One small ride for your school, one giant ride for your City.

Next Wednesday, May 10th, just might be the most awesome day of kids on bikes in TC history. Traverse City Bikes To School Day is a community-wide, multi-school celebration of National Bike To School Day and we’re ALL in.

In addition to inspiring and empowering more elementary and middle school students to actively transport themselves to class via bicycle than ever before (the previous City-wide record is 635), we will also crown The Most Bike-tastic Traverse City School with a little friendly competition.

Eastern won last year? Can the Stars defend their title (biking to bus to Bertha Vos totally counts)?

Plus we’ll have all sorts of crazy FUN! Prizes and high fives, too, of course.

1. Commit to ride your bike to school on Wednesday, May 10th. Once you commit, you’re promising to bike on the big day. Pinky swear.

2. Tell your friends, teacher, principal and lunch lady about Traverse City Bikes To School Day and have them commit, too. Yay, lunch ladies on bikes!

3. Don’t forget, to commit and help your school win The Most Bike-tastic Traverse City School award. This is a big deal and we’re taking it very, very seriously. We’re going to use some math, actually.

# of pedaling students and staff ÷
# of total students and staff at school
x 100 =
Your School’s Bike-tastic-ness number

Highest Bike-tastic-ness number wins bragging rights for the entire year and probably a sweet trophy to show off, too.

4. On Wednesday, May 10th, hop on your bike and pedal to school with some friends or join one of our many Bike Trains and pedal with A LOT of friends.

So simple. So awesome.

Do you live too far from school to bike? Maybe you don’t have a safe route to school? No worries, you can still participate.

** If you take the bus to school, ride your bike to the bus stop. That totally counts. We’ll have a limited number of our pop-up neighborhood bike racks set up at popular bus stops. If you can talk some buddies into biking-to-bus with you, let us know HERE and we’ll pedal one over.

** Does your mom or dad normally drive you to school? Ask them nicely to leave a little earlier on TC Bikes To School Day and drop you off a mile or so from school. Then ask them to join you so that both of you can pedal to school together. That’ll be fun. Not sure where you should park to have a safe route to school? Email us at hello@elgruponorte.org and we’ll help give you some ideas

** We’re also encouraging outlying schools to participate. Talk to your teacher or principal about hosting a bike “at school” event. Maybe a recess ride with your classmates? Maybe some skills practice at lunch time?

Just don’t forget to commit. If you don’t commit, you don’t get counted.

Your school needs YOU!

Are you an awesome mom, dad, neighbor who’s already biking to school with your child/fave neighborhood kid? Maybe none of our bike trains are convenient? Start your own train. Invite a friend, classmate, neighborhood kid to join you and BAM! you have yourself a bike train. Please register your new bike train HERE because more bike trains = more better.

2017 TC Bikes TO School Day Train Schedule

• Clubhouse: Meet at 6:40, biking at 6:50. Train Conductor: Tim Werner. (TART to 4 mile to EMS. Lights required.)

• Arbutus Court Park (map HERE) : Meet at 8:00, biking at 8:10. Train Conductor: Stephanie and Josh Wilson.
• Jupiter Park: Boyd at Rose Street: Meet at 8:00, biking at 8:10. Train Conductor: Christine Hill

Central Grade‘s “trains”:

• Thirlby Stadium: 13th and Pine: Meet at 7:30, biking at 7:40. Train Conductor: Jodi Jocks.
• Oryana: Meet at 7:30, biking at 7:40. Train Conductor: Laura Otwell
• F&M Park: Meet at 7:30, biking at 7:40. Train Conductor: Carrie Smith

Westwoods “trains”:

• Principal Tiesworth’s house – 1122 Fisher Road. Meet at 8:15, biking at 8:25. Train conductor: TBD

Willow Hill’s “train”:

•  Darrow Park: Meet at 8:15, biking at 8:20. Train Conductor: Principal Sides-Mackay.

Thank you, TC Bikes To School Day Sponsors!

Thank you, Community Partners!

The Traverse City Police Department will also be biking to school with us. Word on the street is that Chief O’Brien and Captain Gillis will be there, too. How awesome is that?

We are looking for extra volunteers to help keep the kids safe, count bikes at school and hand out highfives. Please sign up HERE.

Email questions to hello@elgruponorte.org.