GUELPH -- Cyclists gathered in Guelph on Saturday to celebrate the love of getting out on a bike.
"There's so much more to cycling than just the cycling kind of thing," cyclist Alex Ball said. "It is the community, it's the environment, it's nature, it's mental health, it's physical health. It's so much."
It was part of the Love Your Bike Community Cycling Festival.
"There's something about a bike as a very simple machine that it really does sync in with the human body very well," organizer Wilfred Ferwerda said.
Ferweda said he's seen an increase in people cycling as a pandemic pastime.
"There's all kinds of mysterious reasons why people really gravitate toward bikes and it really fits a community type of vibe very, very well," he said.
This year marked the seventh annual festival. The pandemic made the event a lot more stationary this year, but there's a reason why people keep coming back.
"I'm just a bike geek," cyclist Ella Henderson said. "I just really love seeing other people's bikes. I get inspired by seeing how other people use their bikes."
Festival favourites include a "Wrench Off" competition for fixing flat tires, along with other games and prizes.
"The smiles on peoples' faces when I'm going by, there's a real sense of community and connection that comes with riding," Ball said.
Organizers hope to bring everyone back on their bikes in 2021.
