Bay State Bike Week offers fun, eco-friendly commuting alternatives

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Personnel assigned to Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., along with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, will partner with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Bay State Bike Week, May 14 through 22.

Bay State Bike Week is a free weeklong challenge to Massachusetts residents and employees that encourages people to use a bicycle instead of a car to get where they need to go as part of some friendly competition between local businesses, universities and communities.

Register to join the challenge at http://masscommutebicyclechallenge.org.

To log the miles, participants must register and complete the online form. When registering, be sure that the Hanscom team receives proper credit on the leaderboard by entering "Hanscom AFB" under the "Business" tab. 

According to the organization's website, last year riders across Massachusetts logged a total of 146,001 miles during the challenge week.

Hanscom organizers encourage base personnel to ride a bicycle as their primary mode of transportation throughout the challenge. This includes leisure biking during the weekends.

"We are proud to be once again be participating in the annual Bay State Bike Week," said Robert Spelfogel, 66th Air Base Group environmental engineer. "All bicycle riders on Hanscom -- commuters and recreational -- are encouraged to log their miles with the Mass Commuter Challenge as part of the 'Hanscom AFB' team."

According to the Masscommute Bicycle Challenge website, top performing teams in several categories receive awards. For a complete list of prizes, visit the website http://masscommutebicyclechallenge.org/prizes/.

Hanscom AFB finished fourth last year with 4,646.22 miles logged. Lincoln Lab finished first with 11,430.79 miles.

"Bicycle riding is healthy, inexpensive and an eco-friendly form of transportation," said Spelfogel. "Bicycles don't pollute, are inexpensive to operate and are fun to use."

On Thursday, May 19 at 12 noon, riders are invited to participate in a five-mile bike tour of Hanscom AFB. Those riders interested in participating are asked to meet at Building 1825.

National Bike to Work Day, scheduled May 20, is an annual event that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work.

The Bay State Bike Week event is open to everyone who bicycles during the week, not just those who bike commute throughout the challenge period.

As a reminder to all bicycle riders, according to the 66th Air Base Group Safety Office, bicyclists must wear a properly fitted helmet with a secure head strap fastened while performing these activities on base.

For further information on events scheduled throughout the state, visit www.BayStateBikeWeek.org.