May is National Bike Month, and Thursday, May 13, marks the San Francisco Bay Area’s 16th annual Bike to Work Day, a celebration of bicycling as a healthy, fun and viable form of everyday transportation.
Biking to work is a great way to get the recommended 30-60 minutes of daily physical activity we all need to stay healthy. The July 13, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reported that men who got to work by active commuting, such as biking or walking, cut their risk of obesity in half and significantly reduced triglyceride levels, blood pressure and insulin levels compared with driving to work.
Employers also benefit by encouraging their employees to bike to work. Biking to work is fun, builds morale and controls costs by reducing demand for parking spaces, which cost an average of $750 per space per year. More physically active employees are more alert, healthy and productive.
“Biking to work is a fun and easy way to get in shape, save money and help the environment,” says Andrew Casteel, regional coordinator for Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area. “Bike to Work Day is the perfect time to start riding your bike for everyday transportation.”
On Bike to Work Day, volunteers at hundreds of Energizer Stations throughout the Bay Area will provide cyclists with complimentary treats, a reusable canvas bag, bicycle information and good cheer! For a complete list of energizer stations and to register for a free raffle for a chance to win a new bike and other great prizes, visit the Bike to Work Day website at 511.org.
Are you ready to make every day Bike to Work Day? Join the Team Bike Challenge and compete to commute by bike as often as possible throughout the month of May. Log your trips online or with the new iBikeChallenge iPhone app to earn points. Get points for each day you ride and your total daily mileage. Complete bike medal challenges, such as riding enough miles to save a gallon of gas or burning a burger’s worth of calories, to fill out your medal gallery and earn bonus points for your team. Get the most team points in your county to win a Novara Commuter Pack from REI for everyone on your team. Is your company bigger than five people? Then sign up for the Company Bike Challenge and compete against other companies of the same size to earn the most points from all your company’s teams. Sign up at TeamBikeChallenge.org by May 6 to compete for your chance to win.
Bike to Work Day 2010 is presented by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s 511.org and Kaiser Permanente, with promotions organized by the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition, county congestion management agencies, local bike coalitions and hundreds of local volunteers. For more information, visit 511.org or call 511 and say “bicycling.”
