We've Moved!

 The location of the latest news about the BCC, and the place to sign up is: https://bcc.intercitytransit.com/

We'll be keeping this blog relatively current for the duration of the 2018 BCC, but for the freshest and the mostest, head on over to our new site. Thanks for following the BCC blog for all these years!

Marcy won our Grand Prize!! A bicycle trip from AdventureCycling !! She looks pretty happy about it.

NBB Prize Bike Arrives

One lucky winner will ride away on this New Belgium Brewing 3-speed townie by Detroit Bikes, donated by Olympia Thriftway stores! Make sure to log your rides by Friday, June 8 to be in the drawing!

Time to Get Serious- Only a Few Days Left!

As of this writing, 765 people have logged rides in the 2018 BCC, traveling a total of 53,227 miles

on 5,805 days.
We have a ways to go to match last year's totals! The weather this May has been unbelievable- PERFECT biking weather, and it looks like it's going to continue through the end of the month.If you've been biking all month,YAY for YOU!! Keep going and make sure to log your rides to get the most out of the BCC.
RANDOM PRIZE DRAWINGS EACH WEEK- LOG YOUR RIDES TO BE ENTERED- WIN GIFT CARDS AND COOL BIKE STUFF!
After the BCC wraps up on May 31, we'll send you a fat envelope with lots of valuable coupons (and your reflective BCC sticker), and enter you to win prizes! Log rides on 10 days or more by May 31 to be eligible for our Grand Prize and new bike prizes, plus receive an extra page of coupons!
Let's propel the BCC to new heights in the remaining days of May!

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!

2018 BCC T-shirts available now!

2018 BCC T-shirts are now available at the
Olympia Transit Center! We used the runner-up colors from last year's t-shirt color poll, so if you were disappointed last year, here's your chance to grab a brilliant, visible "T" to bike in and show your support of the BCC.

• Fitted style shirts in Small through 3XL, in "Heliconia" pink.

• Classic style shirts in Small through 3XL, in "Hi-Vis" yellow.

All shirts $10
Olympia Transit Center, 222 State Ave Olympia: M-F 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat/Sun 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Registration Open for BCC 2018

Time to dust off your trusty two-wheeled steed and start getting ready for May and the Bicycle Commuter Challenge! If you haven't already, head over to: https://bcc.intercitytransit.com/ ,
create an account and try logging some trips as a practice run, or to track your rides for your own purposes. The first ride that will count towards your BCC totals will be the Earth Day Market Ride on April 21. Then, log all your qualifying rides in May to earn coupons and possibly win a prize! Log rides on 10 days or more in May to be entered to win our Grand Prize bike vacation with Adventure Cycling, or one of several new bikes!

Find us at the Pedal power Bike Expo!

Pedal Power Bike Expo, Wednesday, March 28, 2018
The 2018 Olympia Pedal Power Bike Expo is a unique opportunity to learn more about meeting your transportation needs by bike! It’s easier than you think and helps build healthy activity into your daily routine. Meet local and visiting bike shop experts and get your questions answered. Get practice putting a bike on the Intercity Transit bus in a no-stress environment! Check out the latest bikes, including folding bikes, cargo bikes, and electric-assist bikes! You might get lucky and win a free demo model folding bike or brand-new folding mountain bike frame – visit the FlatBike booth for details. Take a free test ride on an e-bike or folding bike! Get a free bicycle safety check! Learn about the Bicycle Commuter Challenge (BCC)! Find out how to make your car a Walk N Roll Pace Car! Check out the new  DNR GPS app! See what's new in bike chic at the Bike Fashion Show! Be sure to fill out a Pedal Power Comment Card at the Information Table for a chance to win prizes! This event is accessible and includes ASL interpreter services. Don’t miss it!

Pacific Avenue Crosswalks Coming!

Upcoming Yelm-Tenino Trail Closure

Starting Monday, March 19 a section of the Yelm-Tenino trail will be closed from milepost 7.5 to milepost 8. The closure is required to make repairs to the bridge that spans the Deschutes River. Thurston County Public Works estimates the bridge will be open to the public in late spring/early summer.
For information, contact Kerry Hibden, Parks Manager: 360-867-2181 or hibdenk@co.thurston.wa.gov

2018 Winter BCC Concludes

Year round bike riders, you rock! We made it through a pretty gnarly February, and the numbers prove what we're made of. 11 days with rain, 7 days with snow, 1 day with high winds, and an average temperature 5 degrees below normal. And still, 214 of us committed to ride, and we rode on a total of 1767 days, for a total of 15,395 miles! We had random prize drawings each Friday, plus Valentine's Day prizes and a Grand Finale prize drawing, with 24 riders receiving gift cards and bike accessories from our sponsors. Thanks everyone, for a great Winter BCC in 2018!

Last Days to Log Miles in Winter BCC

There are two days left to log miles in the Winter BCC! We'll have our final prize drawing on Wednesday, at 3pm. It looks like today may be the last sunny day in February, but hey, it's still winter, right? Tomorrow and Wednesday it'll be time to rock the rain gear again... and to look forward to the long sunny days of spring and summer! :-)

Winter BCC Week 4 Prize Winners

Books and Hot Bevs- what better way to warm up after a cold winter ride! And the Week 4 Winter BCC prize winners are: Glenn B., Peggy M., Adrian W., Sam W., and Jessica B! We'll have one more Winter BCC prize drawing on the last day of February, so remember to log your rides. Bike safely (or take the bus if it's icy)!

Winter Biking Tips

Biking to get around in the winter can be fun, refreshing and invigorating- it's a great way to beat
the winter blues by getting outside in the fresh air and being active. If you've never done it before, here are a few (mostly common sense) things to keep in mind: Read more...

Winter BCC Week 3 Prize Winners

Congrats to Tyler M., Rick G. and Mary T., who won mudflaps, or gift cards to Orca Books, in the Winter BCC week 3 prize drawing. Over 200 riders have signed up so far, and we've ridden over 10.000 miles on almost 1200 days ridden. There are still a couple of weeks left in the Winter BCC, so if you haven't signed up yet, there's still time, and you could win a fun prize!
bcc.intercitytransit.com

Sweetheart Prize Drawing Winners...

Dana, Debra, Caroline and Marko all won gift cards from Batdorf and Bronson, Capitol Florist, and Olympia Coffee Roasters in our Valentines Day Sweetheart Prize Drawing! Keep on pedaling in the WInter BCC!

Valentines Day at the BCC

I think we should have a “Sweetheart Prize Drawing” later today... log your Winter BCC rides at bcc.intercitytransit.com and you could win a prize! And thanks to Capitol Florist for their support of the BCC!

Winter Bike to Work Day - Friday, February 9

Let's Put Thurston County on the Map! Sign up for the Winter BCC at: https://bcc.intercitytransit.com/ and then commit to ride on Winter Bike to Work Day at: https://winterbiketoworkday.org/ 

https://winterbiketoworkday.org/ 

Send us a photo of your commute on Friday, and we'll post the pics and enter you to win a prize!

First Three Prizewinners in the Winter BCC

Even though it's not a full week, we decided to go ahead and have our first prize drawing in the 2018 Winter BCC, and the winners are...  Gabe, Jeffrey and Kelly! Each will receive a gift certificate for Capitol Florist- way to go, Winter Riders!

2018 Winter BCC Begins!

The 5th annual Winter BCC is off and rolling! To participate, create an account at: https://bcc.intercitytransit.com/ (or log in if you already have one), and log your rides during February. We'll have a prize drawing each week, so the more often you ride the more chances you'll have to win a prize! Fingers crossed, but so far it looks like the first full week in February could be pretty decent, weather-wise. International Bike To Work (and School) Day is Friday, February 9. Take a picture on your ride and send it in. We'll post the pictures on our FB page, and award prizes for "Best Picture", in the "Selfie" and "Bike in Landscape" categories.

Ready to try using your bicycle to get around, even in the "off season"? Perhaps you already do, and you wouldn't mind a little recognition. Either way, the Winter Bicycle Commuter Challenge is for you! It's super easy- just create an account on our website at: https://bcc.intercitytransit.com/
(unless you already have one from last year), log in, and log your practical bike rides in February. Anyone who lives or works in Thurston County can participate. You don't have to be employed or a student- just use your bicycle as a means of practical transportation, with at least part of your trip inside Thurston County. The Winter Mini BCC runs for the whole month of February and includes celebration of International Winter Bike To Work Day, on Friday February 9, 2018. You can start logging your rides anytime. Only your rides in February will count toward your Winter BCC totals. We'll hold prize drawings each week in February, among everyone who logged miles that week- it's that simple.
We're looking forward to seeing you out and about- on your bike!
At least for this year, the Winter BCC does not support teams, and does not award prizes based on miles or days ridden.

5th Annual Winter BCC Coming Soon!

The Winter BCC is Intercity Transit's free, fun event that encourages Thurston County residents to use their bicycles for transportation in all seasons. The event runs for the month of February, with weekly prize drawings among all participants. Registration opens February 1! We'll also celebrate International Winter Bike to Work Day, on Friday, February 9. We're working hard to make some updates on the back end of our website, in the hopes we'll be able to use it for the Winter BCC. If not, we'll use the same event sign-up process we used for the Winter BCC last year, prior to the launch of our website. We'll make the call on that by the end of this week, and post and send out instructions for signing up!

Long Time Bike Tech Owner and BCC Sponsor to Retire

Dale Carlson at Capitol Schwinn, circa 1980

Dale Carlson, owner of the Bike Tech chain of stores in the South Sound is set to retire after 50 years in the bicycle industry. The two current Bike Tech locations in Olympia and Tacoma will become Trek Bicycle retail stores. Dale started out as a young teenager, working at the current Olympia location on 4th Ave E. which was then called "Bikes n Boats". The store sold Schwinn bicycles as well as canoes and kayaks. In 1978, Burien Cycles owner Mike Solberg bought the store, renamed it Capitol Schwinn, and hired Dale as manager. The boats were gradually phased out as the store focused on growing as a Schwinn dealer. In the mid 1980's Dale bought the store, and subsequently several other stores in the South Sound area. In 1991 the chain of stores was renamed as Bike Tech. Dale and his Olympia store were one of the earliest sponsors of the BCC, possibly even from the very beginning in 1988. Dale will be missed as one of the longest-running sponsors of the BCC, and as a local bike shop owner. Many thanks to Dale and Bike Tech for all the years of support for the BCC! We hope he enjoys retirement and now has time to ride his bike!

Photos by Duncan Green.   If Dale obliges with more pictures and stories, we'll post them here.

A Row of Chicago-made Schwinns, 1978

4th of July Bike Trip, 1978

Newest BCC Sponsor in 2018: Adventure Cycling!

 Adventure Cycling Association is helping us out with an awesome Grand Prize for the BCC in May- stay tuned for details! In the meantime, check out some of their offerings here, and dream big!

As a nonprofit organization, Adventure Cycling Association's mission is to inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle. Established in 1973 as Bikecentennial, we are the premier bicycle-travel organization in North America with more than 40 years of experience and 53,000 members.

Great Response to Theme Contest

Past BCC Themes in progress

Over 60 past Bicycle Commuter Challenge participants submitted 120 great ideas for the 2018 BCC Theme, including two with drawings of graphic ideas. A large team here at Intercity Transit is working to narrow down the field to a manageable number for a BCC-wide vote. We'll post and send out a link to a poll next week (week of Jan. 7), to vote on the finalists for our theme this year. We're so excited to see which idea wins the final vote! The creator of the winning idea will win a nice prize from the BCC, and the top runners-up will receive a gift card from one of our local coffee sponsors!