IRVINGTON, NJ — Irvington residents took to the streets on June 20, the first day of summer, for the town’s first Community Bike Ride. Beginning at 9 a.m., novice to experienced cyclists flooded the streets and rode their bikes for two hours, starting at Civic Square; there were two routes to travel, one encompassing 15 miles and the other only 4, catering to cyclists of different fitness and skill levels.
Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss joined the cyclists for this Father’s Day health event.
“We’re having a tremendous bike ride here in the township of Irvington, where we’re bringing families together,” Vauss said on June 20. “We want the community to come out and enjoy this nice weather and ride around our community. I’m very excited about this event. Not often do we get a chance to do this, due to the pandemic, and now that things are loosening up and people are getting vaccinated, we’re just looking forward to spending time with our fellow members of the community and, also, getting some exercise in on a beautiful day.
“This is the first annual Community Bike Ride, and we want to try to get this done annually,” he continued. “We have so many people here to support what we’re doing here in the township of Irvington, and we just expect this to grow.”
One father-and-son duo on the ride was East Orange Councilman Vernon Pullins Jr. and his son.
“I’m here supporting Mayor Vauss and Councilwoman (October) Hudley in the township of Irvington in their ride and it’s a beautiful thing with all of these cyclists,” Pullins Jr. said June 20. Pullins Jr. also spoke affectionately about “We Ride, We Bike, We Go,” a cycling group to which he belongs. “I’m out here with my RBG family, and we’re just looking to enjoy a nice, healthy ride through the township. As the mayor indicated earlier, we want to make this an annual tradition and just spread the love everywhere.
“We have about 200 riders here today. I see myself absolutely participating in this next year, and I even brought my son along as well, so it’s a family thing,” he added.
Also riding in the event was Essex County surrogate Alturrick Kenney. To Kenney, the event heavily promotes fellowship among the cyclists.
“We are participating in a bike ride with Mayor Tony Vauss and the township of Irvington to promote wellness, a healthy lifestyle, cycling and celebrating fellowship in our great community,” Kenney said on June 20. “We are joining with other organizations to hopefully encourage people to enjoy this wonderful sport and this wonderful activity. If I had to do a head count of bike riders here today, I would say it’s well over or close to 200 people participating. I’m sure it’s going to swell to 300 bikers based on how many people participate and join our ride as we move throughout the township.
“I absolutely see myself being a part of this every year. We’re hoping that Mayor Vauss, as well as the residents of Irvington, sees this as a valuable asset to want to enjoy their community, get out of the house, get out of their cars, get on a bike and enjoy what’s around them,” he continued. “The most important thing about cycling and community biking events like this is the fellowship with people you don’t know and just to enjoy the experience. Being a person of color, we love experiences, and we love having the opportunity to spend time with each other, especially coming out of a pandemic. Family and fellowship are important.”
After the ride, bicyclist Angel Plaza detailed how he held up riding through the township.
“The event was really good,” Plaza said on June 20. “I cycle regularly, so it was a pretty easy ride. For Father’s Day, this was a great event to celebrate fathers, especially in this day and age where I feel as though fathers aren’t really appreciated.”
Photos by EmilyAnn Jackman and Courtesy of October Hudley
About the Author
