dougmon 

Today is Ride To Work day for my region. I've been training for three months; mostly by riding to work three or four times a week. So I'm pretty sure I can do it.

This is the day when, if anecdotal evidence is to be believed, many people come out for their only bike ride for the year. If that's true, there will be people on the road that I will actually be able to pass! I've always wondered what that's like, and today I may find out!

Happy Bike To Work Day from California.

bmthom.gis

Cool! Ours is next Friday.

bikesd

Our is next Friday too! I'm so excited to get back to doing the whole commute. I'm going for a r/t (I usually take the bus back). Fingers crossed for the big hill on the ride home.

kuroba

Nice! Our is in September (though it's more like Leave Your Car at Home Day, all commuting alternatives are encouraged, cycling included). There are many spring/summer bike commuters. Where I live it's Fall, and with the dark and cold days you don't see much people, just the "regulars".

cyccommute 

Ours isn't until late June. But I absolutely hate Bike to Work Day! It is a failed experiment that needs to end. Don't get me wrong, I encourage people to ride their bikes to work but I want them to ride on the other 259 work days as well.

Bike to Work Day just has not worked as a way to encourage riding to work more than one day a year. It works a bit like an indulgence. "Oh look at me! I ride my bike to work one day per year and I'm helping solve the world's problems!" Of course the day after Bike to Work Day, I'm back to the lone...and lonely...bike commuter.

My company gives prizes for who did the most special ride on Bike to Work Day which usually means who rode the furthest. And, of course, those that rode 30 or 40 or 50 miles to work either call to get someone to come and get them or they ride the bus back to their starting point. Nothing is said about nor does anyone notice the bicycle commuter who is out there riding to work nearly every day in every possible condition. I'm just the crazy old guy (read: fool) who rides his bike to work.

Will I ride on Bike to Work Day? Yes because I was going to ride to work anyway. Will I participate in any of the "festivities"? Nope because I need to get to work earlier to get into the shower before all the Bike to Work Day participants arrive and because I've really, really come to loathe Bike to Work Day!

ThermionicScott 

In my area, Bike to Work Week starts next Monday, and has various before- and after-work events sprinkled throughout. It's a good time.

MZilliox 

its bike to work day every day at my house

rhm

Mine too. Unless I stay home. I'm staying home tomorrow.

the sci guy 

ours is next thursday, but i believe national day is next friday, yeah? i could google it but......eh.

alan s 

Global Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 20, 2016 by Executive Order of President Obama. And yes, this applies to the entire planet. Any other day or week does not count. You are allowed to participate in other events, but to get your official "I Rode" sticker, it has to be the 20th.

https://Global Bike to Work Day

ThermionicScott 

Thanks, Obama!

dougmon 

Well...for those of you interested...

I think I saw less people on my commute today. Don't know why. Maybe some people stayed at home because they don't like the idea of "Bike To Work Day". I usually go into work fairly early, and I usually see about 8 to 10 bikers on my way there. I saw three today. But one of them nodded at me, which doesn't usually happen.

I don't know if BTWD is a failed experiment -- but at least our local city government notices it. Three new protected bike lanes opened up in my area this week. Lots of people don't like protected bike lanes -- I love them. They're a place to ride where I can be normally alert instead of hyper-alert.

I enjoyed this BTWD, though. All of us who normally bike to work anyway got together and took a group picture with our best smug expressions. So that was fun.

Oh, by the way, @ThermionicScott -- Obama says "You're Welcome."

RubeRad

San Diego's BTWD is next Friday. Unfortunately, for my work that's an off-Friday, and beyond that, facilities is taking advantage of the long weekend to work on the cooling plant, so many of the servers will be shut off, and most people wouldn't be able to get any work done even if they did want to come in on the off-day.

So I emailed around my group (like 100 sw developers) that we should Bike To Work on Thursday instead, and then we'll all ride out to lunch together at a nearby Chipotle.

I did this last year too, and ate lunch with one guy, a one-timer who had to get his bike fixed so he could ride it. Another guy rode to work but couldn't come out to lunch. He is an occasional bike-commuter already, like every couple weeks he'll ride in. (In slacks and a tie!)

I'm hoping for a bigger response this year, and plan to make it an annual thing.

Friday morning I'm going to ride out to the nearest pit stop, I'm not gonna forfeit a free T-shirt!

RubeRad

I've heard a couple personal anecdotes of people who biked to work on BTWD, were shocked at how feasible it was, and were converted to at least part-time regular bike-commuting.

alan s 

I'll bet you'd get a bigger turnout of you offered free lunch at Chipotle. Maybe your company would sponsor, but if you really want more people taking up your parking space, then offer to pay yourself.

bmthom.gis

I've never gotten a sticker! We get some free food, but it's usually stupid - like not worth the effort to go *just* for the food offerings. But, at the same time it's our Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee that hosts it, so participation is a good thing. Last year, after the free snacks there were a good handful of us who bought some breakfast burritos and hung out for a little while.

RidingMatthew

I got a aluminum water bottle, a bag, muffins, orange juice I almost for got to ride by and say hi to my friends who were manning the booth.

RubeRad

More people taking up my parking space?

alan s 

I hate it when people take my spot on the rack at work. My lock is there reserving my space. Maybe you don't have that issue where you ride. I also hate it when I have to wait to take a shower because someone else is using it. Especially if it's not a regular bike commuter. Sometimes runners are using the shower, which is totally ridiculous. They aren't running to work, but at work. Serious commuters shouldn't have to wait for someone who is merely exercising.

RubeRad

Ah I get it. I think you're just crankier than me (but we already knew you're crankier than most people).

I am infinitesimally annoyed if I get to work and somebody else's bike is in the slot I usually take. But there are always plenty of other slots. We have 6 whole-bike lockers and a rack with probably 8 slots. I can't imagine all of them ever being used simultaneously.

Or I could lock the bike up somewhere other than the designated bike parking area. Or frankly I could leave my bike laying around unlocked.

As for showers, it happens to have been quite a sausage-fest this morning, 4 guys in the 3-shower locker room at once. We managed to get around each other well enough, and never touched wieners even once!

ThermionicScott 

Even though I'm feeling somewhat grumpy today, I will say that it warms my heart to approach a full bike rack at work. I can always put my bike in my cube if need be.

PatrickGSR94

My area doesn't even have any sort of Bike To Work Day activities, and just yesterday was the first time in THREE YEARS of commuting that I saw another person on a bicycle on my morning commute. One. In 3 years. How's that for lonely.