Swap Your Four Wheels for Two This Thursday — May 9 Is Bike to Work Day

"Bike Commuter of the Year" Winners Announced; Team Bike Challenge in Full Swing

OAKLAND, CA — Local officials are encouraging residents to leave their cars at home this Thursday and make an effort to get to work on two wheels instead of four. The gears are cranking as novice and veteran cyclists alike prepare for the San Francisco Bay Area’s 19th Annual Bike to Work Day. On May 9, Bike to Work Day — the largest of many Bay Area National Bike Month events — will give residents the opportunity to choose a healthier commute and experience the benefits of cycling firsthand. Over the past 19 years, Bike to Work Day has put more people on the road to bicycle commuting than any other event in the Bay Area. Bike to Work Day 2013 is presented by 511, the Bay Area’s premier traveler information service, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Kaiser Permanente.

Energizer stations in the nine Bay Area counties will be ready to greet bicycle commuters with free beverages, snacks, giveaways and encouragement. Energizer stations will be open during morning commute hours and some will reopen during the evening commute. A full list of energizer stations is available at youcanbikethere.com/energizer. Participants are encouraged to pledge to ride by registering at youcanbikethere.com. You will also be eligible to win prizes. To plan your bike route, call 511 or visit bicycling.511.org.

“Bicycling from your home to BART and taking transit for the rest of the journey is also a great way to celebrate Bike to Work Day,” said MTC Chair and Orinda Mayor Amy Rein Worth, who will be cheering on riders at the Orinda Energizer Station from 6:30-8:00 a.m.

2013 Bike Commuter of the Year Winners Announced

The Bike Commuter of the Year Award recognizes a resident from each of the nine Bay Area counties for their dedication to bicycle commuting. With a tie in Napa County, the recipients of this year’s awards include a father/son team, committed educators and extreme-distance commuters, as well as a 27-year bike commuting veteran. Nominations were accepted through April 22, and then evaluated by each county’s sponsoring Bike to Work Day organization. The 2013 Bike Commuter of the Year Award winners are:

Janie Pinterits — Alameda County
Steve Kersevan — Contra Costa County
Tom Schmidt — Marin County
Kyle Heartt and son Tristan, and Doug Johnson — Napa County
Robert Pablo — San Francisco City & County
Brandon Tyler — San Mateo County
Jill Quindiagan — Santa Clara County
Don Lopez — Solano County
Owen Tuttle — Sonoma County

Many of the Awards will be presented at an event on Bike to Work Day. For additional information about the winners and the Bike Commuter of the Year Awards, visit youcanbikethere.com/bcoy2013.

Team Bike Challenge/Company Bike Challenge

The Team Bike Challenge/Company Bike Challenge competition is in full swing, but there’s still time to form a team with friends, neighbors or coworkers and join thousands of Bay Area residents in competing for prizes and bragging rights. Bicycle teams of two to five riders earn points for the team by traveling via two wheels throughout the month of May; the teams with the most points win in various categories. To date, there are 993 teams registered with a total of 2,430 registered contestants who have already accumulated over 220,000 biking miles since the competition began on May 1st. To register for Team Bike Challenge, visit teambikechallenge.com.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. 511 is a one-stop phone and web source for up-to-the-minute Bay Area traffic, transit, rideshare, bicycling and parking information.

Contact:

Mai Le, Bay Area Bicycle Coalition: (415) 787-2893

Leslie Lara, MTC: (510) 817-5813