By Robin Jenkinson
Bicycle bells rang Saturday, June 6 as family and friends gathered for the Bicycle Bob Simons Memorial Ride and sign re-installation, celebrating one of Salt Spring’s most colourful cycling advocates.
Simons, owner of Western Cyclogical for more than 20 years, was known as much for his generosity and ingenuity as for his love of bicycles.
“Nothing stopped Bob,” recalled longtime friend Henry Baade. “He had a flat tire one time and no pump, so he stuffed the tube with grass to keep it rolling until he reached a gas station where he could repair it.”
Baade laughed as he remembered Simons returning from the annual Norco garage sale with several bicycles strapped to the back of his own bike, tuning them up as he rode home.
Others remembered Simons’ humour and generosity.
“He’d fix your bike and install new parts and then turn to you and ask, ‘Would ten dollars be too much?’” recalled Simon Rompré.
For David Campbell, Simons’ adventurous spirit stood out.
“The Kinetic Sculpture Race in Port Townsend was his Mecca,” he said. “We took the Coho Ferry with Bob’s rideable sculpture and biked there with Jeremy in the baby seat.”
Jeremy Simons, who joined Saturday’s ride with his own daughter Soleil in a rear child seat, said his father would be happy to see bicycle and walking trails expand here.
“He rode across Canada with his dad, Art Simons, and around the world,” he said. “He definitely instilled a love of cycling in me.”
Before the ride, Island Pathways director Wendy Webb unveiled the “Bicycle Bob Simons Memorial Walkway-Bikeway” sign, restored and mounted by Larry Bishop with donated materials by Windsor Plywood. It commemorates the 300-metre widened road shoulder all along Portlock Park that was paved in 2000, just after Simons passed away. This segment now coincides with Island Pathways and Capital Regional District efforts to construct a multi-use pathway westward from Central to Mobrae and, ultimately, to Vesuvius.
Organizers hope to continue this annual tradition, celebrating Bicycle Bob’s legacy while inspiring future generations to enjoy a safer, creatively-inspired and bicycle-friendly island.
Those wishing to support the expansion of walking and cycling infrastructure on Salt Spring can visit islandpathways.ca or donate through the Salt Spring Island Foundation’s Multi-Use Pathway Fund.