Guys. GUYS. It Was Bike To Work Day

Love it or hate it, it's happening today.  And seeing that this is really the only day a year that I get food, goodies, and lots of friendly greetings on my ride in, I'll take it.

Plus I get to hang out with other bikes.

Speaking of goodies, I was a bit bitter last year when I rolled up to an Energizer Station only to find that I was too late for anything except one of those overly crumbly granola bars.  It was at that moment that I wished those of us who biked to work every day got some sort of special recognition, but with sadness and crumbs I accepted my loss and vowed to get something cool next year.  Which is why, with much protest from my sleep deprived body, I set out at about 6:15.

I GOT ONE. Worth it.

Despite the fact it was too early to function properly, I saw quite a few people heading north.  I had a bit of fun playing "spot the regular" - and it seemed to be about half and half in terms of daily commuters and those that were just out for bike to work day.  There were far fewer people heading south though, and I was one of the very few.  The early morning cloud cover and fog probably didn't help get people out of bed to ride all that much, but I love it. 

Stopping by the San Mateo Bridge to shed some layers.

I reached an Energizer Station located near Oracle and was shocked.  Usually, these stations are little white tents set up with a volunteer or two and some bagels.  This station was multiple tables with a full breakfast spread, tons of fruit, coffee, orange juice, hot breakfast, and lots of goodies.  I got my swag bag and spent a few minutes there with people, of which there were all kinds.  It was nice to see the die hard roadies mingle with the classic commuters - everyone was enjoying themselves, taking a quick break from their rides to talk bikes over a glass of orange juice and going through the various gadgets in the Bike To Work Totes that were handed out.  

Bags!  Each tote contained a Caltrain Tag, Chico Bag, various cycling brochures and information, and a few other things.

Quite the spread!

This area near the Oracle Bridge is a major hub.  Many thanks to the volunteers for putting this together!

Continuing on, I only saw a few more people on my ride in, but it was still pretty early.  I arrived to work just as the gym was setting up their special event for Bike To Work Day, complete with free bike tune ups, more food, and massages.  I was one of the first to get there, and spent a bit of time talking to the mechanic there and eyeing the Felt bikes for sale (nice marketing strategy!) and also talking to the few people that were trickling in.  Some were regulars, some were not.  Some did this ride every day and were happy to offer advice to the newer riders, and others who'd never ridden in before were trying to figure out if they were really going to ride home. 

Bike demos and free tune ups.  Great marketing strategy!

Hanging out with some cool people and pretty bikes.

All in all, there were lots of people out there.  While I can't speak for how packed the trains must have been, the Mayor of Mountain View definitely made it out, and the people at SV Bike Style got some good photos of a few riders.  Hopefully some of the newer riders will stick with it!

But wait - the Bike to Work Day Afterparty is also happening.  And, there are prizes being awarded for a few lucky people registered on the Bike to Work Website.   The night is young!