Bay Area's Bike to Work Day Turns 21

Published: April, 2015

How did you celebrate turning 21? Visions of parties, toasts and more coming to mind? In the Bay Area, Bike to Work Day will celebrate its 21^st birthday on May 14 with a nine-county-wide party on wheels. Now that’s what we call a celebration! On Bike to Work Day, tens of thousands of new and seasoned riders will commute to work and school using pedal power. Just look at the numbers from 2014:

>  More than 75,000 cyclists stopped at an energizer station on Bike to Work Day with thousands more participating in the event;

>  Almost 1,400 teams — over 9,600 riders — participated in the Team and Company Bike Challenge, collectively riding almost 560,000 miles over the course of one month;

>  Over 1,900 volunteers helped make Bike to Work Day a success; and

>  Almost 400 energizer stations across the nine counties supported the riders with snacks, information and much more.

>Believe it or not, the majority of automobile trips each day are less than two miles long — barely worth the time and fuel it takes to pull into traffic. Given the ever increasing congestion in the Bay Area, bicycling is an easy, efficient and healthy way to get to work, run errands and much more.

Held during National Bike Month each May, Bike to Work Day is one of the region’s premier bicycling events. Presented by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), 511 and Kaiser Permanente, Bike to Work Day encourages Bay Area residents to try commuting on two wheels for the first time and celebrates those who bike to work regularly.

Bike Commuter of the Year Awards

Each year, one bike commuter from each of the nine Bay Area counties is selected in recognition of his or her dedication to riding a bicycle for everyday transportation. Now in its seventh year, the Bike Commuter of the Year Award recipients are a diverse group — young, senior, rural, suburban and urban commuters who inspire bicycling in their community through their commitment and actions. To submit a nomination, individuals must first register at www.youcanbikethere.com/user/register; nominations will be received at www.youcanbikethere.com/bcoy until April 20.

Team Bike Challenge

Because competition can be a great motivator, the Team Bike Challenge and Company Bike Challenge have become essential components of Bike to Work Day. Teams of five — made up of friends, families, coworkers or neighbors — compete for top honors and much-coveted bragging rights by riding hundreds of thousands of miles during National Bike Month in May. In addition to increasing their good health and burning over 35 million calories, 2014 participants collectively reduced automobile-related CO₂ emissions by nearly 600,000 pounds. Competition begins May 1 and runs through May 31. To register, visit www.teambikechallenge.com.