Area Cyclists Prepare for Bike to Work Day

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, more than 10,000 cyclists have been registered to participate in this Friday’s Bike to Work Day, an annual event that celebrates a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work.

Sponsored by The Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) and Commuter Connections, the event helps promote the Washington region as a better place to ride. Everyone is invited to participate, including those who have never biked before.

WABA Executive Director Shane Farthing said he looks forward to putting forth a good show, number wise, by reaching over 10,000 participants. That number will be strong evidence of the importance of cycling, he said, and will be a great way to push for better cycling improvements in the region.

“Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity for cyclists to get together, to show their numbers, to celebrate together, and to help to encourage newcomers into the bike community,” Farthing said. “In a field where there’s not a great deal of accurate data collection, Bike to Work Day gives a way for us to show trends by seeing how many folks participate, it gives us a chance to celebrate the successes of the past year’s cycling growth, and it gives us an opportunity to bring new folks in who might want to give it a try for the first time.”

At least 49 regional pit stops will be featured throughout the metropolitan Washington region, including one near Herndon’s Town Hall.

According to A-1 Cycling Manager Sarah Velasquez this will be the second year that the site has been available to local participants. Last year, about 120 people checked in at the pit stop, she said, which offers free T-shirts to pre-registered riders as well as refreshments, giveaways and prizes. As of Tuesday afternoon, 206 people were already registered to stop at the Herndon location.

“We’re really looking forward to just meeting and talking to all of the commuters that come through especially with the upcoming metro stop coming in,” Velasquez said. “We’re looking to really hear ideas from a lot of commuters on how they may want to incorporate using their bicycles, maybe to get to metro, or what the Town of Herndon can do to be a safer, more friendlier biking town.”

More than 9,000 people in Washington's metropolitan area registered to ride their bikes to work last year. Anyone who is interested in participating this Friday can register at online.

Available on the site are resources for route planning as well as maps indicating each pit stop and the times they will be open. The Herndon site will be available to commuters from 5:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Velasquez encouraged everyone to register for the event, including families with small children. The event is friendly and social, she said, and anyone can be involved.

“The event is to stress the importance of bicycle commuting in the area as a means of transportation and for a cleaner environment,” Velasquez said. “Obviously it’s a less expensive alternative to driving especially with the gas prices the way they are. And, it really promotes having local commuters be healthier both physically and mentally. That’s the most important thing.”

The mission of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association is to create a healthy, more livable region by promoting bicycling for fun, fitness, and affordable transportation, advocating for better bicycling conditions and transportation choices for a healthier environment, and educating children, adults, and motorists about safe bicycling.

Bike to Work Day is a free event and is open to all area commuters. All cyclists are encouraged to register on WABA’s Web site, www.waba.org, by Thursday.