthing riders of the Oamaru Ordinary Cycle Club.
‘‘We wanted to be suitably dressed to welcome our visitors,'' Mrs Adams said.
Suitably fortified with a cup of tea, participants in the Bike Wise Fun Day, to be held from noon to 2pm at Forrester Park, will be able to take part in a busy programme of events particularly aimed at teenagers and their families.
Events will include a cycle skills course, the chance to get bikes checked and fixed by Transition Valley 473, and the opportunity to have a go on the Dunedin BMX Club's track, to try a skills obstacle course and take a short forest ride with Mountainbiking Otago. There will also be demonstrations of BMX riding for fun day visitors.
Jointly organised by Sport Otago and the Dunedin City Council, today's Bike Wise Fun Day is one of the events marking Bike Wise Month, running nationwide throughout February.
Bike Wise Month aims to promote safety and cycling as a sustainable, fun, healthy and enjoyable means of transport. The main message for this year's event is to remind motorists and cyclists to look out for each other, be considerate, and share the road safely.
