It’s National Bike To Work Week on May 13-17, so get on your bike and ride

National Bike To Work Week is May 13-17, and Sitka residents are encouraged to get on their bikes and ride this week. Also, Friday, May 17, is National Bike To Work Day.

Forty percent of people have commutes of less than two miles, which makes cycling to work about as time-consuming as driving. Not only is biking to work healthy, but it reduces pollution in the environment. Commuting by bike also is a great way to jump-start your day with a short workout.

This year, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win prizes, including a $100 gift certificate from Yellow Jersey and other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 18. You fill in one ticket for each trip to work or home by bike.

This year, we’ll hold our second annual Worldwide Ride of Silence bike ride and blessing of the bikes event. Meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, at the Crescent Harbor shelter for a blessing of the bikes with local clergy. We’ll have a short ride of silence at 7 p.m.

On National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 17, and the Sitka Cycling Club invites bike commuters to Fisheye Organic Café’s new location at 327 Seward St. (next to Subway). The first 20 bike commuters who present their bike helmets between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. will be given a free smoothie.

In 2016, Sitka found out it had been upgraded to a Silver level designation in the Bicycle Friendly Community program. We were Alaska’s first Bicycle Friendly Community in 2008, and the first to renew in 2012, earning a Bronze award both times. In 2016, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Sitka Campus earned a renewal of its Bronze award in the Bicycle Friendly Business program (it originally won the designation in 2011).

For more information, contact Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Charles Bingham at 623-7660.

Advertisements

Read Full Post »

May is National Bike Month, so where in Sitka will you ride your bike today?

National Bike Month kicks off on Wednesday, May 1, and Sitka residents are encouraged to find ways to get out and ride your bike this month. The seasons are changing, so make sure you get out on your bike and enjoy a ride.

This is a great time to help Sitka show why it earned an upgrade to the Silver level of the Bicycle Friendly Community program in 2016, and was featured on the cover of the Winter 2017 edition of Bicycle Friendly America magazine in February.

Our National Bike Month schedule concludes with the annual Sitka Community Bike Ride on Saturday, May 25, where we celebrate the 128th anniversary of the first bike seen in Sitka (on May 28, 1891) with a ride through downtown Sitka. This is a great family friendly event to celebrate cycling in Sitka, and people are encouraged to bring any classic or unusual bikes they have to this event. We hope to have someone available to do minor maintenance before the ride (pump up tires, oil chains, tighten brake cables, etc.).

Also on the agenda are National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 8; the Sitka Bike Rodeo for kids on Saturday, May 11; our annual National Bike to Work Week (May 13-18) drawing for prizes for those who commute to work or school by bike during the week; two Sitka Cycling Club monthly meetings on Wednesday, May 1, and Friday, May 24, at the Sitka Public Library; a brown bag lunch-and-learn about cycling in Sitka on Friday, May 3, at Sitka Community Hospital; the Julie Hughes Triathlon on Saturday, May 18; and the Sitka Trail Works Cross Trail guided bike ride on Saturday, May 4.

In addition, we plan a special second annual Blessing of the Bikes and Worldwide Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 15, at Crescent Harbor. This event honors those cyclists who have been killed or injured by cars or trucks and also celebrates cyclists’ rights to use the roads.

As in past years, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week (May 13-17) can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win a gift certificate from Yellow Jersey, with other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 18. To donate a prize, contact Doug Osborne at dosborne@sitkahospital.org.

Over the last year or so, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has been updating the Alaska Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. They are on the final draft, and Sitka cyclists can still submit feedback on the website. This is important since Alaska’s last update to the plan was more than 20 years ago (1994).

In addition, Sitka cyclists are encouraged to join with thousands of others from around the country as they ride in the fifth annual National Bike Challenge, a free event that runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

Cyclists can ride in the National Bike Challenge as individuals, for their workplaces or on other teams, and the mileage they log also will help their cities and states in the rankings. In 2016 more than 45,000 cyclists rode nearly 25 million miles during the five months of the National Bike Challenge (stats weren’t available for 2017 or 2018).

Don’t forget to sign up for the free Sitka Cycling Club by clicking the link at the top right of the website page. Also, join Sitka’s Bicycle Benefits program at any of our local business partners and get a sticker for your bike helmet that gives you discounts at several businesses around time when you show your helmet.

Finally, Sitka will host the inaugural Alaska Walk and Bike Conference on June 4-8 at the Aspen Suites Hotel. You can get information and a tentative schedule at the Walk/Bike Alaska website, and you can register online at this site. The first two days will focus on the Smart Cycling training program from the League of American Bicyclists, which helps people be safer cyclists. The next two days feature presentations on walking and bicycling. The final day has an optional bike ride, an optional hike with harbor cruise (with fee), and a Walk/Bike Alaska organizational meeting. The cost is $40 for the full conference, and $25 each for the two-day Smart Cycling and walk/bike presentations programs.

• 2019 National Bike Month list of Sitka events (PDF flier to print and post)

Read Full Post »

May is National Bike Month, so where in Sitka will you ride your bike today?

National Bike Month kicks off on Tuesday, May 1, and Sitka residents are encouraged to find ways to get out and ride your bike this month. The seasons are changing, so make sure you get out on your bike and enjoy a ride.

This is a great time to help Sitka show why it earned an upgrade to the Silver level of the Bicycle Friendly Community program in 2016, and was featured on the cover of the Winter 2017 edition of Bicycle Friendly America magazine in February.

Our National Bike Month schedule concludes the annual Sitka Community Bike Ride on Saturday, May 26, where we celebrate the 127th anniversary of the first bike seen in Sitka (on May 28, 1891) with a ride through downtown Sitka. This is a great family friendly event to celebrate cycling in Sitka, and people are encouraged to bring any classic or unusual bikes they have to this event. We hope to have someone available to do minor maintenance before the ride (pump up tires, oil chains, tighten brake cables, etc.).

Also on the agenda are National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 9; the Sitka Bike Rodeo for kids on Saturday, May 12; our annual National Bike to Work Week (May 14-18) drawing for prizes for those who commute to work or school by bike during the week; a Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition monthly meeting on Friday, May 4; two SEARHC-hosted Doc Talks about cycling and exercise (on Tuesday, May 1, and Tuesday, May 15, at the Sitka Public Library); the Julie Hughes Triathlon on Saturday, May 19; and the Sitka Trail Works Cross Trail guided bike ride on Saturday, May 5. SEARHC also is offering a $100 discount on the purchase of a bike at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop during May for Sitka residents who saw SEARHC health providers from October 2017 through May 2018 (with extra safety equipment provided by Yellow Jersey).

In addition, we plan a special event each day of National Bike Week, including free coffee or tea at the Backdoor Cafe on Monday morning, May 14; a Doc Talks at the Sitka Public Library on Tuesday, May 15; a Ride of Silence event to honor cyclists killed or injured in traffic on Wednesday, May 16; pedal-powered smoothies and a lunch discount at North Sister Juice and Crepe Co. on Thursday, May 17; and a celebration of cyclists at the Sitka Health Summit‘s Wooch.een luncheon on Friday, May 18 (National Bike To Work Day).

As in past years, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week (May 14-18) can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win a gift certificate from Yellow Jersey, with other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 19. To donate a prize, contact Doug Osborne at dosborne@sitkahospital.org.

Over the last year or so, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has been updating the Alaska Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, and Sitka cyclists can still submit feedback on the website. This is important since Alaska’s last update to the plan was more than 20 years ago (1994).

In addition, Sitka cyclists are encouraged to join with thousands of others from around the country as they ride in the fourth annual National Bike Challenge, a free event that runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

Cyclists can ride in the National Bike Challenge as individuals, for their workplaces or on other teams, and the mileage they log also will help their cities and states in the rankings. In 2016 more than 45,000 cyclists rode nearly 25 million miles during the five months of the National Bike Challenge (stats weren’t available for 2017).

• 2018 National Bike Month list of Sitka events (PDF flier to print and post)

Read Full Post »

It’s National Bike To Work Week on May 15-19, so get on your bike and ride

Sitka Mayor Matt Hunter is a regular bike commuter to his job teaching at Mount Edgecumbe High School.

National Bike To Work Week is May 15-19, and Sitka residents are encouraged to get on their bikes and ride this week. Also, Friday, May 19, is National Bike To Work Day.

Forty percent of people have commutes of less than two miles, which makes cycling to work about as time-consuming as driving. Not only is biking to work healthy, but it reduces pollution in the environment. Commuting by bike also is a great way to jump-start your day with a short workout.

This year, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win prizes, including a $100 gift certificate from Yellow Jersey and other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 20. You fill in one ticket for each trip to work or home by bike.

On National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 19, and the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition will hold its monthly meeting at noon at the North Sisters Crepes and Juice Company‘s new location at 327 Seward St. (next to Subway). This meeting is open to the public.

In 2016, Sitka found out it had been upgraded to a Silver level designation in the Bicycle Friendly Community program. We were Alaska’s first Bicycle Friendly Community in 2008, and the first to renew in 2012, earning a Bronze award both times. In 2016, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Sitka Campus earned a renewal of its Bronze award in the Bicycle Friendly Business program (it originally won the designation in 2011).

For more information, contact Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Charles Bingham at 623-7660.

Read Full Post »

May is National Bike Month, so where in Sitka will you ride your bike today?

National Bike Month kicks off Monday, May 1, and Sitka residents are encouraged to find ways to get out and ride your bike this month. Help Sitka show why it earned an upgrade to the Silver level of the Bicycle Friendly Community program in 2016, and was featured on the cover of the Winter 2017 edition of Bicycle Friendly America magazine in February.

Our National Bike Month schedule includes the Sitka Community Bike Ride on Saturday, May 6, where we celebrate the 126th anniversary of the first bike seen in Sitka (in May 1891) with a ride through downtown Sitka. Also on the agenda are National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 10; the Sitka Bike Rodeo for kids on Saturday, May 13; our annual National Bike to Work Week (May 15-19) drawing for prizes for those who commute to work or school by bike during the week; a Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition monthly meeting on National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 19; the Julie Hughes Triathlon on Saturday, May 20; and the Sitka Trail Works Cross Trail guided bike ride on Saturday, May 27.

This year, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week (May 15-19) can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from Yellow Jersey, with other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 20. To donate a prize, contact Doug Osborne at dosborne@sitkahospital.org.

This year, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is updating the Alaska Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, and Sitka cyclists can submit feedback on the website. This is important since Alaska’s last update to the plan was more than 20 years ago (1994).

In addition, Sitka cyclists are encouraged to join with thousands of others from around the country as they ride in the third annual National Bike Challenge, a free event that runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

Cyclists can ride in the National Bike Challenge as individuals, for their workplaces or on other teams, and the mileage they log also will help their cities and states in the rankings. Last year more than 45,000 cyclists rode nearly 25 million miles during the five months of the National Bike Challenge.

• 2017 National Bike Month list of Sitka events (PDF flier to print and post)

Read Full Post »

It’s National Bike To Work Week this week, so get on your bike and ride

Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition member Aaron Prussian helps hang a National Bike Month banner on Thursday, May 12, on the fence around the tennis courts above Crescent Harbor. May is National Bike Month, with May 16-20 being National Bike To Work Week and Friday, May 20, is National Bike to Work Day. (Photo by Doug Osborne)

National Bike To Work Week is May 16-20, and Sitka residents are encouraged to get on their bikes and ride this week. Also, Friday, May 20, is National Bike To Work Day.

Forty percent of people have commutes of less than two miles, which makes cycling to work about as time-consuming as driving. Not only is biking to work healthy, but it reduces pollution in the environment. Commuting by bike also is a great way to jump-start your day with a short workout.

This year, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win a couple of prizes. There is a $100 gift certificate from Yellow Jersey and a $50 massage certificate from Oceanside Physical Therapy as the top prizes, with other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 21. You fill in one ticket for each trip to work by bike.

On National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 20, those cyclists who show their helmets at the Larkspur Café from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will receive a 15-percent discount on their lunch. Larkspur Café owner Grace Roller said the daily special will be called The Spokes-man, which probably will be a veggie burger “with goat cheese, olives, red onion, spinach, and maybe sun-dried tomato spread or pesto aioli.”

In addition, the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition will meet at noon on Friday, May 20, at the Larkspur Café to finalize plans for the Sitka Community Bike Ride. The Sitka Community Bike Ride takes place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, with a ride through downtown Sitka to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first bike seen in Sitka (on May 28, 1891). We will meet at 10 a.m. at Totem Square, where there will be bike mechanics doing minor maintenance (checking tires, oiling chains, adjusting seats, etc.), people fitting bike helmets, and a variety of contests (such as oldest bike, most visible bike, most unique bike, etc.).

We also will have an update later this week on the results of Sitka’s Bicycle Friendly Community renewal application, which was submitted in February. We were Alaska’s first Bicycle Friendly Community in 2008, and the first to renew in 2012, earning a bronze award  both time. We are hoping to upgrade our status from bronze to silver or gold.

For more information, contact Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Charles Bingham at 623-7660.

Read Full Post »

It’s National Bike Month, so where in Sitka did you ride your bike today?

National Bike Month kicks off today (Sunday, May 1), and Sitka residents are encouraged to find ways to get out and ride your bike this month.

Our National Bike Month schedule includes National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 4; the Sitka Bike Rodeo for kids on Saturday, May 7; our annual National Bike to Work Week (May 15-20) drawing for prizes for those who commute to work or school by bike during the week; a National Bike to Work Day discount lunch on Friday, May 20, at the Larkspur Café; the Julie Hughes Triathlon on Saturday, May 21; and the Sitka Community Bike Ride on Saturday, May 28, where we will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first bike seen in Sitka (on May 28, 1891) with a ride through downtown Sitka.

Gov. Bill Walker has gotten behind the cycling community and has issued state proclamations honoring National Bike Month. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities also issued a press release about National Bike Month.

This year, those cyclists who ride their bike to work, school or on errands during National Bike To Work Week (May 15-20) can fill out tickets at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for a chance to win a couple of prizes. There is a $100 gift certificate from Yellow Jersey and a $50 massage certificate from Oceanside Physical Therapy as the top prizes, with other prizes possible. The prize drawing will be at the Julie Hughes Triathlon on May 21. To donate a prize, contact Doug Osborne at dosborne@sitkahospital.org.

On National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 20, those cyclists who show their helmets at the Larkspur Café from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will receive a 15-percent discount on their lunch. Larkspur Café owner Grace Roller said the daily special will be called The Spokes-man, which probably will be a veggie burger “with goat cheese, olives, red onion, spinach, and maybe sun-dried tomato spread or pesto aioli.”

In addition, Sitka cyclists are encouraged to join with thousands of others from around the country as they ride in the third annual National Bike Challenge, a free event that runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

Cyclists can ride in the National Bike Challenge as individuals, for their workplaces or on other teams, and the mileage they log also will help their cities and states in the rankings. This event launched in 2012, but some changes this year and last year will make it easier for people to participate. The challenge was extended a month last year, so it now is five months long and covers the entire summer. The 2016 goal is for 100,000 cyclists around the country to ride 75 million miles from May 1 through Sept. 30.

• 2016 National Bike Month list of Sitka events (PDF flier to print and post)

Read Full Post »