Updated Official Final Overall Results of BCC 2013

Participants Registered: 1655 (Most Ever)
Mileage Logs returned: 1164 (Most Ever)
Travel Days reported: 14,791 (Most Ever)
Miles Traveled: 117,977 (2nd Most Ever)
New participants: 545
Teams Returning Mileage Logs: 77 (Most Ever)
Average Miles per Rider: 101.5
CO2 emissions prevented: 59 tons
Sponsors: 52 (44 are local businesses)

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP AND PARTICIPATION!

Coupons will be mailed out early next week.
Random Prize Drawings next week.
Award Ceremony and announcements:
Sat. June 22, Oly Farmers Mkt, 9:30am Main Stage

BCC Breaks Record Again!

We've done it! We have broken the all-time record for the number of people to register for the BCC! Over 1640 Thurston County residents and workers signed up and committed to ride their bikes for transportation in May.
Our next challenge is to collect mileage data from as many participants as we can, so we can measure the contributions we have made, and send out coupons and award prizes! :)  
1. Enter your totals online by clicking here or on the BCC Logo image at right.
2. Drop off your Mileage Log at the Olympia Transit Center at State and Washington downtown.
3. Mail in your Log to BCC c/o Intercity Transit PO Box 659, Olympia, WA 98507-0659

Time to submit your participation data for the BCC!

It's time to submit your Mileage Logs for the BCC!
There are so many options for getting your mileage info to us:
1. Enter your totals online by clicking on the BCC logo at right.
2. Drop off your Mileage Log at the Olympia Transit Center
3. Mail in your Log to BCC c/o Intercity Transit PO Box 659, Olympia, WA 98507-0659

Get your info to us this week (by June 7) please, so we can enter you to win prizes! Yay, thanks for participating!! We had near-record sign-ups this year, now let's rock the follow-through!  :)

Last Day to Record Your Miles!

Friday, May 31 is the LAST DAY to ride and record your miles in the 2013 Thurston County Bicycle Commuter Contest!  We sure hope you've enjoyed your month of practical cycling, in spite of the soggy second half of May. Keep on pedaling through the summer and you might like it so much you'll just keep going all year. Remember to return your Mileage Log by June 7 to be eligible to win a NEW BIKE and other great prizes!  RETURN YOUR MILEAGE LOG TO THE  OLYMPIA TRANSIT CENTER OR MAIL IT TO: BCC c/o INTERCITY TRANSIT PO BOX 659 OLYMPIA, WA 98507-0659

Just a Few Days Left to Record Your Miles

Friday is the LAST DAY to record your miles and days ridden on your BCC Mileage Log! Now's the time to get a few more practical rides in while its still May. Yes, there are some showers in the forecast, but don't let that get you down- it's still fun to ride and be outside!  Remember to return your Mileage Log next week- you could win a bike and other prizes even if you only rode once in May!

SO close to record-breaking participation!

The BCC is going great this year! We are THIS close to besting our own record for participation, set back in 2009. Yes, the "official" deadline for registering for the BCC has passed, but what the heck, let's extend the deadline and get a few more folks signed up- we need about 50 more people to best our previous record. The only commitment is to ride your bike for practical purposes once in May, and return your Mileage Log. Robust participation in the BCC is a message in itself, that bicycling is a viable and valuable means of transportation. If you or a friend (who live or work in Thurston County WA) have not yet registered, do sign up now- just click on the yellow button at the right side of the page!

BCC 2013 Mini-Contest #1: WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!

We have our lucky winners in our first Mini-contest of the year- so hold the emails until next time- we'll have more mini-contests soon, both here and on our Facebook Page - stay tuned!

Here are the rules (wow, so many rules!)...

1. Be registered in the BCC.
2. Join the BCC blog, or "Like" our Facebook page.
3. Answer the question below.
4. Email the correct answer to: dgreen"at"intercitytransit.com
5. Wait for a reply from me with your "winner's code" to collect your prize.
6. Collect your prize at the Olympia Transit Center

(you can click on the image to see it bigger)

Answer the question: What two BCC sponsors are across the street from each other at this location?

For bonus points: Which of the two vehicles in this photo can carry ten times its own weight?

Send your answers by email to:
dgreen"at"intercitytransit.com

The first three people to email with the correct answer will win a prize!

Bike To Work Day Activities a Success!

JoyRideBikes and Batdorf&Bronson Bike Station

This year's Bike To Work Day activities were a great success and lots of fun! there were 5 "Bike Stations" in different locations all over town for the morning commute, and over 200 practical cyclists stopped by to visit and have a coffee or a scone and pick up a bike map or get a quick repair on their bike. There were small gifts and big smiles for all!

The 7th Annual Inter-Agency Bike Ride went off without a hitch, or as organizer Mark Longrie put it, "Seven years with no rain and no wrecks!" What more can you ask for? Well, Washington State's new Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson showed up on her bike and made a rousing speech about removing barriers to alternate modes of transportation, that's what!

Inter-Agency Bike Ride Group Photo

Old Town Bikes and Olympia Coffee Roasters Bike Station

Intercity Transit's contingent for the Inter-Agency Ride

National Bike-To-Work Day this Friday, May 17!

We appreciate you riding your bike to work, school or on any practical trip!
Visit one of the FIVE Bike Commuter Stations around town on your morning commute this Friday and let us show our appreciation.
Our awesome Local Bike Shops will be hosting the  stations with a bike mechanic on hand, bike maps, coffee, and possibly a few treats and trinkets to give away. Your miles on this day count double on your BCC Mileage Log. Plus, if you are registered in the BCC, enter your name on the list at the Bike Station to be included in a drawing for a prize!


Bike Station Locations, 7am - 9am, Friday, May 17:

• 5th Ave & Sylvester St. in Heritage Park
• Woodland Trail trail-head at Eastside St.
• Ralph's Thriftway, 1908 4th Ave E.
• Intersection of Chehalis-Western and I-5 Bike Trails (South end of I-5 overpass)
• South Sound Running, 3409 Capitol Blvd SE, near Custer Way

You're welcome to visit as many of the Bike Stations as you like, but if you visit more than one, please don't hog the BCC swag; thanks for your understanding! :-)

THANKS TO THE AWESOME SPONSORS helping to host the Bike Stations:

• Bike Tech
• Bike Stand
• Joy Ride Bikes
• Deschutes River Cyclery
• Old Town Bicycles
• Batdorf and Bronson Coffee
• Olympia Coffee Roasters
• Ralph's Thriftway
• South Sound Running
• Thurston Here-to-There

There is Still Time to Register For BCC 2013!

Registration for the Bicycle Commuter Contest is open and the "official" deadline to register is Friday, May 10. You can register online by clicking the big yellow button at the right side of the page, or in person at the Olympia Transit Center, 222 State Ave NE, in downtown Olympia. Open until 7pm daily.

It's Bike Month: Bicycle Commuter Contest Begins Today!

May is National Bike Month and groups, organizations, clubs and cities all over the country are celebrating, advocating, and getting out on their bikes by the millions. Here at the Thurston County Bicycle Commuter Contest, we've been doing all of those things each May for 26 years. We sure hope you'll join us!

Register now for the BCC and receive a cool reflective sticker and a packet of valuable discount coupons at most of our Local Bike Shops. Return your Mileage Record at the end of May and receive more coupons from many of our local business sponsors, and be entered to win a new bike and many other excellent prizes!

Simply click on the yellow button at the right side of the page and fill in the blanks! If you would prefer to register in person you may do so at the Olympia Transit Center downtown.

Happy Bike Month, and Happy Biking!

Wrenchers Ball 2013 A Big Success!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all the Local Bike Shops, Sponsor Businesses, and Volunteers who made this year’s Wrenchers Ball a great success! We gave safety checks to over 80 BCC participants’ bicycles. Thurston County’s bicycle community rocks!

·         Bike Shops: Bike Stand, Bike Tech, Deschutes River Cyclery, Joy Ride Bikes, Old Town Bicycles and OlyBikes

·         Business Sponsors for the WB: Intercity Transit, Old School Pizzeria, Olympia Coffee Roasters and San Francisco St. Bakery

·         Intercity Transit Staff: Erin, Lee, Kris, Meg, Dean, Mike, Donna, Carolyn, Tony and all the great folks at Intercity Transit Customer Service

·         Volunteers: Linda L., Nancy T., Ross, Tom S., Dane C., Bob and John from Bike PARTners, Tiger (Bike Tech), Larry (OlyBikes), Pete(Old Town Bicycle), Neil (Deschutes), Bill (Bike Stand), Brian (Joy Ride)

Thanks, we couldn’t have done it without you!

WRENCHERS BALL THIS FRIDAY, OLYMPIA TRANSIT CENTER

REGISTER FOR THE BICYCLE COMMUTER CONTEST AND GET A FREE SAFETY CHECK ON YOUR BIKE

Bring your bike (one bike per BCC participant) to the Olympia Transit Center between 7:30 am and 3 pm
Pick up your bike no later than 5pm. Bring your BCC mileage log, sticker or receipt to show you are registered in the BCC. You may also register at the Wrenchers Ball.

Mechanics from our local bike shop sponsors will perform a safety check on your bike to make sure you;re ready to ride in the BCC in May. If you need major repairs or parts to fix your bike, you will be referred to one of the local bike shops. We will not have spare parts on hand. There are three bike shops within three blocks of the Transit Center, so if your bike needs an inner tube or a cable, bring it with you or be prepared to go get it.

Our resources are limited, so First Come, First Served!

EARTH DAY TODAY, and everyday at Intercity Transit and the BCC

Over 150 riders showed up for the Earth Day Market Ride on Saturday, and fun was had by all!
The rain held off and we signed up lots of folks for the BCC. The coffee from Batdorf and Bronson was a hit, along with pastries from San Francisco Street Bakery.

Every Day is Earth Day at Intercity Transit and the BCC, and today we won a Silver Award form the League of American Bicyclists for being a "Bicycle Friendly Business"!

Stay tuned here or check out Events Page for the Wrenchers Ball, coming up this Friday!
While you're at it, cruise over and Like our Facebook page- help us reach 400 Likes!

2013 Earth Day Market Ride: SAT. APRIL 20- RAIN OR SHINE!

Meet neighbors, enjoy a Saturday bike ride into town and get a head start on your BCC miles while you're at it! The miles you ride this day can count as your first commute trip on your mileage log. The Earth Day Market Ride is also a great opportunity to gain confidence riding with traffic and meet other riders in your neighborhood.

Volunteer leaders will lead groups of cyclists from their neighborhoods to Heritage Park Fountain, arriving at around 10:45am. (Coffee and pastries await, courtesy of Batdorf and Bronson, and San Francisco St Bakery). Meet your neighborhood Ride Leader at one of the neighborhood meeting points- meeting points shown below. You'll bike with your group down to the fountain (across from the Oyster House restaurant), following all rules of the road. After a welcome by Intercity Transit Authority Chair Martin Thies and a group photo, we all proceed to the Olympia Farmers Market. Once we arrive, you can register for the Bicycle Commuter Contest, catch some great live music and enjoy the food and shopping at the Market!

Helmet and liability waiver are required. 

Earth Day Market Ride Meeting points and times:

Cutters Point Coffee at Lacey Blvd/Pacific Ave. roundabout. Meet at 9:30 am for coffee before the ride, depart at 10:00 to meet more folks at South Sound Center flagpoles at Sleater-Kinney and the bike path, departing there at 10:15 am - Leader: Dane Clay

Olympia High School, meet at bike racks on Carlyon Ave side, Olympia, Departs at 10:15 am - Leader: Paul Brewster

San Francisco St. Bakery
San Francisco Ave & Bethel St. NE, Departs 10:15 am - Leader: Jessie Weaver

The Evergreen State College Red Square bus stop area, 10 am - Leader: Linda Weaver

Garfield Elementary School, Garfield Ave. and Plymouth St NW. 10:30 am - Leaders:Susan, Paul & Cruz 


  To get BCC updates and news, including details about our events like the Earth Day Ride, join our mailing list! We won't flood your inbox, and we won't share your name. We'll just send you an email once every week or two during the BCC, with important news.

2013 BCC Rider Profile #5: The Brewster Family

 

The Brewsters:

What are your ages, roughly speaking? 

40s, 12, and 8

What is your most frequent destination on your bike? Everywhere within reasonable distance— mostly work and school, but regularly to grocery stores, Farmers’ Market, friends’ homes, parks and trails, bike shops, pet stores, restaurants, even dental checkups and weddings!

How many years have you been getting around by bike? Jack and Chloe have pedaled to school and accompanied their parents on trips ever since each has learned to ride or be strapped into a bike trailer. Stacey, a dedicated transit user, has ramped up her bike trips to work over the last five years, often combining bike with bus trips. Paul is a year-round daily rider - for the past nine years.

How many times have you participated in the Bicycle Commuter Contest? Combined our family has worn at least16 contests off our tires.

How did you hear about the BCC? Workplace. We enjoy everything the contest has to offer!

What got you started with practical cycling? Regular short trips made by a car are excessive when one weighs the cost and benefits of automotive travel. In 2005, we sold our second car to achieve a more active lifestyle and reduce our dependence on driving. We enjoy the freedom our car offers us, but cycling is liberating. The decision and the benefits were clear—making a larger portion of our local trips by bike is practical, economical and healthier than driving.

Registration for BCC 2013 is Open!!

Simply click on the red button at the right, read the notes on registration, and proceed to the registration page to fill out the form. You may also register in person at the Olympia Transit Center or by mail, see earlier post for details.

BCC 2013 Rider Profile #4: Riley and Marissa

ñ What is your age, roughly speaking?

We're both 24.

ñ What is your occupation or area of study?

Riley is the online store manager for Batdorf and Bronson. He studied nature photography and evolutionary biology at The Evergreen State College. Marissa is a copy editor at a web-hosting company and studied political economy at Evergreen.

ñ What is your most frequent destination on your bike?

Going to work and running errands around town.

ñ How did you hear about the BCC?

We heard about the BCC through word of mouth.

ñ How many times have you participated in the Bicycle Commuter Contest?

This is our first year participating, although we've always wanted to do so.

ñ What got you started riding your bike to get around (practical cycling)?

When we were going to Evergreen, we lived so close to campus that it made more sense to ride our bikes to class and work on campus. It was actually faster than driving or taking the bus.

Last year we moved to Steamboat Island, since it's about a 20 minute drive to town, we realized that commuting by car wouldn't be cost effective due to gas and wear-and-tear on the car. But riding the bus would take nearly an hour which is the same amount of time, if not longer, than riding our bike to town. We resolved to begin riding daily. 

Registration opens for the BCC on April 1

To participate in the 2013 BCC:

Register in April (or by May 10) online, or in person at the Olympia Transit Center.
(you can also register by mail: BCC c/o Intercity Transit PO Box 659 Olympia, WA 98507-0659)
Adults: $5. Up to age 18 and currently enrolled college students register FREE.
Record your miles and days biked in May (on provided Mileage Log*)
Report your participation by June 7 (by returning your mileage log or reporting online)

On April 1, we'll post a link to the online Registration Page (pay with PayPal) and to a downloadable Mileage Log* and mail-in Registration Form, in case you'd rather register by mail.

*When you register online or by mail, we'll send you your mileage log. You'll also receive valuable discount coupons to local bike shops, and a cool reflective sticker for your bike!

Rewards! When you return your mileage log, we'll send you a fat envelope full of great discounts and free offers from local merchants: grocers, gift shops, bakeries, gyms, a flower shop, bike shops and others. We'll also enter you in a random drawing for one of several new bikes and other great prizes!

You can earn extra miles by participating in our Earth Day Market Ride on Saturday, April 20.
Join our mailing list to receive complete info, or watch this blog and our Facebook Page for regular updates.

See you in April and May, on your bike!

Spring Countdown!

Count down: Spring is only two days away! And, registration opens for the 2013 BCC two weeks from today! If you haven't already signed up for our mailing list, this would be a really good time to do so. We'll send out a FEW well-timed info-blasts to keep you informed of upcoming events and BCC deadlines. Find the "Join Our Mailing List" button at right...