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JAMESTOWN – Connecting communities by bicycle is what a Buffalo led bicycling group is trying to do, as they returned to Jamestown for their third Slow Roll Pedal Party Saturday.
Co-founder of Slow Roll Seamus Gallivan tells us that the non-profit strives to provide inclusive community experiences that connect people, places, and causes through bicycles.
“This is our third annual Jamestown Pedal Party, and it’s so great to be able to explore Greater Western New York, and have partners like the City of Jamestown and Pearl City Cycles to really grow the scope of these rides,” explained Gallivan.
Being more than just a bike ride, the “Slow Roll” brings people of all walks of life together to do more than just travel the roads.
“We feel that the bicycle is the best vehicle to experience communities,“ stated Gallivan. “To open up all five senses, in the case of our rides, that along the way you make a new friend. You just have to communicate with the riders around you, so you wind up communicating together in order to stay safe and move as one.”
Of the dozens that strolled with the group, many were not Chautauqua County Residents, like Buffalo Native Robin Shanahan who visited Jamestown for the first time.
“My husband and I ride with the Slow Roll most every Monday night in Buffalo,“ explained Shanahan. “So we wanted to come down here and do this ride because I hear it’s a nice one.”
As they say, you can not go anywhere in Jamestown without going uphill, a different change of pace for the group, but an obstacle they still wanted to tackle.
“Part of how Slow Roll has grown so big in Buffalo is that Buffalo is pretty flat,“ says Gallivan. “So it’s harder to find a 10 mile flat route in Jamestown, but we trust the locals here to do their best.”
Alongside City of Jamestown officials, dozens kicked off the 10 mile bike ride at the National Comedy Center, exploring the pearl city and visiting some other sights of the area, finishing back at the Comedy Center.
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