Bay Area Bike to Work Day Is Coming May 9

More than 100,000 new and seasoned bike commuters will celebrate the 25^th annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 9.

With some 400 energizer stations scattered throughout nine Bay Area counties, riders can make a pit stop on their way to work for free refreshments and encouragement from thousands of volunteers. Complete event information, including energizer station locations, is available at Bayareabiketowork.com.

“The Bay Area’s 25^th Bike to Work Day celebration is a great time to appreciate how biking has become a bigger piece of the transportation puzzle,” said Scott Haggerty, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), a presenting sponsor of the event. “And while riding a bike is good for you and the environment, frankly it is just plain fun.”

Local bike groups and employers are planning a range of activities throughout the day and into the evening, including group rides and after-work happy hours. Local elected officials — including several commissioners from (MTC) and the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) — will participate in the event.

Early event participants tuned into social media will be able to collect air miles from Alaska Airlines.  

“Alaska Airlines is thrilled to be a presenting sponsor for the 2019 Bay Area Bike to Work Day, underscoring our company’s commitment to sustainability and the Bay Area community,” said Annabel Chang, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of the Bay Area. “To celebrate the 25^th anniversary, we are giving away 5,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles – enough miles for a free roundtrip flight between select cities – to the first 500 riders who post a photo of themselves participating in Bay Area Bike to Work Day on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.” For official sweepstakes rules visit: www.alaskaair.com/content/legal/terms-conditions/contest-rules.

In addition to Bike to Work Day, the Bay Area Bike Challenge (BABC) will return after a successful launch in 2018. Last year, more than 3,250 riders used the easy-to-navigate platform called “Love to Ride” during May — National Bike Month — to track rides and compete for virtual prizes, while posting photos and commenting to keep each other motivated. Registration for BABC is open and continues until May 1 when the Challenge officially begins. Participants can compete as individuals or on teams. More information is available at www.lovetoride.net/Bayarea.

Leading up to National Bike Month (May), Bike to Work Week (May 6-10) and Bike to Work Day, many activities will take place throughout the region, including free bike repair workshops, bike safety classes and group rides. For more information visit Bayareabiketowork.com.

To stay in the loop on bike events, make sure to follow Bay Area Bike to Work Day on Facebook at @biketoworkday, Twitter @BikeToWorkSFBay, and Instagram @biketoworkday_bayarea. 

Bay Area Bike to Work Day encourages local residents to try commuting on two wheels for the first time and celebrates those who regularly bike. The event is presented by MTC (the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area), 511 (the region’s traveler information system) and Alaska Airlines. Bike to Work Day 2019 also receives regional support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Clif Bar and Exodus Travels, as well as from many sponsors at the local level. Bike to Work Day’s media sponsor is NBC Bay Area-KNTV/Telemundo 48. Prizes for the Bike Commuter of the Year winners were donated by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Mike’s Bikes.