TOUR de France champion Cadel Evans is challenging everyone to go screen-free for an hour a day and reap the health benefits, and GeelongPort has jumped on board.<\/p>\n
GeelongPort is sponsoring this year’s Family Ride at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with the recreational ride designed to give everyone a chance to travel the same finishing straight as some of the world’s best pro cyclists.<\/p>\n
Evans said this year’s GeelongPort Family Ride, to be held on January 26, was a way families could put down their phones and enjoy some time together.<\/p>\n
“Let\u2019s make a habit of putting our devices away and giving our attention to our children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“Modern devices are engineered to distract us, to gain our attention. But in life, who deserves our attention more than our children?<\/p>\n
“I always felt the first thing of being a good parent is setting the right examples, whether we acknowledge it or not, we are our young children\u2019s most influential role models.<\/p>\n
“Whether is the way we use devices, the way we treat others, or the lifestyle we live. Our small children are \u2018sponges\u2019, absorbing everything they see hear and taste.<\/p>\n
“In our household, we have a few places where phones and devices are not allowed: at the dining table, on the walk\/ride to and from school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey seem like small periods of time, but my boys certainly appreciate it. Dad likes it as well!”<\/p>\n
Evans said some things were much easier to learn as a child, and cycling was one example.<\/p>\n
“Apart from the obvious health benefits, cycling for transport allows our children to gain their independence sooner and, I believe it is also helpful in becoming a more responsible safer road user and driver,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
GeelongPort chief executive officer Brett Winter said his organisation was fully behind the active ethos of the Family Ride.<\/p>\n
“Whether you make the Family Ride part of family time each year or incorporate being on your bikes together more often, that is what we want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Being on wheels is fun – balance bikes, training wheels or other kid-friendly modes of transport, this event is for all ages and abilities.<\/p>\n
“Summer is the perfect time to get outdoors as a family and exercise. Both children and adults benefit enormously from physical activity and, here in the Geelong region, we have the most beautiful surrounds to get active in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“Bike riding is a fantastic way to stay fit and it\u2019s great to create healthy habits such as getting out on a bike regularly from a young age.”<\/p>\n
Closed to traffic, the flat, safe Family Ride circuit provides the perfect opportunity for the next generation of cycling enthusiasts to test their two-wheel prowess, before celebrating at the Steampacket Gardens event village.<\/p>\n
xSome of the pro riders will also be on the side of the course providing support and encouragement and the first 500 children registered get a free GeelongPort Family Ride T-shirt.<\/p>\n
While the ride starts at 6pm, organisers suggest families should arrive from 5pm onwards to receive their T-shirts and to be ready to go.<\/p>\n