Biking event welcomes new cyclists

When planning the Spokane community’s annual springtime biking event this month, organizers realized that they wanted more involvement than just commuters. “When we started Bike to Work, it was easy to latch onto the people who ride to work, but this is just one use,” said Barb Chamberlain, co-chair of the May event which now bears the name Spokane Bikes. Some people ride purely for health benefits, some to spend time outdoors with family or fellow cyclists, some to avoid using fossil fuels, some need to get from Point A to Point B using their own power. “We want people who ride for any reason to be able to take part,” she said. “It gets us out of the ‘Bike to Work’ box.” The fourth-annual celebration of cycling includes events all month, but the bulk of them take place May 16-20. Traditional events include the kick-off pancake breakfast May 16 at Riverfront Park; Energizer stations, which are area businesses who will offer treats and encouragement to cyclists the morning of May 18; a Ride of Silence May 18, which will raise awareness of bike safety, and the wrap-up party hosted by Steam Plant Grill May 20. Chris Lattin, who shares co-chair duties with Chamberlain and Erika Henry, said the local interest in cycling increases each year. “We expected maybe 200-300 participants the first year, and we had 900,” he said. “It keeps growing.” In addition to the overall name change and wider focus, changes were made to the commuter challenge, which previously rewarded riders who logged the most miles that week, or businesses that had a high percentage of employee ridership. “This recognized people who were cycling anyway,” Chamberlain said. “Our goal this year is to get new people started cycling.” People interested in being part of Spokane Bikes this year are asked to sign up on the web site, even if you’ve registered in a past year. If you’re new to cycling, there’s a spot to share the name of the person, club or employer who encouraged and motivated you enough to give the activity a try. “Whoever helps get the most people motivated this year will be the commuter challenge winner,” she said. “This is part of our goal to recognize more people.” Helping making this year’s event happen are two organizations, Associated Industries and United Healthcare. APR’s Cher Merrill said her company provides health care plans among other services, and one of its clients, UnitedHealthcare, is always looking for opportunities to get involved with health-related community efforts. “We talked about Little League, Hoopfest, Bloomsday, but nothing had the right fit,” she said. “Bike to Work seemed perfect.” Along with being a Gold Wheel co-sponsor, UnitedHealthcare had other contributions: bringing in two members of the pro cycling team it sponsors. Morgan Schmitt and Max Jenkins will attend the kick-off breakfast and visit the downtown YMCA a few hours later to talk with kids about the importance of exercise, good nutrition and bike safety. Kids who show up will get helmets. Getting involved with Spokane Bikes is a good warm-up to cycling events later this spring and summer. For the second year, Spokane and the SpokeFest Association will organize Summer Parkways, occasions when the city closes certain streets to motorized traffic for a few hours and invites people to walk, cycle or skate. These are planned for June 22, July 24 and Aug 14. Then Sept. 11 will be the return of SpokeFest, a community-wide bicycle celebration. “All of these events have the goal of getting more people out there riding,” Chamberlain said. For more information and a full schedule visit http://spokanebikes.net/wordpress/.