*Update June 13–We beat the bus yesterday! It was a glorious blue sky perfect day and the ride was really fun!*

My wonderful bike group which is part of Victoria Grandmothers 4 Africa, is putting our pedals to the test to race the commuter bus to Langford this Friday. We aim to beat the bus.

Better Transit YYJ put the battle together, and their goal is to show that the Langford Express bus is too slow for various reasons and that changes need to be made to speed it up, like back door boarding to the bus and dedicated bus lanes.

But my goal is different. I aim to prove that a bunch of granny-aged women can get to Langford on their bikes faster than commuters can on the bus. Why would I want to do this? Because it will encourage others to bike! Because biking is great! Because it means less carbon emitted and quite possibly more fun had. Would you rather be sitting on a hot crowded bus with the fumes of commuter traffic all around you or on a bike with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face?

For me, the challenge is extra meaningful. The past couple of years of health crises, a grand total of three open heart surgeries, one additional heart surgery, and the removal of half of one of my lungs has left me diminished, but still standing, still walking and still riding. This might truly be a case of if I can do it, you can probably do it too.

And by the way, VG4A is in the midst of our annual fundraiser for the Grandmother to Grandmother campaign with the Stephen Lewis Foundation. If you want to support this great cause, here is the link to donate!