30th Anniversary of Bike to Work/Wherever Day Unprecedented Success

Riders log over 6,000 miles in the Bay Area Bike Challenge on May 16th alone

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — This year’s Bay Area Bike to Work/Wherever Day (BTWD) on May 16 saw record post-pandemic participation as riders from around the region joined to celebrate the event’s 30th anniversary on a day with intermittent wind and sunshine across the Bay. 

“We are thrilled to see the outpouring of support from riders and our partner organizations in all nine counties. This year’s event was an incredible success, and it would not have been possible without the hard work of everyone involved,” said Andrew Fremier, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Executive Director.

On Bike to Work/Wherever Day, bicycle advocates and agencies hosted more than 300 energizer stations, handing out commemorative bags and offering opportunities for riders to re-energize and refuel.

Many counties reported a much larger turnout this year than last. Napa County, which combines Bike to Work Day with Bike to School Day, saw a 35% increase in participants from 2023. The extensive participation in this year’s Bike to Work/Wherever Day led MTC Chair Alfredo Pedroza and Napa County Supervisor to say, “This speaks to the dedication of riders as well as the efforts of communities around the Bay to make biking safer and more accessible. We couldn’t be prouder of this achievement and look forward to continuing success throughout the month.”

Many riders associate Bike to Work/Wherever Day with the fun and vibrant commemorative bags they pick up at energizer stations. For the 30th anniversary, BTWD interviewed Patrick Sean Gibson, the artist behind the last four years of iconic designs for these tote bags. Patrick talked about how his love of San Francisco and Bay Area visual culture influences his designs. You can find that interview on the 30th anniversary page here: https://bayareabiketowork.com/30thanniversary.

Elected officials and local leaders from each county joined events throughout the day to celebrate and encourage riders:

MTC Commissioners, ABAG Executive Board Members and Elected Officials:

Marin County Supervisor (D3) StephanieMoulton PetersOakland Mayor Sheng ThaoSan Jose Mayor Matt MahanSan Francisco Mayor London BreedOakland City Council Member (D3) Carrol FifeOakland City Council President (D2) Nikki Fortunato BasAmerican Canyon City Councilmember Mark JosephBerkeley City Councilmember (D1) Rashi KesarwaniBerkeley City Councilmember (D2) Terry TaplinBerkeley City Councilmember (D5) Sophie HahnBerkeley City Councilmember (D7) Cecilia LunaparraBerkeley City Councilmember (D8) Mark HumbertCalistoga Mayor Donald WilliamsCalistoga City Councilmember Kevin EisenbergCotati City Council Ben FordDistrict 10 (Sunnyvale) State Senator Aisha WahabNapa County Supervisor Belia RamosNapa County Vice Chair & Supervisor Anne CottrellOakland City Councilmember (D1) Dan KalbOakland City Councilmember (D5) Noel GalloOakland City Councilmember (D6) Kevin JenkinsPetaluma Mayor Kevin McDonnellSan Francisco Supervisor (D3) Aaron PeskinSan Francisco Supervisor (D6) Matt DorseySan Francisco Supervisor (D5) Dean PrestonSan Francisco Supervisor (D7) Myrna MelgarSan Francisco Supervisor (D11) Asha SafaiSan Mateo City Council Member Adam LoraineSonoma County Supervisor (D3) Chris CourseySt. Helena City Councilmember Anna ChouteauSt. Helena City Councilmember Billy Summers

Other Notable Leaders:

Berkeley City Auditor Jenny WongDirector of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Jeffrey TumlinDirector of San Francisco County Transportation Authority Tilly ChangDirector of Programs, Solano Transportation Authority Ron GrassiFormer Mayor, Suisun City Mike SegalaFormer Napa County Supervisor Brad WagenknechtNapa County CEO Ryan AlsopNapa Valley Transportation Authority Executive Director Kate MillerOakland Department of Transportation Director Josh RowanTransportation Program Superintendent, City of Vallejo Mark HelmbrechtTransportation Planning Manager at City of Palo Alto Sylvia Star-Lack

On Bike to Work/Wherever Day itself, riders logged over 6,000 miles in the Bay Area Bike Challenge. In addition, more than 5,600 people pledged to ride their bike as part of Bike to Wherever Days, which continues through May 31.

The Bay Area Bike Challenge challenges cyclists to ride and log a collective 30,000 miles from May 1st – 31st in honor of the 30th anniversary of Bike to Work Day. Only 12 days into the Challenge, on May 11, participants surpassed the initial goal. As of today, over 750 participants have logged nearly 70,000 miles across nine counties using an app called Ride with GPS. Now MTC is encouraging riders to triple the original 30,000-mile goal and reach 90,000 miles by the end of the month.

MTC will award a total of eight (8) prizes at the end of the Bay Area Bike Challenge. The top two prizes go to the person who rides the most miles and logs the most trips by 11:59 p.m. on May 31. A leaderboard shows riders neck-and-neck, with top riders already each surpassing 800 miles. Two prizes are awarded to the most creative routes, one for shape and one for points of interest. Four prizes are also given through raffle drawings so that every rider has a chance of winning regardless of skill level. More information is available at https://bit.ly/bayareabikechallenge.

Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days is presented by MTC (the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area), 511 (the region’s traveler information system), and Amazon. BTWD 2024 also receives regional support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and BART, as well as from many sponsors at the local level. Prizes for the Bike Champion of the Year winners were donated by MTC, Sports Basement, and Mike’s Bikes.

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SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission