Our program, The Bike Valet, has a great group of staff and volunteers to help make our work possible. Whether someone has volunteered for one summer or has been with the program for several years, we value all the time people have dedicated to helping us offer a great service to our community. A love for biking is something many of the people on our team share, and Peter MacMartin is one of those people. As someone with years of involvement with The Bike Valet (BV), we wanted to highlight his cycling story.
What got you into biking?
Well, I was a kid for one. I still am really. As a kid, biking was the way to get around. As an adult, I got a Miele road bike from my brother when I moved to Vancouver in 1996. However, about 2 months later, I incorrectly locked it up in Gastown and it got stolen. I gave up on cycling until 2009. I was 42 at the time when I was induced to do a TransLink Central Valley Greenway (CVG) cycle path timing project with a palm pilot. This meant that I had to time several rides in the summer of 2009 from Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station along the CVG to the Tin Man in New West. I had an old oversized Fuji 63cm frame which I rode from 2009-2010. I then bought the bike I have now.
As many back-to-the-bike adult riders will attest, I was hooked and started riding pretty much everywhere. During the recession, I had one job on Adanac St/Clark Dr and rode most days to and from New West. Starting cycling again saved me a lot of money and helped my moods, A LOT. I got a desk job as a Salesperson at Novex Courier in 2010 and commuted almost daily along River Road in Richmond to and from New West. It was a lot of riding for me then; Now it’s a normal ride. I got a lot of on-road experience just from commuting.
As a food delivery courier, I got into riding for money with Foodora in February 2017 on a lark. It was an adrenalizingly curious but often scary gauntlet of on-road first experiences of many sorts. One can’t be trained per se to do bike delivery work. It’s a go-do-it thing. Tips and hints came from rider chats. Over the 2017-2020 time period, I started riding up to 300 km/week but on average 200 km or so. I even have the app logs to prove it. Food delivery bicycle riders devoured the road in those years before e-bikes. Then the pandemic came. This was a marathon of agency-fueled endurance. I rode 300-500 km/week from New West to Downtown Vancouver and around Vancouver delivering. For my shifts, I rode to Vancouver and then rode back to New West. This took a bit of a toll on me, but I was in a strong state and didn’t want to go on the SkyTrain during lockdown. Overall, I ended up riding 3,680 recorded urban kilometres from March 17 (during lockdown) until May 12, when Foodora left Canada. It was the most I’d ever ridden in 6 weeks. I've been in 7 years of work riding likely all over the city roads from 16th North between Alma and Victoria. Again, I’ve got the logs to prove it. Many bikers have this too so it’s inspiring.
On June 30, 2020, I crashed and broke my clavicle and was off the road for July and the first week of August. Then I started riding slowly and got back to bike and paper courier delivery in late August. Then, a guy on a bike hit me on Oct 5, 2020, and I was out until November. I finally started heavily riding Uber again until my heart condition over the last year or so cut my output. Now I’m on heart medication recovering and riding maybe 100-120 km/week. I can do maybe 50-60 km per day now but not consecutively like before. I need rest days a lot now. Important to listen to our bodies. We age but stay on the bike till we can’t ride.
So that’s that. With 7 years of almost daily urban courier riding while being middle-aged, I find people's reasons for not riding entertainingly misinformed. I’m very hyperactive so this is a natural bonus.
Do you have any tips for other cyclists as a longtime biker?
Smart, assertive riding. Take HUB Cycling classes if you aren’t confident yet. Another option is to find an experienced riding buddy or 2 and make it a social event to explore the city and trails.
Ride with others or alone, but just ride. I ride about 95% alone, however, it’s fun to ride with others too.
Face your fears through learning and step-by-step uptake. Process what scared you last time and listen to your gut, not your fears when it happens again because it probably will. Your gut will help more than anything else especially when you're calm. I’m calmer on the bike than in most other environments.
Develop fitness slowly. Be easy on yourself until you’re more fit, then do more if you want. It’s addictive to add load but be very aware of nutrition, rest, and recovery. Also, don’t forget about your ride pace. Be comfortable until you want to jazz it up with power. Exploring your body capacity which takes time.
TAKE HILLS PATIENTLY. The leg burn isn't on or off. It is a gradual process and sometimes the pain can be sustained for some time. It’s easier to find a lower pace and stick to it than to always want to devour, but that’s fun too.
How did you get involved with the BV?
I had met Stephanie Williams, the BV Manager back in 2010, somewhere at an event and got involved because it looked pretty cool.
What has been your greatest experience with BV?
Probably doing the Ride Don’t Hide event in the summer of 2010, which had well over 400 bikes and took the south side of the Swangard Stadium almost entirely. Then other than that, I think July 1, 2023. The ride to and from New West to Steveston was one of the best days for me in 2023 across many aspects and from my BV involvement at the event. It was the first “long, aggressive ride” I could do since December 2022 as my heart meds were just kicking in. It was a very good day.
Why should someone volunteer/work with BV?
BV is composed of a great group of people who have varied histories, a shared love of biking, and advocacy for biking and multimodalism. The BV is also a fair employer and the purpose is real and honest, not something simply with a profit motive. I enjoy working here, and the people I work with make all the difference. BV users compliment us a lot for just being there. Sweet.
It’s stories like Peter’s that encourage us to continue the work we do and encourage our community to choose more sustainable transportation options. If you want to get involved or stay up to date with The Bike Valet, follow our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Any involvement opportunities or events we’ll be at will be shared there! If you also would like The Bike Valet at your event, public or private, click here to receive a quote. Let’s keep the bike love going!
