It’s not too late to join the action for National Bike Month this May
April 24, 2012 •
May is National Bike Month, and you can join bike commuters at UCOP and elsewhere by biking to work on Bike to Work Day or joining the Team Bike Challenge, in which teams of two to five people compete to log the most miles throughout the month of May.
Celebrate the power of the bicycle to get you where you want to go and promote a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. Last year the Bay Area Team Bike Challenge competition had 2,800 participants on 698 teams, with a total of 316,359 miles biked, enough to circle the globe 12.7 times and save more than 174 tons of harmful toxic emissions. They also burned 19.5 million calories.
The centerpiece of the month is Bike to Work Day, scheduled in the Bay Area on Thursday, May 10. The day features prizes, celebrity bicyclists such as Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, giveaways and raffles, energizer stations where you can get refreshments along the way, and after parties for celebrating with your fellow cyclists.
UCOP encourages bike commuting by offering secure bike parking in the Franklin Street employee garage and in the Kaiser Building. For access, contact the Work Management Center at buildingservices@ucop.edu to request that bike-parking authorization be added to your UCOP employee ID card. (Processing may take a few hours, so be sure to arrange this before biking to work.)
There are also showers and changing facilities located near the elevators on the 9th floor of the Franklin Building. (Lockers are available for day use, but be sure to bring your own toiletries and towel.)
As part of its ongoing support for bike commuting, UCOP has a bicycle pump and tire-changing tools in the Franklin Building bike cage, available to cyclists who get a flat tire on their way to work.
If you’re interested in forming a team for the challenge, sign up now or contact Coghlan at andrew.coghlan@ucop.edu.
Get more information from these community resources for cyclists:
- 511 SF Bay Area: Bicycling Resource Guide
- 511 SF Bay Area: Safe Riding
- BikeLink
- East Bay Bicycle Coalition
- San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
- League of American Bicyclists
- Bikes on BART
- California Bicycle Laws and Safety
