Big Canberra bike ride a great place to 'Tap into water everyday'

The ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher MLA, today launched a free water dispensing unit for the community at the 14th Big Canberra Bike Ride, after participating in Canberra's biggest mass participation bike ride, which also incorporates the Amy Gillett ride.

"Drinking Canberra's tap water is the best way to quench your thirst and rehydrate every day. Our new ‘tap into water everyday' water dispensing unit will make it easier for the local community to obtain free and safe tap water to drink at local events, and limit their consumption of sweet drinks," the Chief Minister said.

"We know that drinking large quantities of soft drinks, sport drinks, cordials, flavoured mineral water - even fruit juices - may cause health problems such as excess weight gain, obesity, tooth decay, picky eating and growth problems in children.

"We are really lucky in Canberra to enjoy really high quality water, and this initiative will help support healthier lifestyle choices for Canberrans. Simply look for the purple ‘Tap into water everyday' symbol where you can fill and refill your bottle for free at local events across the city," the Chief Minister said.

Starting from Federation Mall (behind Old Parliament House), the Big Canberra Bike Ride has sponsorship from the Health Directorate through the 2011/12 ACT Health Promotion Grants Program Health Promotion Sponsorship Funding Round.

"The Big Canberra Bike Ride has always been one of the highlights of the year for Pedal Power and Canberra's cycling community. This year we wanted to offer more route options to cater from beginners to the more seasoned riders to highlight some of the excellent shared path networks we have around Canberra", Pedal Power Executive Officer John Armstrong said.

"The 28km family ride has been changed to take in some of the shared path networks that make Canberra such a fantastic city to cycle in," he said. "The cycling enthusiasts that take on the 68km and 105km rides will experience the iconic cycling roads around the Cotter and Uriarra," Mr Armstrong concluded.

The water unit has been developed in partnership with ACTEW Corporation as part of ACT Health Directorate's ongoing ‘Tap into water everyday' campaign and has been funded through the ACT Government's Budget Initiative: A Healthy Future - Preventative Health Program.