Saddle Up! Bike to Work Week Starts Monday

Ask any cyclist who commutes to work and they'll tell you the ride is often the best part of their day. Think about it. A great wakeup in the morning, fresh air, exercise, you can even have a coffee while you ride (the seawall that is). Coming home from work, you get that great buffer that takes you from work mode back to real life. Ah, the sweet life on two wheels. I've been doing it for eight years now and even on those damp morns, everything is still alright a few minutes into the ride.

The Lower Mainland's second annual Bike to Work Week begins this Monday, May 26. Organized by the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC), the point is to get more bums onto bike seats, and they have the goods to get you sorted. From "rush hour" commuter stations (check this handy map) to afternoon BBQs, bike-a-day giveaways and themed rides about town, both new and experienced cyclists will find more fun and support than imagined.

It's a simple step with complex repercussions. Do it for any number of reasons: eliminating carbon emissions, combating high gas prices, fine tuning your health and fitness, relieving stress, or, my fave, the sheer fun of cycling our city's greenways and bike routes.

Leading up next week, the main thrust is to get people together at your workplace, form a team and sign up online. You will then "compete" with other teams throughout the week by logging distance traveled, number of riders and other variables. Their are lots of prizes to be won, including a bike giveaway every day that week. And those are some fine looking rides, to boot.

One look at the website and you can see the results are already pouring in...and the tally hasn't officially started yet. 138,000km biked so far with a carbon offset savings of 32,000kg. Serious numbers. But from a personal point of view, the week is more about opening up and getting out there...experiencing the joy of self-propelled travel.

I spoke with Mia Kohout of the VACC about some of the good times Bike to Work Week promises.

BR: So, Mia, this is the second year for Bike to Work Week, last year's being a great success. What are your goals for this year's event?

Mia Kohout: I want to double our numbers from last year - that's 700 workplaces, 7000 participants and 1000 new cyclists.

BR: What are your picks for where and when to get the most out of Bike to Work Week?

Kohout: The BBQ (Friday May 30, 4pm at the Science World gazebo) is definitely the most attended event. Other big stations - the Lions Gate Bridge, Adanac and Ontario bike routes. Look for the lawyers wearing robes on Thursday, it's when the lawyers Bike to Work for Access to Justice.

BR: What is your favourite part of biking to work?

Kohout: My favorite part of biking to work is how good it makes me feel about life - well, when it's sunny. I can usually be caught with a silly grin on my face by any cyclists passing by. That's the other favorite part of my ride to work: the smiling faces of other cyclists whom probably feel the same way that I do.

BR: Any hot tips for first time commuters you can share?

Kohout: Yes, plan your route! It's so important. New cyclists most likely don't know that our great cycling routes exist. Last year, I met a new cyclist who tried biking to work for the first time, and he took Clark to Hastings because that's the way he drove. Needless to say, I was very happy to put a bike map in his hands at one of the commuter stations.

BR: What's one thing you believe the city can do to make cycling that much easier for commuters?

Kohout: They need to continue to complete our network, re-pave the cycling routes and work on getting cars off some of the artilleries.

BR: Do you have a message for our readers considering biking to work?

Kohout: In the words of academic John Pucher: "Cycling is for everyone". And the second message, you don't need to wear spandex and lycra to be a cyclist. In fact, most people would probably prefer it if you didn't!

Bike to Work Week events are taking place throughout the Lower Mainland, May 26 - June 1. See you on the Adanac!

Photos by Bhlubarber