KEY POINTS:
As children from three North Shore schools received VIP treatment from police motorcycle escorts to Go by Bike Day breakfasts yesterday, a technical hitch left their mayor riding solo.
About 75 youngsters from the Belmont and Takapuna Normal intermediate schools commandeered much of Lake Rd on their way to a free breakfast at North Shore City Council, attended by around 300 cyclists.
A similar number of children from Northcross Intermediate headed in another direction to a breakfast organised by Massey University at Albany, and a record 540 cyclists converged on Aotea Square for Auckland City Council's annual get-together for the pedal brigade.
Similar events were held in towns and cities around New Zealand, including Manukau and Waitakere.
But as Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard was being judged best-dressed cyclist at Aotea Square, participants in the North Shore event were left wondering what had become of their leader.
Mayor George Wood, a regular participant in national Bikewise Week activities, was pumping up a flat tyre at a Forrest Hill service station when a squad of cyclists he was supposed to lead to Takapuna turned up at a designated meeting point.
Assuming he had missed the rendezvous, he took a shortcut on his mountain bike and beat them to his city's headquarters about 5km away, not realising they were waiting for him along the main route.
"I think they were at bit peeved at me - but at least I made it," he said.
He has biked to work on every Bikewise Week in recent years and said cycling appeared to be gaining considerable momentum in North Shore City.
The council is spending $500,000 a year on new cycling facilities, including links between parks and cycle lanes along key routes such as Glenfield Rd and in Browns Bay.
It has also provided eight well-used cycle lockers at each of its Constellation and Albany bus stations, an innovation which the Auckland Regional Transport Authority has copied at its Manurewa, New Lynn, Glen Innes and Papatoetoe railway stations, where a total of 30 lockers have been installed.
Although perceived dangers mean some schools do not encourage children to cycle to class, Belmont Intermediate principal and keen mountain biker Wayne Sneddon said almost one-third of his students arrived each day on two wheels.
But he acknowledged that many used a shared cycle-pedestrian track along Lake Rd as it was generally too busy with vehicle traffic to offer safe passage. Yesterday was a notable exception, when strength in numbers and a police escort gave them the freedom of the road.
* As part of Bike Wise Week, children can bring their bikes to the kids playground at Western Springs Reserve from 5.30pm today. There will be live music, obstacle courses, face painting, free bike and helmet checks and special bike activities with prizes to be won.
