Bay Area Bike to Work Day Is Coming May 10
Over 100,000 new and seasoned bicycle commuters are expected to pedal to work on Thursday, May 10, as part of the 24th annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day. With some 400 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 or encouraging bicyclists at energizer stations on May 10. Complete event information, including energizer station locations, is available at YouCanBikeThere.com.
“I’ve been an avid cyclist for years and can attest to the benefits of commuting by bike,” said MTC Chair and Rohnert Park Councilmember Jake Mackenzie. “It’s great exercise, reduces pollution and greenhouse gases and I can enjoy the scenery on my way to work.”
This year, as a way to get more people to commute by bike across the Bay Area, a new challenge is being launched that builds on the previous Team Bike Challenge. Using an easy-to-navigate, colorful and encouraging platform called “Love to Ride,” this year’s Bay Area Bike Challenge takes place for the entire month of May – national Bike Month. The platform allows participants of all abilities to ride as individuals or on teams, record their rides, see their stats stack up, receive positive reinforcing messages (with a mild dose of humor), set goals, compete against friends and coworkers on teams (if they so choose) and earn incentives and rewards. Participants pair their mileage-recording apps to the platform, and can post photos, comments and more to keep the excitement going. In addition, Love to Ride is being used around the world and across the US, and as a result is also part of the National Bike Challenge. Bay Area participants are automatically part of the National Challenge, and can compete for great prizes as a result. And, if they use Ride Report, a sponsor of Bike to Work Day 2018, not only will their data be entered automatically (manual entry is required with apps such as Strava, MapMyRide, etc.) but also their miles become part of the data collected for regional cities and towns as they plan for future biking infrastructure, safety, etc. For more information, go to lovetoride.net/Bayarea.
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 10 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 2018 Commuter Challenge, in which users who log “Green” Trips during the months of April and May will have a chance to win weekly prizes. Any bicycle trips logged during Bike Week (May 7-11) will be entered to win a special Bike Commuter Prize Pack (valued at $200), which includes a commuter bag, bicycle lock and more! Participants can sign up at my.commute.org.
The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is offering a free clinic to help you get ready for BTWD on Saturday, April 28, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at their office at 750 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Certified instructors will provide free bike safety inspections, lead safety drills and offer advice on route planning and gear, as well as provide helmet fits and minor bike adjustments. Coffee, snacks and free bicycle maps will be available.
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 — Bay Area Bike Challenge
- May 7–11 — Bike to Work Week
- May 10 — Bike to Work Day
- 5:30-11 a.m. — Morning Bike to Work Day Energizer Stations (times vary with location)
- 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)
- 7:20 a.m. – Press conference with San Jose officials followed by "Movers and Shakers” bike ride. All are welcome. 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
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. — San Mateo County’s Bike Away From Work Bash, Cyclismo Café, 871 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, 650-362-3970
- 5:30-8:30 p.m. — Berkeley Bike Happy Hour, the East Bay's biggest block party!
- 6:00-8:00 p.m. – SVBC’s Bike Away from Work Bash at LinkedIn (845 Maude Avenue, LinkedIn, Sunnyvale)
- 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 2018 receives regional support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Clear Channel Outdoor, Clif Bar, Chipotle, Ride Report 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), 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.