New Canaan Cycling Club Launches

One of New Canaan’s new locally owned businesses is teaming up with one of its most-established to create an official New Canaan cycling club, promoting the activity and healthy living while connecting enthusiasts with one another.

New Canaan Bicycles (formerly Cycles on Call) and Walter Stewart’s this week announced the creation of the club. Lou Kozar, owner of New Canaan Bicycles—and a puppy-ish 10-year-old black lab—said the club is designed to serve cyclists who ride out of New Canaan.

L-R: Doug Stewart, Lou Kozar, Ann Kozar and Alex Stewart. Together, they're launching an official cycling club in New Canaan. All town residents, Lou Kozar owns New Canaan Bicycles (up in the Bob's Sports parking lot) and Doug and Alex run Walter Stewart's. Contributed photo

“What there has been in the past are groups that focus on bike racing,” Kozar told NewCanaanite.com. “This is more of an all inclusive, all-around rider.”

Walter Stewart’s will be involved with every cycling event around New Canaan Bicycles and the club, such as the May 17 kids’ safety Bike Rodeo at West School (co-sponsored by the school’s PTC), and two months later, in sponsoring a team to participate in July’s CT Challenge, which supports cancer survivors.

Walter Stewart’s and New Canaan Bicycles also are talking about collaborating at the July 19 New Canaan Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale with the “blender bike,” which allows cyclists to mix healthy vitamin drinks and smoothies as they pedal, Kozar said.

There’s huge interest in cycling in New Canaan, and the club itself is designed to serve as a point of connection and organization for town residents at all levels.

“Giving folks other comrades to ride with, it’s great,” Kozar said. “Just organically it’s been growing, where there’s now a pretty solid group of 25 riders that meet and ride every week, year round.”