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What Is Bike to Work Day?
Every third Friday of May, people across the country trade their car keys for a bike helmet. Here in Klamath Falls, Healthy Klamath, the community outreach arm of Sky Lakes Health System, has been organizing the local Bike to Work Day celebration since 2015.
Riders (and walkers and runners) can stop at one of six checkpoints around town to log their trip, grab a free breakfast burrito and coffee, pick up some swag, and enter a raffle.
Get Into a Healthy Habit
The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week, but most of us struggle to fit that in. Dr. Stewart Decker, clinical wellness officer and medical director at Sky Lakes Wellness Center, says biking to work is one of the smartest workarounds out there.
“If you combine it with your commute, yes, it extends your commute slightly,” Decker says. “But my drive commute time is about 10 minutes, and my bike commute time is about 20 minutes. It’s not that much different for the majority of people.”
The payoff can be life-changing. Decker says regular cycling can lower your long-term risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and dementia. And it can make the workday itself go better. “People who exercise pre-work find themselves much more mentally ready for the workday,” he says.
There’s also a financial angle. Decker has been tracking his own bike commutes for about 10 years. In that time, he’s logged more than 20,000 miles and saved around $12,000 in gas. “I have saved enough to buy a car if I wanted one, just from not paying for gas,” he says.
Biking is also especially friendly on your joints. Because it’s low-impact, Decker explains, it can be a great option for people who deal with knee or hip pain and can’t handle higher-impact exercise like running.
Walking and Running Counts Too!
Don’t have a bike, or live too far out of town to ride the whole way? No problem. Healthy Klamath frames this as a bike, walk, or run to work event; any human-powered commute counts. You can even do a partial trip: drive to a park, then walk or ride the last mile or two into work.
Free Food and Prize Raffles!
Event organizer Jessica Kostick of Healthy Klamath says to show up at any checkpoint between 6:30 and 9 a.m. to get your free burrito and Gathering Grounds Roastery coffee and to enter the raffle. She notes there are lots of exciting prizes this year, including Skyrider and Turbo jump ramps from Ninja MTB Performance, plus 10-visit punch cards to Harbor Isles Tennis and Fitness Club. Healthy Klamath will also have swag to give away.
Check-in locations for this year’s event are:
- Behind the Sky Lakes Medical Center Cafeteria
- Klamath Community College
- OC&E at Wiard Park
- Gino’s Cafe & Sports Bar
- Zach’s Bikes
- Harbor Isles Tennis and Fitness
You can view these locations on the map here.
Harbor Isles will also offer free smoothies and workouts all day.
Ready to Ride?
The best exercise, Decker will tell you, is the one you actually look forward to doing. If biking sounds like fun, Bike to Work Day is the perfect excuse to give it a try — and maybe make it a habit!
