It's Upon Us Yet Again

Bike to Work day snuck up on me this year - I thought it was next Thursday, but as I learned yesterday next week is Bike to Work Week, but only in some places.  So Bike to Work Day technically falls outside of Bike to Work week, but the entire month of May is Bike to Work Month.  Got it? 

I had my usual planned: leave at the buttcrack of dawn to avoid the crowds and make sure I get a goody bag, and then stop at the Oracle Station which has the best food (as far as I've discovered).  

But I ended up trying something a bit different this year...I took the train.  And while I was bracing for crowds at the train station, I somehow managed to get there early enough that I missed the first wave of cyclists entirely.  The lovely volunteers for the Caltrain Bike to Work Day Station were just setting up, and of the people that were already there on bikes half seemed like they had no idea why someone was offering them muffins.  

Leaving work was a bit of a different story, as I rode the whole way home and definitely saw some people who had no idea what they were doing, blatantly breaking laws and endangering themselves.  But on the other hand, there were ten times as many more riders being friendly, waving, smiling, and enjoying yet another day riding to work.

Plus, I got my goody bag.

It contained a Cliff Bar, a headlight, and some local bike info.

If you were one of the volunteers who helped with Bike to Work Day, kudos to you for getting up early and putting on an awesome event!  Hopefully some of the riders that chose today as their first day will stick with it...as long as none of them almost slam into me because they're running a stop sign.  

To learn more about future Bike to Work Day events in the Bay Area, check out their site here!  May is Bike to Work Month nationwide, so many places might not have had their official day yet.