Winter Bike to Work Day report
Today was Winter Bike to Work Day in Boulder, Colorado—where Peopleforbikes.org is headquartered. Despite being lodged right at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder typically has relatively pleasant conditions for biking through the winter months. We get some big snowstorms, but the bright sun dries the roads quickly, and our network of bike paths and lanes is maintained and plowed through the winter.
For this year’s Winter Bike to Work Day, we had clear roads, gusty winds, and temperatures slightly above freezing. I rode to work with my husband, Spencer, who is a year-round bike commuter too. We live just a few miles from our offices, which makes it easy to leave our cars parked at home most days.
Spencer sets out for a wintry ride to work.
Riding in the bike lane.
Of course, the whole point of Winter Bike to Work Day isn’t the fact that you are biking to work, but the strategic planning around how to visit as many breakfast stations as possible. Spencer and I made sure to stop at Ideal Market, which always has one of the biggest and best breakfast spreads.
Arriving at our first breakfast stop of the morning.
Yummy French toast.
S'mores for breakfast!
Compared to the main Bike to Work Day in the spring, the turnout was lower at Ideal Market. (Though this meant there was no line for the free coffee!) The city still expects 1,400 people to officially participate in Winter Bike to Work Day.
Spencer arrives at work after a successful Winter Bike to Work Day.
My coworker Erik visited another station by the Boulder Creek Path on his way into the office. This station seemed to be busier.
The Dushanbe Tea House breakfast station.
Especially for those of us highly motivated by free food, events like Winter Bike to Work Day are a great way to encourage people to try bike commuting during a time of year when participation tails off. Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day is this Friday, and Madison, WI and Fort Collins, CO have held similar events in the past.
Would you participate in a Winter Bike to Work Day if your city had one? Is every winter day a Bike to Work Day for you? Or does biking during the winter seem too difficult or inconvenient where you live? Let us know in the comments below.
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