For current year, start with http://bit.ly/BikeMonthUSA on this site.

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2013 Monterey Bay region Tri-County Bike Week / Bike Month activities.

For Monterey County, refer to May listings in April-May 2013 Calendar of Biking Activities for Monterey County.

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For 2012 events:

Click here to go to Monterey County Bike Week May 7-13 activities.

Click here to go to Monterey Bay Tri-County 2012 Bike Week portals / bike2work.com

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Un poquito de información en español sobre las bicicletas… BicyclingMonterey.com.

San Benito:  http://www.sanbenitocog.org/bicicleta/index.html

Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties are celebrating Bike Week, May 9-15–and it is celebrated nationwide.

Here’s a quick summary of Monterey County activities.

For details, read on….

Admiring the 2nd Annual (1996) Monterey County bike celebration shirt in the photo above is my daughter, Sierra (then age 7),  with our friend Renee.

It was “Bike Day” back then.  A good thing has grown:  Now it’s Bike Week, this year scheduled for May 9-15.  And special activities spill into the entire month of May for our Monterey Bay tri-county region.

Pre- Bike Week discounted safety checks

If you aren’t sure your two wheels are ready to get you where you want to go, take advantage of the $10 safety checks and minor tune-ups offered by local bike shops.   Get a discounted bicycle check-up, April 4 – May 15, 2011.

Bike day, bike week, bike month…

If you’re in Monterey, San Benito, or Santa Cruz counties, refer to the  Bike2Work.com website; or go directly to Monterey,  San Benito, or Santa Cruz sections.

Outside the Monterey Bay region? Nationally, check the League of American Cyclists website–dates may vary at different locales.

Bike to work

Here’s one Monterey County cyclist who bikes to work all year long:  Heller Estate Organic Vineyards winemaker Rich Tanguay. Check out his beautiful commute neighborhood and see why he loves to bike to work.

Maybe, like me, you work at home.  No worries, besides Bike to Work,  there are Bike to School, Bike to Worship, and bike-anywhere activities.  Remember some of the cool things going on for 2010 Bike Week? Don’t miss the fun!

2011 Activities in Monterey County

The poster below includes this year’s primary local Bike Week activities.  See schedule on the TAMC site for details.

Remember this year-round event, including Thurs, May 12:  HER Helmet Thursdays

May 12 is also a HER Helmet Thursday, yet another great reason to bike that day.  Visit an HHT business or organization in one of these Monterey County cities, and save money:   Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, Pacific Grove, Salinas, San Ardo, Sand City, Seaside, and Soledad! Look for participating locations on the HHT clickable map.

Four new-for-2011 Bike Week activities:

Bike to Worship, Dress-Up Challenge, Seaside PAL Bike Fair, Recreational Ride from Seaside to Monterey

1. Bike to Worship May 9-15.
2. An unrelated event–though some folks do still like to dress-up for worship, of course:  Dress-Up Challenge, with prizes.  This is a community awareness-building event, not a competition; prizes are awarded in a free raffle drawing.  To qualify for the raffle, share a photo by May 14; details at Dress-Up Challenge post.
3. Seaside Police Activities League (PAL) is planning a bike rodeo, helmet giveaway (250 helmets!), entertainment, and more on Sunday, May 15, 11-4.  This PAL Bike Fair will be a free, fun day for families and individuals.   It celebrates, too, that Amgen is coming to Seaside on May 19.
4. Recreational Ride, May 15, 4:30 p.m. from Seaside to Monterey.  Rich Deal, City Traffic Engineer for the City of Monterey, will be the ride ambassador.  Rich encourages you to bring your family and friends, all ages, for this 2.7 mile, 15-20 min (one-way) ride on the bike/multi-use path.  Meetup with Rich and others 4:15-4:30; for details, click here.

Can’t make these activities?

Here’s another way to celebrate Bike Week:

May 14 – Bike to the beach! And help Save Our Shores clean up.  Get a free ticket to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, valid June 4 or 5,  as a thank you.  See “Bike to the Beach” post for more info.