Bay Area Bike to Work Day Is Coming May 11
Over 100,000 new and seasoned bike commuters are expected to pedal to work on Thursday, May 11, as part of the 23rd annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day. With hundreds of Energizer Stations scattered throughout the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, riders can fuel themselves with refreshments, respite and encouragement from thousands of volunteers. Local bike groups and employers are planning a range of activities throughout the day and into the evening, including onsite events and after-work happy hours. Local elected officials — including several commissioners from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the presenting sponsor of the event — will do their part by cycling to their offices on May 11. Complete event information, including Energizer Station locations, is available at YouCanBikeThere.com.
“As an avid cyclist, I can attest to the benefits of commuting by bike,” said MTC Chair and Rohnert Park Councilmember Jake Mackenzie. “My brisk, 30-minute ride to City Hall is great exercise.”
To encourage increased bike commuting, the Team Bike Challenge competition will debut a new mobile app this year. Team Bike Challenge is a competition in which coworkers, friends and companies form teams that compete to log the most cycling miles during National Bike Month in May. The app was designed to make recording miles and tracking the competition easier and is available for Android and Apple devices. For more information on Team Bike Challenge and to download the app, visit teambikechallenge.com.
Additionally, Chipotle will be sponsoring a 2-for-1 promotion at all its Bay Area restaurants on Bike to Work Day. Participants just need to show their bike helmet or Bike to Work Day canvas bag at any Chipotle on May 11 from 10:45 a.m.-9:00 p.m. to qualify for the 2-for-1 deal. San Mateo County residents and workers also will want to take advantage of Commute.org’s 2017 commuter challenge in which users who log bicycle trips during Bike Week (May 8-12) will be entered to win a special Bike Commuter Prize Pack (valued at $250), which includes a commuter bag, bicycle lock and more! Participants can sign up at my.commute.org.
While much of the focus during Bike to Work Week in the Bay Area is on Bike to Work Day, many activities will take place throughout the region all month long, including free bike repair workshops, bike safety classes and group rides. The major Bike to Work events include:
Major Bike to Work Events*
- May 1–31 — Team Bike Challenge & Company Bike Challenge competitions
- May 8–12 — Bike to Work Week
- May 11 — Bike to Work Day*
- 5:30-11 a.m. — Morning Bike to Work Day Energizer Stations
- 5:30-9:30 a.m. — Bike to Work Day Super Energizer Station at Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point
- 7:00-9:30 a.m. — Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast at Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland (12th Street BART station)
- 7:30-9:30 a.m. – BTWD press conference followed by Movers and Shakers Ride at MLK Jr. Library (150 E. San Fernando St, San Jose)
- 8:00 a.m. – Oakland elected officials press event at Frank Ogawa Plaza
- 8:30 a.m. — Bike to Work Day Rally at San Francisco City Hall
- 4:00-7:00 p.m. — Evening Bike to Work Day Energizer Stations
- 6:00-8:00 p.m. – SVBC’s Bike Away from Work Bash at the Historic Adobe Building (157 Moffett Blvd., Mountain View)
* Complete local event information and Energizer Station locations are available at youcanbikethere.com/energizer/.
Presented by MTC, 511 and Kaiser Permanente, Bay Area Bike to Work Day encourages local residents to try commuting on two wheels for the first time and celebrates those who bike to work regularly. In addition to MTC (the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area), 511 (the region’s traveler information system) and Kaiser Permanente, Bike to Work Day 2017 receives regional support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Clear Channel Outdoor, and Clif Bar, 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), Chipotle and Mike’s Bikes. Day-of 2-for-1 promotion provided by Chipotle. The event is made possible through the cooperation of thousands of volunteers, county congestion management agencies, local jurisdictions, local bicycling coalitions and MTC.