This article appeared in the Shelton Herald:

By Shelton Herald on May 8, 2014 -- Local residents are being urged to use their bicycles to get to — and from — their work places on Friday, May 16, which is National Bike to Work Day.  According to the Bike Walk Connecticut organization, bike commuting reduces traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas, and burns calories...  READ the full Shelton Herald story here.

This article appeared in the Hartford Courant.

By DON STACOM, dstacom@courant.com for The Hartford Courant, May 10, 2014--Bike Walk Connecticut has a pitch for commuters who grumble about traffic backups, potholes and aggressive drivers: Try something different next week.  The advocacy group is promoting Bike to Work Day on May 16 as a chance for commuters to test-drive the idea of parking the car and setting out on two wheels instead...  READ the full Courant story here.

This article ran in the Hartford Business Journal. 

Hartford nonprofit Bike Walk Connecticut is organizing this year's Bike to Work Day on May 16.

The organization will help put together more than 20 breakfasts and events throughout the state, including the Hartford gathering event at 8 a.m. at the Old State House. 

Read the full article here. 

Hartford, CT (April 30, 2014) - Bike Walk Connecticut is promoting bike commuting all around the state on May 16-National Bike to Work Day. Bike commuting reduces traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas-and burns calories!  More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a realistic, fun way to get to work.  Rookies, veteran commuters and everyone in between are encouraged to pledge to Bike to Work on May 16 at www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work. 

What: More than 20 Bike to Work Day breakfasts and events are scheduled incities, towns and at companies around the state on May 16. Nearly 20 separate meetups are also scheduled throughout the state. State government agencies are in on the action too, competing for the "Commissioner's Cup."

When: May 16, 2014, National Bike to Work Day

Hartford Event: Old State House (East Lawn), 800 Main Street, Hartford, 7 to 9 a.m., Program at 8 a.m. Held Rain or Shine. 

Who: Bike Walk Connecticut with State Senator Beth Bye; DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee; DPH Deputy Director Kathleen Lewis; DAS Deputy Commissioner Martin Anderson; and Insurance Deputy Commissioner Anne Melissa Dowling at program at Old State House in Hartford  

Statewide Events: Other Bike to Work Day events will be held all across the state. For details, see: http://www.bikewalkct.org/event-locations.html

Meet-ups: For a full list of meet-ups throughout the state,  see: www.bikewalkct.org/meet-ups

Contact:  
Tara Cantore
 tara@bikewalkct.org
860.904.2420

Kelly Kennedy
Executive Director   kelly.kennedy@bikewalkct.org
860.977.1179

Bike Walk Connecticut, a statewide, not-for-profit membership organization, works to make Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.

Hartford, CT (May 10, 2013) – Bike Walk Connecticut is promoting bike commuting all around the state on May 17, National Bike to Work Day. Bike commuting reduces traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas—and burns calories! More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a realistic, fun way to get to work. Rookies, veteran commuters and everyone in between are encouraged to pledge to Bike to Work on May 17 at www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work. 

WHAT: 

More than 20 Bike to Work Day breakfasts and events are scheduled in cities, towns, and at companies around the state for the morning of May 17. Nearly 30 separate meetups are also scheduled around the state. State government agencies are in on the action too, competing for the “Commissioner’s Cup.” 

WHEN: 

May 17, 2013, National Bike to Work Day 

HARTFORD EVENT: 

Old State House, 6:30 AM to 9 AM. Program at 8 AM. Rain or shine. 

STATEWIDE EVENTS: 

Other Bike to Work Day events will be held across the state. For details, see www.bikewalkct.org/event-locations. 

MEET UPS: 

For the full list of Meet Up locations, see www.bikewalkct.org/meet-ups. 

WHO: 

Bike Walk Connecticut, with Commissioners Jim Redeker (Transportation), Catherine Smith (Economic & Community Development) Dan Esty (Energy & Environment), and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra at the Hartford Old State House program. 

SPONSORS & PARTNERS: 

Bike Walk Connecticut, Travelers, The Village Ride, City of Hartford, Newington Bicycle, Berlin Bike, Bicycles East, REI, Suburban Ski and Bike, DEEP, and the City of Hartford. 

Bike Walk Connecticut, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, promotes bikeable, walkable communities for a healthier, cleaner Connecticut. 

Hartford, CT  –  Bike Walk Connecticut and CTTRANSIT invite commuters to try a new way to get to work – riding a bike. Bike commuting reduces vehicle traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas and is the healthy way to travel! For those with long commutes, CTTRANSIT offers bike racks on the front of all its buses – a commuter can bike to the bus, ride to a stop near their work location and then bike to work.

To support bike commuting, Bike Walk Connecticut and CTTRANSIT will host a breakfast social for bicycle commuters on July 20, from 6:30 am to 9 am, at the Old State House in downtown Hartford. The bike to work breakfast is an opportunity for new bike commuters to learn tips from the experienced and for all to enjoy the camaraderie. CTTRANSIT will have a bus at the breakfast so that cyclists can practice putting a bicycle onto the bus rack.

According to CT Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker, “Bicycling is an increasingly important mode of transportation in Connecticut. It’s an option that more and more of us are considering. It’s ‘green,’ healthy and smart – not to mention fun.”

East Hartford, CT (July 19th, 2012) –  Bike Walk Connecticut, Pratt & Whitney, Goodwin College, and Healthy East Hartford are taking the lead to encourage bike commuting.  They will be joined by co-sponsors Healthy Gears, American Eagle Federal Credit Union, and Bicycles East to bring you a breakfast social for bicycle commuters on Thursday, July 19th.  Bike commuting reduces vehicle traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas and is the healthy way to travel!  According to CT Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty, “Cycling is a healthy, cheap, and environmentally friendly alternative to driving to work. Any day that begins with a bike ride is a good day!”

East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc will be speaking at the event at 7:45AM.  Mayor Leclerc says, “I am pleased to join Bike Walk Connecticut and all the sponsors and riders in the East Hartford Bike to Work Day. This event serves to encourage more people to commute by bicycle and to promote a healthier lifestyle. The mission of Healthy East Hartford is to reduce childhood obesity and there is no better example to our children than to see adults who participate in an active lifestyle.”

Tips for those planning to give biking to work a try:

Hartford, CT (May 14, 2012) – Bike to Work Day is May 18, and Bike Walk CT invites bicyclists to take part in events in Hartford or West Hartford.  The weather looks good for Friday, but Bike to Work events will be held rain or shine.

Bike commuting novices and veterans alike are invited to join Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, Dan Esty, at the West Hartford and Hartford events.  For the second year in a row, Commissioner Esty is doing the 35-mile ride from his home in Cheshire to West Hartford, then continuing on to Hartford.  

Asked why he backs bike commuting, Esty says “Cycling is a healthy, cheap, and environmentally-friendly alternative to driving to work. Any day that begins with a bike ride is a good day!”

Bike to Work Breakfast at REI in West Hartford
REI is sponsoring a free breakfast beginning at 6:30 am, with a ride departing for the downtown Hartford event at 7:15 am.  REI is located in Blue Back Square, at 71 Raymond Road, West Hartford.  Click here for map and directions.

Or Join Bike Walk Connecticut at the Old State House in Hartford
Bike Walk Connecticut will provide free breakfast to bike commuters from 6:30 am to 9 am, with a short program at 8 am. The event will be held on the east lawn of the Old State House, where numerous rides will be converging from all directions.  Check http://www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work/meet-ups/ for the full schedule.

Need Bike to Work Tips?
For tips on biking to work, visit our tips page at www.bikewalkct.org and see the full list of bike to work activities at http://www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work.

For more information contact Sandy Fry, Bike to Work and National Bike Challenge Chair for Bike Walk Connecticut at sfry@crcog.org , or Kelly Kennedy, Bike Walk CT Executive Director, at kelly.kennedy@bikewalkct.org.

Bike Walk Connecticut is taking the lead to encourage bike commuting in Connecticut.  Bike commuting reduces vehicle traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas—and burns calories!  We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to making bicycling and walking safe, feasible and attractive for a healthier, cleaner Connecticut.  Visit us at www.bikewalkct.org.

Hartford, CT (April 23, 2012) –  With May designated as National Bike Month and May 18 as National Bike to Work Day, Bike Walk Connecticut is taking the lead to encourage bike commuting.  Bike commuting reduces vehicle traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas--and burns calories! 

Bike to Work Day is May 18
Bike Walk Connecticut is helping to set up Bike to Work breakfasts statewide.  To date, events are scheduled in Bethel, Farmington, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury, and West Hartford and more are in the works. 

Bike Walk Connecticut is working with bicycle advocacy groups, regional planning organizations and CT Rides, the state’s transportation demand management program, to make clear that bicycling is an important option in our multi-modal transportation system.

Take the National Bike Challenge
Coinciding with National Bike Month is the launch of the National Bike Challenge (www.nationalbikechallenge.org), an online tool to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health.  The challenge runs from May 1 to August 31 and has a goal of “uniting 50,000 people to bike 10 million miles.” 

The challenge website makes it easy to log bike trips, whether they are commuting, for errands, for recreation or by mountain bike—any trip by bike may be entered in the challenge.

Cyclists can compete in the challenge as an individual, as part of a workplace, as part of a community, or as part of a 10-member team.  Connecticut will compete in the National Bike Challenge against other states on a points per capita basis.    

Bike Walk Connecticut is coordinating the state challenge and aims to make sure that Connecticut is well represented. 

For more information
For details about participating in or organizing a Bike to Work event in your town, see www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work/ or contact Sandy Fry, Bike to Work and National Bike Challenge Chair for Bike Walk Connecticut at sfry@crcog.org , or Kelly Kennedy, Bike Walk CT Executive Director, at kelly.kennedy@bikewalkct.org.