May is National Bike Month, and the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) knows all about celebrating it the right way.
As a transportation management association, TMACC promotes sustainable, alternative options for traveling throughout Chester County. In the warmer months, they do a major push for biking as a form of transportation. And May is the perfect month to begin promotion.
“Not only is the entire month of May National Bike Month, but Bike to Work Week falls within the month,” said TMACC Executive Director Tim Phelps. “We promote a lot of fun events surrounding that month to get everyone involved in the celebration.”
Their largest and most popular event is the Bike to Work Challenge. For the past five years, TMACC has been kicking off their Bike to Work Week Challenge slated for the Friday before Bike to Work Week. The challenge? To bring the most participants out from your company to ride their bikes.
“It can get very competitive,” said Phelps. “We have large and small businesses all with a strong sense of camaraderie and love for fun. When they hear there is a prize at the end and bragging rights, it’s easy to get caught up in the spirit of the challenge.”
The prize is also created in typical TMACC alternative fashion. They call it the Bike Horns Trophy. It is a trophy created specifically for the event that looks like a deer taxidermy.
“We call it bike taxidermy,” Phelps laughed.
This year, TMACC expecting a large turnout, and they are anticipating more riders to register before the event this Friday, May 13, the day of the event. The challenge takes place on the Chester Valley Trail. For the convenience of riders, the event begins at two different locations, one at the Exton Park Trail Head and the other at the Westlakes Trail Head, and runs from 7:30 to 9 a.m. The riders will ride on the trail to PNC Bank in Malvern where a light breakfast will be served and prizes will be awarded.
Any level of rider is encouraged to come out. The ride is a slow-paced ride and is only four miles long. For more information on other bike events TMACC hosts and to register for their Bike to Work Challenge, visit www.tmacc.org.
