Here’s how I usually find out about Bike to Work Day, an annual event put on by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition to encourage people to get out of their cars and bike to work.
On the big day, I climb into my large gas-guzzling car, oblivious, and head to work, noticing a few more bicyclists on the road than usual as I roll complacently along, encased in 4,500 pounds of steel. Then I pass one of the coalition’s Energizer stations, a table with volunteers handing out swag for the event — cloth grocery bags, water bottles, biker munchies — and that’s when it hits me; I have missed Bike to Work Day again.
Not this year, bucko. I am on it. Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 10, and that means I — and you — have time to get ready for it.
I know what you’re thinking: how much prep could Bike to Work Day really take? Not much if you ride your bike all the time — and it and you are in good condition. But if that doesn’t describe your situation, take heart. A few small precautions can make the difference between arriving at work on time, with a faint sheen of sweat and a saintly glow, versus hauling in three hours late, sweating like a pig, and swearing never to even look at spandex ever again.
I talked to several local biking experts about Bike to Work Day, and they all gave similar advice, which boiled down to “Plan ahead.”
1) Take your bike in for a check up. “If your bike has been hanging in the rafters in your garage for a couple of years or leaning against a shed in your backyard, take it into a bike shop for a check up about a week ahead of time,” said Devon Cooper of Windsor Bike and Sport. Most bike shops will do a check-up for free, but you’ll have to pay for any services that the bike requires. Think of it as an investment in a new, thinner and more ecologically conscious you.
2) Plan your route ahead of time. Everyone I spoke to mentioned this. “The main thing is to find the route that you’re going to take and scope it out beforehand,” said Richard Peacock, owner of Spoke Folk in Healdsburg and Cloverdale. “It’s probably not going to be the same route that you use to drive to work in your car. For example, if you live in Dry Creek Valley, you probably drive into town on Dry Creek Road, but West Dry Creek Road is way friendlier for cyclists. If you’re not sure of what road you should take, call a local bike shop or the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition for advice.”
And don’t just scope it out on a map. Consider driving your chosen route first, noting the traffic, the width of the shoulder, and the elevation changes if those will be challenging to you. “Then get on your bike and ride that route a couple of times,” Peacock suggested, “in part to familiarize yourself with the road and in part to help get yourself in condition.”
3) Get your friends to join you. Biking is one of the many things in life — like drinking — that’s better done in the company of friends. “Ask around and see if any of your friends are doing Bike to Work Day. Talk about it at work and try to get your colleagues involved,” Peacock suggested. He noted that many large companies, like Kaiser, actively recruit employees to join in Bike to Work Day, and that some even form teams and compete against other companies for the most number of days (and miles) wracked up during the month of May, which is officially, Bike to Work Month.
4) Get your biking clothing, helmet and shoes together the night before. “You don’t have to wear special clothes,” said Eris Weaver, outreach coordinator for the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. “You don’t have to wear spandex, but you should wear something bright — like a bright orange vest — because you need to be visible. And you should get all your stuff together the night before so you can easily get dressed in the morning.” If you’re going to change at work, get your work clothes ready the night before as well.
5) It’s OK to ride part of the way. If you live a long way away from your work or if you’re geographically separated from it by, say, a mountain range, give yourself a break, said Weaver. “It’s perfectly okay to drive part of the way, find a safe place to park your car, then ride in the rest of the way on your bike. You’ll still be saving gas, cutting down on greenhouse emissions and traffic, which is the serious purpose beneath the fun of Bike to Work Day.”
When I called Drew Merritt of the Sebastopol Bike Center to see what he was doing for Bike to Work Day, I knew I’d met a kindred spirit. “What?” he gasped. “It’s almost Bike to Work Day again?”
When I asked him if he was planning on biking to work, he quailed. “I run a small business, and besides I suffer from chronic laziness, as well as lack of free time and motivation.” He sighed. “I guess I should try to get motivated and get the damn pedals moving. I only live eight miles away in Santa Rosa, and it’s bike trail all the way. My actual goal was going to be to bike to work once during the month of May — if there’s a special day for that, I might as well do it on that day.”
That’s the spirit.
