Birmingham’s Bike to Work Day is May 19th: what you need to know

I’ve posted before supporting Birmingham cycling, so when I got the opportunity to work on the upcoming Bike to Work Day, I jumped, exams or no exams!

Bike to Work

Bike to Work Day is, just like it sounds, a day encouraging everyone to bike to work through free swag and getting a bunch of people together to have fun. Sometimes, though, the logistics of getting from your house to work are a bit messy.

CommuteSmart

That’s where CommuteSmart Birmingham and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham come in. These two groups have organized energizer stations around Birmingham’s locally-owned coffee shops. At each station, you can pick up tshirts, reflector bands, and coffee!

Have Fun!

So why participate? Besides free coffee, it’s fun, and it’s a good chance to get out and exercise without straining your schedule too badly. People in the US, and in Alabama especially, need to work out more – it helps you sleep well, it feels good, and it helps lose weight. So while you’re biking to work, pause a second and take photos of you and your friends, post them on facebook or just have fun!

Preparing

The most important part of participation, of course, is safety, not t-shirts. Own a bike? Make sure your brakes and gears are in good condition and that the tires are treaded (this is really good advice all the time, not just for bike to work day). I’ve made that mistake before, and have an adorable heart-shaped scar on my knee from the gears slipping. Since I started giving my bike a tuneup twice a year, though, I haven’t had any issues. Need to cross a hill but don’t think you can make it all the way? Look for a Zyp bike station! Some Zyp bikes have a startlingly powerful electric assist feature that makes going up hills a breeze.

How to register

To support the Birmingham community and make sure your t-shirt size will be stocked, head over to b2wbham.com and register, or join the facebook page.