Winners in "Survey Sweepstakes"

We have two winners in the "Survey Sweepstakes"! Thanks for responding to our Wrap-up Survey, and congrats to Shane and Jeriann, who both won ultra-hip bags from Alchemy Goods in Seattle!

Special meeting about chehalis western closure

Do you use the Chehalis-Western Trail? If you've been affected by the trail section closure near Rainier Rd., the Capital Bicycling Club would like to hear from you.

The Capital Bicycling Club will hold a special general meeting July 1 at the Coach House to hear feedback from cyclists about the temporary closure of the Chehalis Western Trail and the alternatives they're using. The board will determine a course of action after hearing your feedback.

When: Wednesday, July 1 @ 7:30
Where: the Capital Museum Coach House, 213 21st Ave SW, Olympia
Topic: Temporary closure of the Chehalis Western Trail

This meeting will be open to the public, and representatives from Thurston County will be invited. If you can't make the meeting but would like to share, please send an email to contact@capitalbicycleclub.org before July 7.

Prize Hoopla Report

The 2015 BCC Prize Hoopla was a lot of fun this year! Around 100 BCC participants showed up, and we had some great moments with our bike winners and random prize drawings. Three people went home with new bikes, fifteen with prizes drawn from the hat, and many more with prizes won in the BCC. Awarding the bike to the Youth Category winner was a show-stopper! I believe there were some tears in the audience and there was surely much applause and cheering! More photos on our Flickr page at:

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

2015 BCC PRIZE HOOPLA

Saturday, June 27, 9:30am sharp
Olympia Farmers Market Main Stage
The BCC Prize Hoopla is a fast-moving, fun and very unceremonious event! We'll announce the prize winners, and if they're present we'll pretty much toss their prizes to them and carry on with much cheering and hoopla! We'll also have a hat to enter for more prize drawings on the spot, throughout the event. We have exactly an hour on the Main Stage at the Olympia Farmers Market, so there are no speeches or long,drawn-out acknowledgments- just prizes and fun- we hope to see you there!

2015 BCC Overall Results

1736 registrations- a 17% increase over last year ~ ALL TIME RECORD

620 First Time BCC participants

1063 riders returned mileage logs

Total miles ridden: 106,998

Average miles ridden over the month per rider: 100+

Total round-trip commutes 13,661

Average number of days commuting by bike: 13

Over 50 tons CO2 prevented from entering the atmosphere.

110 teams ALL TIME RECORD: 74% of riders were on a team

15 schools and colleges, 35 State & Local Agencies, plus Thurston County and the Cities of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater all fielded teams in the BCC this year.

51 Sponsors and Supporters contributed coupons and free passes, and over 200 prize items.

Thurston County and the cities of Olympia, Lacey Tumwater, Yelm and Tenino all issued proclamations that May is Bike Commute Month in their jurisdictions.

Record participation in the Earth Day Market Ride and National Bike To Work Day- over 200 participants in each event.

About 140 people also participated in a casual "Winter Mini-BCC" running for part of January and February, including "Winter Bike To Work Day" on February 13.

BCC COUPON CORRECTION:

We've become aware of an error on the Joy Ride Bikes coupon on Sheet 2 of the coupons we've been sending out. The correct expiration date is 11-30-2015. So sorry for the error and any confusion this may have caused. Joy Ride Bikes will honor the coupons until November 30, 2015. All the other coupon expiration dates are correct.

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!
There's still time to return your Mileage Log or report online, here: http://conta.cc/1HMLBwm

New Belgium Brewing donates Cruiser to BCC

Many thanks to New Belgium Brewing and Ralph's Thriftway, for again donating an awesome New Belgium Cruiser bike for us to award in a random drawing among BCC participants who return their Mileage Logs! For a chance to win this bike, or many other prizes, return your BCC Mileage Log to the Olympia Transit Center or mail it to:
BCC c/o Intercity Transit
PO Box 659
Olympia, WA 98507-0659

OR, report your total miles and days online here: : http://conta.cc/1HMLBwm

BCC Breaks Registration Record

We're so HAPPY we've broken all previous records for the number of people signed up in the BCC! Will you help us translate that into a record for miles and days ridden, too? There are just a couple more (beautiful sunny) days left in May- you can help by biking to get where you're going this weekend, and by returning your BCC Mileage Log next week!


If you'd rather skip the trip to the Transit Center or the mailbox to return your Mileage Log, you may use our online reporting page to enter your total days and miles ridden in the BCC. Wait until you are sure you won't ride anymore in May, as you won't be able to add to, or edit your miles once you submit. Just navigate to: http://conta.cc/1HMLBwm  and follow the instructions to report your total days and miles.

T-SHIRT UPDATE:

We now have a SMALL NUMBER of all sizes of our extremely popular t-shirts in stock at Olympia Transit Center, EXCEPT Large and Extra Large in the Aqua "Fitted" style. Those two sizes are sold out. Grab 'em while they last, and have a safe weekend.

2015 Commuter Profile Number 6: Benjamin

· What is your age, roughly speaking? I will be 26 this summer.

· What is your occupation or area of study? I worked at Olympia Supply Company for the past three years and now I’m working on the vegetation crew for the city of Olympia for the summer. I am currently trying to get on track to study either horticulture technologies or fisheries biology in the fall.

· What is your most frequent destination on your bike? Well I work five days a week so work is a pretty common one. Aside from that I try to ride to the grocery stores in east or west Olympia to get more riding in since I live fairly close to downtown. I really dig the Woodland Trail so I try and go places that it and the Chehalis-Western trail run close to.

· How did you hear about the Bicycle Commuter Contest? I think it was four years ago. Just from riding public transit on a regular basis. 

· How many times have you participated in the Bicycle Commuter Contest? Pretty sure this is number three for me. There was a year in there when I didn't have a decent working bike to ride. I ”tacoed” the front wheel on my trusty Schwinn road bike and couldn't afford to fix it. I was unaware of the community bike shops and the assistance they offer, back then.

Record Participation in the BCC in 2015

1705 participants have now registered in the Thurston County Bicycle Commuter Contest, an all-time record!

1698 and counting...

We've surpassed the previous record for registrations in the BCC, and we are SO CLOSE to topping 1700 participants. I know we can do it - we can make it to the top of that hill! If you know someone who is on the fence about participating, or maybe just hasn't gotten around to signing up, remind them it's easy, quick and FREE to sign up at: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eaq4mcap18492ff9&llr=eijlmidab

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.

Tumwater Farmers Market - Bike To Market Day this Wednesday!

Washington State is Still Number 1!

Check out WAbikes blog for the details about how our state is doing in Bike Friendliness!
http://wabikes.org/2015/05/11/washington-state-1-bicycle-friendly-state-nation-eighth-year-running/

May is Bike Month!

It's not too late for Thurston County residents and employees to participate in the Bicycle Commuter Contest. Everyone is welcome and everyone wins! It's free to sign up, and you could win super prizes including a new bike! Register now, or anytime in May- just click the box at right to sign up!

2015 Commuter Profile Number 5: Heather

I interviewed Heather at her workplace about her bike commuting history and habits:

Heather is in her late 30’s and is a Staff Member at the Olympia Food Coop. She is also the Captain of the Coop’s BCC team, and organizes efforts to encourage more people to ride their bikes to the Coop. (In May, if you are signed up for the BCC and you arrive at the coop by bike, you can get a treat! See a Coop Customer Service person for details).
Heather got started using her bike for transportation about 5 years ago while living in Shelton and working in Olympia, and sharing one car with her partner. She could hop the bus in Shelton and ride into Olympia with her bike, and then get where she needed to go within Olympia by bike. She now lives in Olympia and has about a 5-mile commute each way to work. Heather is still a “Multi-modal” commuter though.

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).