Bike to Work Day and Inter-Agency Ride Report

2018 Bike to Work Day was a huge success this year! We had a new Bike Station open up at Baby Boomer Bikes Chain and Pedal Cafe in Hawks Prairie, for a total of 7 Bike Stations! Over 400 people logged miles on the BCC website that day. Everyone staffing the stations, and everyone passing by seemed to be having so much fun. Here are a few pictures, and you can see more on our Facebook page, at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BicycleCommuterChallenge/photos/

 

The 2018 Inter Agency Ride was tons of fun, too! Around 50 people took part this year, for an easy bike ride, a picnic, bike demos and a prize drawing!

Bike to Work Day 2016 in Photos

See more BCC photos on our Flickr page! 

National Bike to Work Day: This Friday, May 20

 Visit one of our 7 Bike Stations!
Join fellow bicyclists for a fun day of riding on National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 20. The event promotes bicycling as a healthy transportation option. If you participate, visit one of the bike stations along your way and pick up some “fuel” for you, and even get minor repairs done by a bicycle mechanic at some stations. Bike stations supported by Intercity Transit and the local businesses and organizations listed below. All stations will have copies of the most recent edition of the free Thurston County Bike Map!

Visit a bike station at one of the following locations from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Friday, May 20:

New Station for 2016: Division St NW at Bowman Ave. (NE corner), Sponsored by The Evergreen State College Master of Environmental Studies program and Office of Sustainability, with support from Blue Heron Bakery.

Heritage Park on 5th Ave. (next to Capitol Lake), sponsored by Old Town Bikes, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler.

Olympia Woodland Trail Entrance on Eastside St. at Wheeler Ave., sponsored by Stevenson Custom Bicycles, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler.

Ralph’s Thriftway (1908 4th Ave. E.), sponsored by Ralph’s, Bike Tech, and Batdorf and Bronson

Chehalis Western Trail (CWT) and Woodland Trail Intersection (south end of new CWT bridge over Pacific Ave, sponsored by Joy Ride Bikes, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler.

Capitol Boulevard and Custer Way, in front of South Sound Running, sponsored by Deschutes River Cyclery, Thurston Here-To-There program, Olympia Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler.

Decatur St "Cut-Through" at south end of Decatur St. SW:
Sponsored by SWONA (Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Assn.), Bagel Brothers and Olympia Coffee Roasters.  This station ONLY, will be open 6:30am -9 am.

If you work at a State or Local Agency, participate in the Interagency Bike Ride on this day. Look for a poster at your office, or see your Employee Transportation Coordinator for details.

Bike To Work Day 2015 Report

Mechanic from Bike Tech adjusts participant bike at Ralph's Thriftway Station

Thurston County's Bike to Work Day activities engaged hundreds of people and encouraged them to try (or continue) using their bicycles for transportation. An estimated 300-400 people stopped in at one or more of the 6 "Bike Stations" scattered around Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater. The Bike Stations were staffed by volunteers from Intercity Transit, the City Of Olympia, Thurston Regional Planning Council, the Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Association, local bike shops and the community at large. Supporting businesses included Bike Tech, Deschutes River Cyclery, Joy Ride Bikes, Old Town Bicycles, Stevenson Custom Bicycles, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters, Olympia Coffee Roasters, San Francisco St Bakery, The Bread Peddler, Bagel Brothers, Ralph's Thriftway, and South Sound Running. The 9th Annual InterAgency Bike Ride  attracted over 50 participants from several state and local agencies for a lunch time bike ride to Tumwater Historical Park.

9th Annual InterAgency Bike Ride participants

See more photos from the day, and other BCC-related photos, on our Flickr Page

National Bike To Work Day - Friday, May 15

National Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 15: Visit our Bike Stations!
Join fellow bicyclists in a fun day of riding on National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 15. The event promotes bicycling as a healthy transportation option. If you participate, visit one of the bike stations along your way and pick up some “fuel” for you, and even get minor repairs done by a bicycle mechanic at some stations. Bike stations supported by Intercity Transit and the local businesses listed below. All stations will have copies of the BRAND NEW edition of the Thurston County Bike Map!

Visit a bike station at one of the following locations from 7 to 9:00 a.m., Friday, May 15:

Heritage Park on 5th Ave. (next to Capitol Lake), sponsored by Old Town Bikes, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler.

Olympia Woodland Trail Entrance on Eastside St. at Wheeler Ave., sponsored by Stevenson Custom Bicycles, San Francisco St. Bakery and Batdorf and Bronson

Ralph’s Thriftway (1908 4th Ave. E.), sponsored by Ralph’s, Bike Tech, and Batdorf and Bronson

Chehalis Western Trail (CWT) and Woodland Trail Intersection (south end of new CWT bridge over Pacific Ave, sponsored by Joy Ride Bikes and Batdorf and Bronson. Group Health will also have a booth at this station.

Capitol Boulevard and Custer Way, in front of South Sound Running, sponsored by Deschutes River Cyclery, Thurston Here-To-There program, Olympia Coffee Roasters and The Bread Peddler. 

South End of Decatur St. SW:  SWONA (Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Assn.) will host a new Bike Station in West Olympia this year at the "Poetry Post" by the Decatur St. connector path to the Auto Mall.

Sponsored by SWONA, Bagel Brothers and Olympia Coffee Roasters.

This station only, will be open 7-9 am, and 4-6 pm, for morning and evening commuters!!

If you work at a State or Local Agency, participate in the Interagency Bike Ride on this day. See your Employee Transportation Coordinator for details.

New Bike To Work Day "Bike Station"

A new Bike To Work Day
"Bike Commuter Station" is coming to Southwest Olympia! Courtesy of South West Olympia Neighborhood Assn. with local business sponsors (TBA).

National Bike To Work Day, Friday May 16

The weather is looking promising for Bike To Work Day this Friday! See our Events Page or our Facebook Event for details about what we'll be up to that day. Also, State Employees are invited to the 8th Annual Interagency Bike Ride. Register at: http://wabikes.org/event-ride/interagency-bike-ride-olympia-5-16-14/  And, just by the way, it's still not too late to register and participate in the Bicycle Commuter Contest! Just click the orange box and sign up!

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

Pioneer School's Bike To School Day a Success

Pioneer School: The morning parent drop-off traffic was noticeably lighter as swarms of students rode their bikes to Pioneer Elementary School in Olympia during Bike to Work Day. Countless students also walked or propelled themselves on their scooters. Stacey Brewster, a parent, greeted the young cyclists at the front of school, offering them bright orange slap bands and green bicycle pins provided by Intercity Transit to celebrate the occasion. Principal Randy Weeks wondered, “I don’t know what we will do once the racks fill up!” Another parent replied, “That is a good problem to have!” Over 150 students rode to school, packing the bike racks well beyond capacity. Maybe it’s time for Pioneer to assess its bike parking problem!

National Bike To Work Day- This Friday, May 18

Bicycle to work, school or on other practical trips this Friday and record double your miles for that day in the BCC! The day is highlighted on your mileage log, so plan ahead to make the most of your contest miles. Rain or shine!

Join fellow bicyclists in a fun day of riding on National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 18. The event promotes bicycling as a healthy transportation option. Visit one of the "Bike Stations" in five locations around Olympia. Bicycle Commuter Contest participants: wear your BCC t-shirt or show your participant sticker or mileage log, and get a free gift when you stop by! We'll have a very limited number of our 25th anniversary logo bike bells to give away at all five "Bike Stations", plus reflective leg/arm bands and some other cool stuff. Each station will have coffee and treats and representatives from a local bike shop on hand with a few basic tools. There will also be copies of the NEW Thurston County Bike Map, and the Urban Cycling Guide from the City Of Olympia. Bike stations sponsored by the City of Olympia, Intercity Transit, and the local businesses listed below. See you there!

Visit a Bike Station at one of the following locations from 7 to 9:30 a.m., Friday, May 18:

• Heritage Park on 5th Avenue downtown: sponsored by Old Town Bikes and Oly Coffee Roasters
• Olympia Woodland Trailhead at Eastside Street: sponsored by the Bike Stand and Batdorf & Bronson
• Ralph’s Thriftway Station: sponsored by Ralph’s Thriftway, Bike Tech, and Batdorf & Bronson
• Westside Station: at Harrison and Division: sponsored by REI and Oly Coffee Roasters
• Lacey Station: at the I-5 Bicycle Trail and Chehalis Western Trail intersection: sponsored by JoyRide Bikes and Group Health (this station located at the South bridge approach to the Chehalis-Western Trail bridge over I-5)

Remember: Please be courteous to other trail and road users, and abide by all rules of the road, just as if you were driving a car.  Bike safe and bike happy!

Bike To Work and School Day a Big Success!

National Bike To Work and School Day 2011 was a great day for practical cycling in Thurston County as area schools and the City of Olympia/BCC Bike Stations reported record participation and the Inter-Agency Bike Ride turned out a great crowd as well. An estimated 900 school kids rode their bikes, boards or scooters to school today in Thurston County, and approximately 275 practical cyclists were counted stopping by or passing the Bike Stations.  The Inter-Agency Ride estimates 90-100 participants representing 10 State Agencies plus Intercity Transit and City of Olympia. Pioneer School led the way among area schools with a record breaking 200  students (50%) biking or scootering to school today. Countless students walked or rode the school bus. Only a dozen or so cars entered the driveway. Go Pioneer!

The weather couldn't have been better, the cyclists turned out in droves, the crews volunteering for the events really pitched in, and event sponsors went the extra mile- thanks everyone!

Bike Station sponsors included: City of Olympia, Intercity Transit, Alpine Experience, The Bike Stand, Bike Tech, REI, Ralph's Thriftway, Batdorf & Bronson Coffee and Olympia Coffee Roasters.
 

Inter-Agency Bike Riders on National Bike-to-Work Day 2011

 Inter-Agency Ride sponsors included: Old Town Bicycles, The Bicycle Alliance of Washington,  Capitol Bicycling Club, The Bicycle Commuter Contest (Intercity Transit) and possibly others that I don't know about!

Find photos by WSDOT photographer here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/

National Bike to Work (and School) Day TOMORROW!

Ride your bike to work, school or on errands tomorrow and double your miles for the day on your BCC mileage log. Don't miss our Bike Stations from 7 am - 9:30 am at Heritage Park on 5th Ave, Ralph's Thriftway and the Eastside St. trailhead of the Woodland Trail. Details on the Bike Station page (click the link at right). See you there!

Local Schools Participate in National Bike to School Day

News from Intercity Transit: 

Bicycles of every color, and too many to contain, will be spilling out of bike racks at Olympia area schools this week.  Parking lots are likely to be calmer with less vehicle traffic, and students will arrive to South Sound schools with a little more exercise under their belts. 

BCC News: Preparations in Full Swing

Now entering its 24th year, the Bicycle Commuter Contest encourages community members of all ages and abilities to use bicycling as a means of transportation, and gives rewards and recognition to novice and veteran bike commuters alike. We're looking forward to all of our great events this year and we hope you'll join us! We're off to a running start with preparations for BCC 2011. Dates are set for our major events:

• Earth Day Ride: Saturday, April 23, 2011 (more info to follow about time and place)
• Wrencher's Ball: Friday, April 29, 2011 (BCC registrants get a free bike safety check)
• National Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 20, 2011
• Award Ceremony: Saturday, June 25, 2011 (more info to follow about time and place)

Stay tuned here for frequent updates, news and bicycle commuting tips and stories. Get important BCC news and updates emailed directly to your inbox by signing up for our e-newsletter. Just send me an email at dgreen@intercitytransit.com and I'll add you to our list! (We never share your contact info with anyone)

Bike To Work and School Day Activities a Success!

Photo by Jim Colt, WSDOT

Interagency Bike Ride

Members of the Intercity Transit BCC team "Crank IT" participated in the Interagency Bike Ride during the noon hour, and were rewarded with not only goodies from the Bicycle Alliance and Maple-Bacon donuts from Twisters Donuts, but a break in the weather, as the afternoon shaped up into a pretty nice day. Nearly 60 riders turned out for the ride altogether, despite the threatening weather at the outset.

Bike to School Day

The late May cold, wind, and rain did not stop students, parents, and teachers from making a good show at Pioneer Elementary School in Olympia on National Bike to School Day. 108 Pioneer students (30 percent of the student body) rode their bikes to school. Countless other students walked or rode their scooters. The bike racks are filled beyond their holding capacity. Parent volunteers Stacey Brewster and Denise Pantelis distributed green bicycle lapel pins, provided by Intercity Transit, to students who rode their bikes to school.



Bike To Work Day

Around 150 dedicated bike commuters stopped at the City of Olympia's Bike Stations between 7 and 9 am on Friday, many of them participants in the Bicycle Commuter Contest. BCC participants received as thank-you gifts: 15 Planet Bike light sets, 60 Planet Bike rear flashing lights, and many reflective leg bands from Jandd Mountaineering. The City had muffins, bananas, Clif Bars and their own reflective leg bands, plus coupons for local bike shops.

Bike To Work on Friday to support Number One Bike Friendly State!

The Thurston Bicycle Commuter Contest has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists and contributes to Washington State's ranking as the League's Number One Bike Friendliest State since 2008. Cyclists like you, participating in the BCC, and commuting year-round by bike, are putting our community and our state on the map and in the minds of cyclists and bicycle advocates across the country. Support that recognition and our number one status by riding your bike to work or school tomorrow: Friday, May 21; National Bike-To-Work Day and Bike To School Day. Who knows what the weather holds in store, but what do we care? We are the vanguard and the example that other states across the nation aspire to emulate. Let's show them we won't be daunted by a "chance of showers", and be out on the roads in force (and in Gore Tex if necessary!) for National Bike To Work Day!
Remember that you can record double miles on your BCC mileage log on May 21.

National Bike Week - May 17 - 21

(Click here or on the title for more info)
May is National Bike Month, this week is National Bike Week, and this Friday is National Bike To Work Day, the peak of bicycle commuting activities around the country. Here in Olympia, Washington, we're in the midst of the 23rd Annual Bicycle Commuter Contest and participation is high despite the economy. This week the weather is showery, but we're used to that here. Our many sponsors are really coming through with lots of great prizes this year- so much so that I'm thinking of adding some prize categories, including tracking the weather, and awarding prizes to those who ride the most rainy days! So keep pedaling through the rain, and you might just get a nice reward for it! We have super-fantastic prizes from many local sponsors as well as the bike gear shown in an earlier post, and much more! In the BCC, everyone wins and receives a great packet of coupons, plus around 10 percent of our participants will win prizes on top of that.
Bike safely, and enjoy the ride!

Bike to School Day

May 21st is Bike to School Day. Families and students tripled the number of kids riding bikes to school on Bike to School Day last year. Help us beat the record this year. The more families that are out walking and biking, the safer and more welcoming our neighborhood streets will be.

Have an out-of-car experience next Friday and ride your bike to school!

For more information, contact
Erin Scheel
Youth Education Specialist
Intercity Transit
360-705-5839
escheel@intercitytransit.com

Inter-Agency Bike Ride, Friday May 21

2009 Interagency Ride Group Photo

When
Friday, May 21st is National Bike to Work Day. It is also time for the 4th Annual Interagency Bike Ride. As part of the Thurston County Bicycle Commuter Contest you are cordially invited to participate! This ride is organized by Washington State Department of Transportation and the Department of Revenue.

How
Want to join other agency staff for a fun and supportive bike ride? It’s easy. Just ride your bike to one of these start locations on Friday, May 21st:

1. Parking lot on the north side of the G. A. building at Union & Columbia, Olympia: 11:30;
2. Revenue Dept. at 6500 Linderson Way, Tumwater, at 11:45; OR
3. The Capital Plaza Building parking lot at the corner of Eastside and Union at 11:25; OR
4. Ride directly to Tumwater Historical Park, arriving at noon…but it would be a lot more fun to ride with the group.

The Capitol Plaza riders will converge with the Capitol Campus riders at the parking lot behind GA and ride together to the Tumwater Historical Park. Once at the park, you are invited to pick up a local or state bike map; enter to win a cool drawing prize; and listen to speakers talking about the benefits of cycling!

Benefits
Cyclists continue to be leaders for improving commuting habits, traffic laws, and energy conservation. I encourage you join me on a lunchtime ride to help raise awareness of alternative modes of transportation that can reduce traffic, save money, and improve your health!

Brown Bag It
This will be a brown bag event if you would like to bring your lunch.

Contact For More Information
For more information and promotional posters, contact Mark Longrie at 360-570-3223
or marklo"at"dor.wa.gov

See you on the ride May 21st!