7th Anniversary of HER Helmet Thursdays Project

Video, audio, and history of the HER Helmet Thursdays Project below.

Thanksgiving week 2016 was the 7th anniversary of HER Helmet Thursdays, one of many Bicycling Monterey projects. Hundreds of businesses and organizations in 19 Monterey County cities and unincorporated communities participate, offering 10-50% discounts to males and females who bike.

Celebrate by visiting one or more of the participating spots.

To print and share poster, download PDF:  7th-anniv-her-helmet-thursdays-project

HER Helmet Thursdays is the first such discounts-for-bicyclists project

in the United States and remains the nation’s largest!

HER Helmet Thursdays benefits the environment and economy while helping to make the county a more bike-friendly place. It is a long-term project with no scheduled end-date.

Listings and FAQs

Click here for the Listings/FAQs page. It includes a map plus the 11-page Quick Reference Guide, which lists all participating businesses and organizations.

Watch videos…

Video begins with an introduction to HER Helmet Thursdays. See a sampling  of participating spots,starting at :50.

Special thanks to Monterey native Laurel Thomsen and Winnipeg’s Dan Frechette for contributing rights to their music in support of this project.

http://vimeo.com/157128176

January 2010 2-minute audio intro from KSBW; click here.

Listen to an audio…

April 2010 2-minute audio intro from Central Coast Public Radio KUSP. (Or watch the video above, which begins with this audio intro set to images.)

Project history and all other details

• History: To learn how the project began, read “Wheel the Earth: HER Helmet Thursdays cuts carbon emissions and costs.”
• Details: To learn lots more about HER Helmet Thursdays, go to the “H-E-R Helmet Thurs INFO” section/Quick Links page.

Below,  some earlier anniversary commemorations and more.

Charter Participants

Charter Participants—those who joined in the first year–deserve a special salute!  Without these visionaries, there would be no HER Helmet Thursdays.  Who were these early leaders, the people who grokked it from the start? Download PDF:  Charter Participants HER Helmet Thursdays – Final List

Special thanks

• Stephen Anderson of Bendyworks, a visitor to Monterey County who loves to bike here, has generously contributed technical expertise to keep the  project rolling smoothly. To learn more, click here, then scroll down to “Database tech support.”
• 3rd Anniversary: The Monterey County Weekly noted the project’s third anniversary in”The Weekly Tally” for Nov 21-28, 2012.
• 4th Anniversary: The fourth anniversary was celebrated with prize drawings from many local bike shops.
• 5th Anniversary: The Monterey County Weekly generously co-sponsored the 5th Anniversary commemoration, a full-page ad, thanks to Erik Cushman, publisher. (Gratitude also to deputy editor Mark C. Anderson, who broke the news in 2009 about the launch of the project; and [now former] assistant editor Kera Abraham, who solicited the Earth Day 2010 piece “Wheel the Earth,” to explain how the project began.)
• Other media have also provided coverage about HER Helmet Thursdays. KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, KSBW, the Californian, and the Monterey County Herald all introduced the project in its first year. Thanks to the individual media professionals responsible for those stories, including Guy Lasnier of KUSP; Ravi Kapur for KSBW; Daniel Strain and Scott MacDonald for the Californian; and Lane Wallace and Orville Myers for the Herald.
• Many more people have also contributed to the success of this project. To learn who they are, refer to the acknowledgements page.

* * *

HER Helmet Thursdays was created and launched in Monterey County as a public service by volunteer Mari Lynch, founder of Bicycling Monterey. As the 7th year begins, it’s still the case that no fees are charged to participating businesses or organizations, or to the people who bike!

If you value HER Helmet Thursdays, please make a contribution.

* * *

The Monterey County Weekly included

a full-page commemoration of

the 5th Anniversary of The HER Helmet Thursdays Project.

Missed it? Scroll to the end of this post to view it, or download a PDF below.

Download a PDF here of the 5th anniversary commemoration poster: HER Helmet Thursdays 5th Anniversary Poster.pdf. Print it (enlarged to 18 x 24 is great).

For a variety of posters to print in 8-1/2 x 11 format, including some highlighting HER Helmet Thursdays spots in particular cities, click here.

Special thanks to the locally owned bicycle shops who teamed up to make possible the 5th Anniversary commemoration (published on page 4 of the Dec 4-10, 2014 issue of the Monterey County Weekly). Thanks also to the Weekly for co-sponsoring the ad. Scroll down for links to the websites of those local bike shops, along with a list of other people who have contributed to the success of this project. Questions? Contact Mari.

The HER Helmet Thursdays

5th Anniversary commemoration

was co-sponsored by the following

locally owned bicycle shops

and the Monterey County Weekly

Þ  Bay Bikes, Carmel  –  3600 The Barnyard, Carmel; 831/655-BIKE (2453).

Þ  Bay Bikes, Cannery Row –585 Cannery Row, Monterey;  831/655-BIKE (2453).

Þ  Bay Bikes, Downtown Monterey – 486 Washington St, Monterey; 831/655-BIKE (2453).

Þ  Bear Bikes – 1288 North Main St, Salinas; 831/444-8460.

Þ  Carmel Bicycle – 26543 Carmel Rancho Blvd, Carmel; 831/625-2211.

Þ  Doug Chandler Performance AKA DC-10 – 517 Abbott St, Salinas; 831/422-3270.

Þ  Marina Cycle & Skate – 214 Reservation Rd, Marina; 831/384-2453.

Þ  Peninsula Bike Works – 1271 10th St, Suite C, Monterey; 831/643-BIKE (2453).

Þ  Sports Center Bicycles – 1576 Del Monte Blvd, Seaside; 831/899-1300.

Þ  Tony’s –   Now closed.

Þ  Valley Bikes – 64 West Alisal St, Salinas; 831/422-3453. Kindly note: usual hours are 10:30 am. – 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

This post was first published in 2014, with 2015 and 2016 updates.