World Cup ski racer and Sudbury native Devon Kershaw was in town July 29 to share a message of safety and awareness on the road — a crusade inspired by a tragic accident eight years ago.
In June 2001, Kershaw was in his final year of high school. His girlfriend, 17-year-old Sofie Manarin — Canada's top-ranked female junior cross-country skier at the time — was out training on her road bike in Sudbury when she was hit by a truck. Kershaw had been out for a training ride on the same day and was following Manarin's route.
“It was really a tragic time, and a tragic loss for the city, myself, and all her friends and family,” Kershaw said, who now lives in Canmore, Alta.
“But that's one example of one tragedy and there's many, many of them across Canada.”
Over the past couple months, the three-time World Cup medallist and 2010 Olympic hopeful stepped on board with the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, a biking advocacy group founded by a woman who has a similar tragic story to tell.
Three years ago, Eleanor McMahon lost her husband, OPP Sgt. Greg Stobbart, when a driver struck the officer while he was out on a training ride.
“After his death, I decided ... that his legacy of safety as a police officer and a cyclist needed to continue,” she said. “I also knew Greg's death was very much preventable and wanted to find a way to make our roads safer.”
With a background in advocacy and legislative work, McMahon delved into building a cycling advocacy organization — the first of its kind in Ontario.
“We launched the Share the Road Cycling Coalition last year with the goal of building a more cycling-friendly Ontario ... fighting for better legislation from a road safety and cycling perspective and just really creating that education and awareness.”
Kershaw, 26, said he had been talking for years about starting an organization, such as Share the Road, so championing the cause was only natural.
“It is so important to share the road with others,” he said. “Because of my personal experiences and because I'm on the road every day, twice a day training, this is something that's very important to me.
“These things are avoidable and we're going to do our best to educate cyclists to protect themselves and motorists to understand that they have to share the road with others, too.”
The pair joined up with a group of cyclists of all ages at Science North on July 29 to embark on a 15-km bike ride through the city's south end, with a special stop at the Sofie Manarin Memorial on Silver Lake Road.
Members of Manarin's family met the group of cyclists at the memorial and together took a moment of silence to pay tribute to her.
“This is why we're out on this ride, so things like this don't happen,” Kershaw said, as he pointed at the memorial.
John Manarin said he was touched by Kershaw's efforts in helping to organize the event and in keeping the memory of his daughter alive. He spoke to the crowd about the importance of the event.
“This is a great event for Sudbury because there really aren't many places where you can ride a bike,” he said. “Maybe we could be a little bit more careful about sharing the road with bikers, and maybe things like that could be prevented in the future.”
McMahon said the group bike ride was about showing strength in numbers.
“We have a lot of work to do in this province and this country.”
Kershaw and McMahon agreed that awareness is the key when it comes to increasing safety on the roads.
“If you're driving a car, be very present with what you're doing — try not to text and drive, and if you're going to talk on your cell phone, pull over or install a hands-free device,” Kershaw said. “And when there's cyclists on the road, if there's no shoulders, which around here there's not a whole lot, give people the room they need, which is about a metre.”
In a number of states, a three-foot law has been passed when it comes to cyclists, he explained, making it illegal to come within three feet of a cyclist.
As for cyclists, “always wear a helmet, be very predictable and wear bright clothing,” Kershaw said. “Don't swerve in and out of traffic, obey the rules of the road — everybody wins when you bike like that, because you don't get into conflict and put yourself at risk.”
For more information about the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, visit www.sharetheroad.ca.
