More than 200 people showed up Thursday morning for the 10th annual Maricopa County and City of Phoenix Bike to Work day. It’s a group bike ride from Park Central in midtown to City Hall.
But if you think biking to work is just a recipe for sweaty work clothes and a strained hamstring, we have some advice.
A bike bell might not be enough to protect cyclists on the road. Sure, on bike to work day you’re surrounded by police officers on motorcycles, not to mention more than a hundred other bikers. That makes new riders like Kimberly Clah feel safer.
"I’m nervous if I’m biking alone," she said. "But if I bike with a group I’m more comfortable."
But it’s tough to say if new riders out here today will opt for the bike tomorrow. So I asked some of the spandex-clad, seasoned riders for tips on how to bike to work.
First, make sure drivers see you.
"Look them in the eye," Eartha Washington said. "You have to look them in the eyes like, you see me, I see you. I’m doing this."
Washington commutes to work 18 miles one way. If that seems like a lot, here’s another tip from Marian Corriveau who commutes 33 miles.
"It’s hard to do round-trip, but I’ll do one way," she said.
She said she'll get back home on the bus.
Libby Coyner is a member of Phoenix Spokes People, a nonprofit group working to make Phoenix more bike friendly. She said you can have your normal morning routine and bike, too. You can even grab that coffee to go.
"Oh definitely, um, a lot of us have coffee holders on our bikes," Coyner said.
So, you’ve made eye contact, you’ve planned your commute, you’ve got your coffee. The last thing you’ve got to do is get to work looking more or less like you did when you walked out the door. Colin Veitch said looking fresh after a bike ride can be tough to do.
"Yeah definitely I always arrive a little bit early, try to get there early in the morning before it gets really hot and I bring a change of clothes," he said.
After the helmets are strapped on tight, it’s time to go to work. The bikes flood into Central Avenue, taking up the street and stopping traffic. But tomorrow it’s back to sharing the road and maybe there will be more bikes on it than before.
