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!

Pedal Power Bike Expo Wed April 26

Get a running start on National Bike Month (May) at the

Pedal Power Bike Expo

Wednesday, April 26^th  from 10:30 to 1:00

Natural Resources Building Rotunda 

(venue change due to weather)

Free to all

Pedal Power is a unique opportunity to learn more about meeting your transportation needs by bike! It’s easier than you think and helps build a healthy activity into your daily routine.

Free bike safety checkups – bring your bike and get help getting it ready to ride! (Minor adjustments and advice only.) Free bike workshops by a League of American Bicyclists-certified trainer. Get practice putting a bike on the Intercity Transit bus in a no-stress environment! Check out the latest bikes, including cargo bikes and electric-assist bikes and take a free test ride on the test track!  Meet exhibitors from Seattle and Portland, sign up for the Bicycle Commuter Challenge (BCC) and check out the new t-shirt! Check out Walk N Roll and find out how to make your car a Pace Car! Enjoy free coffee samples from Batdorf and Bronson, sample juice from Zoe’s Juice Bar, and get a great deal on a BBQ lunch (just $7.50 - vegetarian options available) from the DOT Café. Check out the Bike Fashion Show! Be sure to fill out a Pedal Power Comment Card at the Information Table for a chance to win a free bike and other great prizes! For details, visit: http://oly-wa.us/pedalpower/index.php   (This site is verified as trustworthy by BrightCloud Threat Intelligence.)

Bring your old bike(s) to donate to a good cause! Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll youth program and Allafia War on Poverty will both be accepting bike donations.

2016 BCC Prize Hoopla Report

We had tons of fun and awarded many prizes- over 100 people showed up many of them went home with prizes from the generous sponsors of the BCC. We awarded over 200 prizes in the BCC this year, between individual winners and teams, plus 3 new bikes! Team standings and other BCC results coming soon...

See more photos of all our events on our Flickr page at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129770135@N02/

Bike Talk/Happy Hour Wed 6/22 in Olympia

Olympia Bike Talk Happy Hour with Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes

You have two statewide bike nonprofits working for you. What does this mean?

Come meet Barb Chamberlain, Chief Strategic Officer for Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes. Bring your questions about the merger of the two organizations and what it means for growing and improving bicycling now that both are working statewide with new roles. Bonus points for ideas for making next year's Washington Bike Summit March 20-21 a showcase of Olympia's bike-friendliness.

Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Time: 4:30pm-6:30pm .
Location: Northwest Beerwerks, 420 Steele St. SE, Olympia  

Light hors d'oeuvres and a pitcher or two of social beverages provided by Cascade Bicycle Club.

Share with your friends who ride or who just want safer streets for all of us.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1102302206482054/

BCC Status Update:

OK, no we haven't crawled under a rock- we're just under a mountain of mileage logs! Data entry, data entry, number crunching, spreadsheet merging, coupon mailing, oh my!

View of the BCC 'cockpit'

 To Date:

• Over 1850 participants signed up this year- a new record!
• Nearly 108,000 miles pedaled, on 14,430 trips by bike.
• Together we prevented 54 TONS of CO2 from entering our atmosphere.

 Coupons and Prizes:

• We've started mailing out coupons and hope to have them all in the mail (about 1200 envelopes to stuff and label) by tomorrow. 
• We'll start doing random prize drawings first thing next week, and notify winners by email.
• PRIZE HOOPLA! Saturday, June 25, 9:30 to 10:30am at the Olympia Farmers Market Main Stage. If you win a BCC prize, you can pick it up at the Hoopla. If you can't make it to the Hoopla, no worries, we'll mail it to you, or ask you to come and pick it up if it's too big to mail.

Bike Corridor Pilot Project Kickoff

On Saturday, June 11^th, join The City of Olympia from 10:00 a.m. until Noon to celebrate the opening of the Bike Corridor pilot project. Pick up your passport at Lions Park before 11:00 a.m. and ride your bike along the route to 7th and Jefferson downtown. We’ll have a few stops along the way to get your passport stamped, and you can turn it in for a cupcake at the end.

7^th Ave will be closed to motor vehicles between Jefferson and Adams for the celebration. There will be sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and the Artesian Rumble Arkestra will serenade everyone from 10:30 to 11:30. City staff will be on hand with a map of possible future Bike Corridor routes and will be interested in your thoughts. We hope you can come!

Contact:

·         Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Program Specialist

·         360.753.8575

·         mswanson@ci.olympia.wa.us

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.

Earth Day Market Ride FUN!

What a perfect day we had for the Earth Day Market Ride this year! Over 160 riders took part, 5 lucky winners got prizes,and we all had fun! Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped make it happen, to Olympia City Council-member and Intercity Transit Authority Board Member Clark Gilman for the cheer, and our event sponsors Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters and San Francisco Street Bakery. Our next big event is National Bike To Work Day, Friday, May 20.
Remember to log your miles, and if you haven't signed up for the BCC yet, it's not too late!
Click the button on the right to sign up now!  :-)

Earth Day Market Ride

Saturday, April 30, 2016
**NEW RIDE ADDED FROM LIONS PARK**
SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS 
(stay tuned here or on our Facebook page for any other last-minute details)

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 riders from their neighborhoods to Heritage Park Fountain, arriving at around 10:45am. (Coffee, juice 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 representative Clark Gilman, a little prize drawing 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!

We ride by the rules of the road. A bicycle is a vehicle on the road, and we'll be obeying all traffic signals even if it means splitting up the group. We can always regroup. Helmet and liability waiver are required.

Earth Day Market Ride meeting points and times: (subject to change- check back before heading out to your ride)

NEW RIDE for 2016:
Lions Park parking area on Wilson St.
(to follow part of the route of the new Bike Corridor)
Meet at 10:15, depart at 10:30
Leaders: Sayre, Jasper and Chris 

NEW RIDE for 2016:

Madison Elementary School (a more family-friendly starting point and route)

Legion and Boundary

Meet up at 10am, depart 10:20 a.m.

Leader: JESSICA G

Cutters Point Coffee

Lacey Boulevard and Pacific Avenue roundabout.

Meet at 9:30 a.m. for coffee, with Leader: YOGI

Depart at 10

Meet more riders at South Sound Center flagpoles at Sleater-Kinney and the I-5 bike path. Leave there at 10:15 a.m.

South Sound Center Flagpoles at Sleater-Kinney and the I-5 bike path.

Meet up at 10am, depart 10:15 a.m. with group from Cutters Point Coffee

Leader: RUSS

Olympia High School

Meet at bike racks on Carlyon Ave side of school (NW corner of school bldg).

Meet up at 10am, depart 10:15 a.m.

Leaders: PAUL and LEE

Roosevelt School parking lot, across from Bakery

San Francisco Avenue and Bethel Street, NE.

Meet up at 10am, depart 10:15 a.m.

Leaders: JESSICA B and DAVID

The Evergreen State College

Meet in the center of Red Square.

Meet up at 9:45am, depart 10 a.m.

Leader: LINDA

Garfield Elementary School

Garfield Avenue and Plymouth Street NW.

Meet up at 10:15am, depart at 10:30 a.m.

Leaders: MICHELLE and TRUDES

Green Bike Team's Capitol Grand Fondo, Sunday, May 1

The Green Bike Team is offering a $25 discount for BCC participants to ride in their 'Capitol Grand Fondo' ride on Sunday, May 1. This is a Recreational/Fitness type of ride, and therefore your miles would not count towards your BCC total, but it sounds like fun anyway! Find out more about the Green Bike Team at www.greenbiketeam.org, and find out more and sign up for the Capitol Grand Fondo at http://www.53eleven.com/capital-grand-fondo.html BCC participants register with the code CGF2016

Mid-April BCC Update

Registration for the 29th Annual BCC is off to a great start- over 500 people have signed up already! If you are one of them, thanks for signing up. If not, there's still plenty of time, but why not sign up now? It's free, it's fun, and everyone wins, with coupons, free passes and pretty decent odds of winning a prize! Any practical trip by bike counts in the BCC. We have a lofty goal this year- we want to boost participation  to record levels- help us reach 2000 participants, and be a Vehicle For Change! Sign Up Free Online Now

Upcoming Events

Sustainability Fair ~ Thursday, April 14 ~ 1500 Jefferson Bldg. 11am~1pm Front Plaza and Presentation Room Find us at our table with Intercity Transit  to sign up for the BCC in person! Many other vendors with info about other sustainable lifestyle choices will be there too!

Earth Day Market Ride ~ Sat. April 30 Mark your calendar for the 30th and come out for the Earth Day Market Ride! Join friends old and new, in your own neighborhood. Pedal to the Heritage Park Fountain for coffee and pastries, and then we'll all ride to the Farmers Market to enjoy the shopping, music and fun! We'll have a tent set up at the market where you can sign up for the BCC, too. Get up-to-the-minute details and neighborhood ride starting points on our blog or Facebook page the week of the event.

Bicycle Commuter Profile volunteers wanted!

One of the most popular aspects of the BCC blog is our Commuter Profiles. Each year we like to share the stories of at least a handful of people who have made a habit of getting around by bike. We've only had one volunteer so far in 2016- won't you share your story with us? You don't have to be a 'cyclist', or have all the fancy gear. We like to feature anyone who uses their bicycle for transportation, to encourage others to try it too! Take a look at some of our past profiles, and drop me a line at: dgreen'at'intercitytransit.com if you're willing to be a bike transportation star!

All Sizes of BCC T-shirts available now Our ship(ment) finally came in!  ;-) All sizes of our t-shirts are available now at Olympia Transit Center. Get yours while they last- only $10 each!

BCC Early April News: Registration Opens, T-Shirts, and This Week's Event

Registration is now open for BCC 2016 Just click the orange box at right to sign up!

  Bicycle Commuter Clinic offered by Capital Bicycling Club This Wednesday:
Are you a new commuter or an experienced one?  Participating in the BCC this May?  Regardless of your level of experience, the Capital Bicycling Club has the event for you! Come learn about the best equipment choices for riding day or night in all weather conditions, road skills for safe commuting, and many more useful tips for the transportation cyclist. The BCC will be on hand at the end of the event to get you signed up!
Wed. April 6th, 7:30pm Capital Museum Coach House 211 21st Ave. SW in Olympia's South Capital Neighborhood 

  2016 BCC T-Shirts Have Arrived! At least a few of all sizes are available now at the Olympia Transit Center in beautiful downtown Olympia! A total bargain at $10 each. The super-bright orange Fitted shirts are a fast-drying cotton/poly blend, and the burnt orange Classic Fit shirts are 100% organic fair trade cotton. Get them while they last! We'll get the remainder of our order soon, and then there should be plenty for everyone.

Registration for BCC 2016 opens April 1

Spring is here, and the Bicycle Commuter Contest is coming up!
Important dates:

• BCC Registration opens: April 1.
• Earth Day Market Ride: Saturday, April 30.
• Bicycle Commuter Contest: May 1-31
• National Bike To Work Day: Friday, May 20 
• BCC Prize Hoopla: Saturday, June 25

this week's fun event: roundabout opening!

Come celebrate the completion of HUB Junction (the new bicycle roundabout at the intersection of the Chehalis-Western Trail and Woodland Trail) with the contributing jurisdictions this Thursday, March 17 at 2pm. There will be a short program followed by a commemorative photo around the HUB. Yay for our trails!!

March Kidical Mass Rides Again!

Sunday   2 PM - 4 PM ~ Pioneer Elementary School playground.

 

This is an easy-paced, family bike ride on streets and bike trails. Prizes and snacks provided. We'll practice riding as traffic and following the rules of the road. Bring a bike, helmet, and a parent/ guardian if under 18.

Capital Bicycling Club's Bike and Gear Swap

TONIGHT- Wednesday, March 2nd is the CBC's annual bike and gear swap. The swap will take place from from 7:30-9:00p.m. at the Capitol Museum Coach House (211 21st Ave. SW in Olympia). Bring bikes, gear or kit you would like to trade or sell or come and look for amazing treasures and deals.

Admission and table space are free. Open to the public- non-members are welcome.

1st Winter Mini-BCC prize Winner

We drew our first Winter Mini-BCC prize winner today. Drawn at random from all the people who have registered so far in the Winter Mini-BCC, Trude L. has won this nice light set from Portland Design Works!
We have another light set and other bike goodies, plus some gift cards for local bike shops and restaurants to award during the rest of February.
The Winter Mini-BCC is open to people who live or work in Thurston County. You can participate if you commute into or out of Thurston County, but if you have a multi-modal commute,  the bicycle portion of your commute must be within Thurston County.
Sign up here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=eijlmidab&oeidk=a07ec6rh1py38d8c636

International Winter Bike To Work Day is this Friday, Feb. 12! Send us a photo from your commute on Friday, and we'll post it on our Facebook page!