Bike Walk Alameda and Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda set up a bicycle challenge for Alamedans for the month of September. The city-wide competition aims to see how many everyday trips residents can make by bicycle instead of a vehicle.

How to participate
Sign up: Visit the Love to Ride website to register for the challenge and get the app that will allow you to track your miles and carbon savings. Enter as an individual.

On Sept. 1, start tracking your ‘transport trips.’ These are utilitarian trips, like commuting and errands around town. We will have to trust that you’ll exclude the purely recreational bike riding you do — the trips tracked for this challenge should be only those that are replacing trips you might normally take by car.

At the end of September, and no later than Oct. 3, send a screencap of your Cycle September dashboard to info@bikewalkalameda.org so Bike Walk Alameda can determine Alameda’s winner.

The cyclist with the most miles (and pounds of carbon saved) wins the prize! Beyond bragging rights, the winner will get a gift box of Alameda goodies, and ice cream with Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft.

If you have not ridden in a while, be sure to pump up your tires and make sure everything is in working order to prepare for the contest!

Make it easy on yourself when you bicycle
While carrying small things in backpacks is very doable, baskets and panniers make carrying larger items much easier and a lot more comfortable. Consider adding them to your bike.

Visit a local bike shop to see what works for you. If you want more pointers, consider attending a free online class, Carrying Things by Bike www.alamedaca.gov/Shortcut-Content/Events-Activities/Carrying-Things-by-... on Sept. 6.

Riding at night? Be sure your bike has lights and reflectors.

Why Replace Car Trips?
According to Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan:

• 70 percent of Alameda’s climate-warming greenhouse gases are generated from vehicles.
• 70 percent of all trips in Alameda are made by car.
• 63 percent of all trips in Alameda are three miles or less, an easy bike ride; 31 percent are less than one mile!

Riding a bike is a great way to do something about the climate emergency, every day. And the more of us that do it, the greater our collective impact will be.

Instead of driving to the post office, dining out, movies, grocery store, gym, school, work, etc., consider biking there. Making a habit of swapping out these small trips can make a big difference!

In addition to the climate benefits, consider these biking benefits.

Benefits to bike riding:

• Great for physical health, and if done daily for everyday trips around town, is an easy way to meet minimum standards of activity (150 minutes a week).
• Great for mental health.
• Good for your pocketbook — not only saving you gas money but wear and tear on cars, tires, etc.
• Great for our city — reducing the danger of serious or fatal collisions, noise, and pollution.

For more information about the September Bicycle Challenge, visit www.bikewalkalameda.org.

Cyndy Johnson volunteers with Bike Walk Alameda and Joyce Mercado with Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda.