RAGBRAI

Even though the snow hasn’t melted, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition is busy promoting 2010 Bike To Work Week on May 17-21 across Iowa.

Bike to Work Week is a celebration of commuting to work by bicycle. Many first time bike commuters use Bike To Work Week as a target to give bicycle commuting a try. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is partnering with BikeIowa.com to for an online pledge and registration system. Persons can visit the website and sign the pledge. Statistics for fuel savings, total mileage, and which employers have the most bike commuters are posted on the website.

Last year, 2395 Commuters registered for Bike to Work Week, 716 Employers participating in Bike to Work Week, 114 Cities were represented, 539 (22%) were 1st time commuters.  Approximately 63,188 commuting miles were pledged, 3,510.40 gallons of gasoline will be saved, with a overall savings of $7,336.83. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition hopes to see double the amount of Bike To Work Week participants with a larger state-wide effort. Several communities across Iowa are beginning to celebrate Bike To Work Week. As the effort increases, so do the amount of people using bicycles for transportation. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is launching an survey to collect information on what employers need to make Bike To Work Week a success.

The Bike To Work Employer Survey is at http://www.IowaBicycleCoalition.org/node/308. 

Opportunities to sponsor Bike To Work Week are still available. Contact the Iowa Bicycle Coalition at 515-309-2867 for more information. 

The Des Moines Register and RAGBRAI have been proud sponsors of Bike to Work Week in the Des Moines area.