Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, left, and his chief of staff Andrew Greenhill ride their bikes to work.

He led the ride from Old Main on the University of Arizona campus to City Hall in downtown Tucson.

The ride was the mayor’s first-ever bicycle commute as mayor, but it’s something he said he’d like to do more often.

Tucson Bicycle Advisory Committee Chair Ian Johnson, who helped organize the ride, vowed he wouldn’t let the mayor be a one-and-done bicycle commuter.

Rothschild told local media covering the event that Bike to Work Week was more than just his ride to City Hall.

“It is a great week of events,” he said. “The idea is really just get people out biking.”

When asked about how events like this relate to the League of American Bicyclists’ platinum rating, Rothschild said Tucson needs more bike commuters on the city streets.

“My understanding of it is that what we are really lacking are people biking to and from work, biking to and from shopping,” Rothschild said. “We have plenty of recreational bikers, plenty of athletic bikers, so it is this kind of event that will hopefully encourage people to bike to work or to bike around with their families.”

Rothschild said he enjoyed the ride, but encountered a few of the things that can make bicycle commuting unpleasant.

“It was a blast, he said. “Great turnout, great weather and not a whole lot of traffic. I didn’t like getting behind that SunTran bus, but other than that it was great.”

In addition, the road conditions on some of the streets caught the mayor’s attention.

“We worry about potholes and we should, but a lot of our roads are just beat up in general and when you are on a bike you feel every bump,” Rothschild said. “It just confirmed my belief that we need to not just fix potholes, but go out and grade our roads and start over in a lot of cases. It is going to cost some money, but I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

He said riding a bike to work offers a different perspective of the city.

“You get a whole lot different view of the world when you are on your bike,” he said. “It’s just a better pace in terms of seeing the world.”

Ride you bike to work next week and you will be rewarded.

The 2012 Bike to Work Week begins on Monday and lasts through Friday’s bike commuter celebration at Maynard’s Market in downtown Tucson from 7-9 a.m.

This year there are over 20 locations offering freebies and discounts to bike commuters.

Check out the map I created below to to map your routes and visit as many spots as you can.

View 2012 Bike to work stations in a larger map

Here’s a list of the events as well.

Bike to Work Week is organized by Living Streets Alliance.

APRIL 9-13, 2012 BIKE TO WORK STATIONS

Ajo Bikes                                                 

1301 East Ajo Way

Monday -Friday

April 9-13, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Ajo Bikes would like to thank you for riding your bike with a free water bottle.  Stop in and say hello!

Antigone Books                                                                                 

411 North 4th Avenue

Monday-Thursday

April 9-12, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday

April 13, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Ride your bike to Antigone Books, show your helmet and say, “Bike Fest,” for a free bike sticker.

Beyond Bread

Building Health: Energy Medicine and the Arts                               

1720 N. Dodge Blvd. (just north of Pima)

Wednesday

April 11, 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

In honor of Bike to Work Week, Building Health is supporting local commuters by offering up treats for the body and soul.  Stop in on Wednesday April 11th between 7am and 9am for the following:

• Free bottle of water that you may choose to energize with a local desert flower essence
• Sore muscles? Free packet of The Desert Heals bath salts
• Clean Air Discount coupon for a healing session

Cartel Coffee Lab

Christy’s Corner Cafe and Defenders of Wildlife

La Placita Village

Monday-Friday

April 9-13

Stop by Christy’s Corner Cafe during Bike to Work Week and enjoy a free cup of Arbuckles local, Fair Trade, Organic Coffee with the purchase of a bagel.  Defenders of Wildlife will be giving away 5 reusable bags each day at the cafe to the first 5 bicyclists who stop in.  They will also have their calendars and stuffed animals for the kiddies!  Christy’s Corner Cafe is located in La Placita Village just south of the footbridge and next to the Arizona Hotel.  Learn more about Christy’s Corner Cafe on her Facebook Page, and check out Defenders for Wildlife on their website at www.defenders.org.

Law Office of Eric Post, P.L.L.C.  

FOOD STATION                 

3256 East Speedway Boulevard

Thursday

April 12, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

On Thursday morning stop by the Law Office of Eric Post for some refreshments and food on your commute to work.  Turn North on N. Camino Miramonte off of the 3rd Street Bike Blvd. and look West for his refreshment station on the corner of Speedway and N. Camino Miramonte in the parking lot.

Food Conspiracy Co-op

412 North 4th Avenue

Monday-Friday

April 9-13

Anyone who rides their bike to the Food Conspiracy CO-op during Bike to Work Week will receive a free 12-oz dark roast Conspiracy Coffee.  Don’t forget to mention Bike to Work Week!

The HUB

266 East Congress Street

Monday-Friday

April 9-13

Saddle up and bike on over to the Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery for a buy one get one HUB Scoopon when you mention Bike To Work Week and show your helmet.

Keeling On The Move 

FOOD STATION

Fontana Avenue/Blacklidge Street

Wednesday

April 11, 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Ride your bike along the new 4th Avenue/Fontana Bicycle Boulevard and stop by the Food Station just south of Blacklidge for food, drinks, and free water bottles to the first 25 people who arrive.  Pima Association of Governments + Tucson Department of Transportation are to thank for this special Bike To Work Week Treat!

Maynards

400 North Toole Avenue

Friday

April 13, 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

Maynards supports Bike to Work Week by hosting Bike to Work’s grand finale event – the Downtown Celebration. Enjoy live music, free food, awards, and more. Sponsored by the City of Tucson and Living Streets Alliance.

Oro Vally Bike to Work Day  

FOOD STATION 

Rooney Ranch (NE corner of First Avenue and Oracle Road, commonly known as the Home Depot Plaza)

Thursday

April 12 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

Stop by Rooney Ranch on your bicycle and you can enjoy a warm cup of coffee, bagels + snacks, and raffles for prizes from local bike shops!

O2 Modern Fitness                                          

Pima Community College – Downtown Campus

FOOD STATION  

Corner of Stone/Speedway

Friday

April 6, 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

The Downtown Campus will be hosting a bike to work station.  Members of the student Sustainability Club will be offering water, homemade granola, and chatting with riders.  Information about Pima will be available for those who would like to learn about classes. We will be set up at the corner of Stone/Speedway under the Pima College marquis.

The Campus will also be hosting a Ride to Work contest through April to encourage the use of alternative means of transportation.  Bikes will be the focus of this event, but all transportation methods are included.   Participants should register with the Rideshare website to track their mileage.  Prizes will be awarded to the winners!

Sky Bar                                                  

536 N. 4th Avenue

Monday-Friday

April 9-13, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Stop by Sky Bar for a free cup of coffee (one per person per day) to get your day rolling.

April  9-13, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

When you bike home from work, why not pop into Sky Bar for $1 off wells and drafts. Water refills available. Don’t forget your helmet.

Sparkroot • coffee bar + fare

245 E Congress St

Monday-Friday

April 9– 13, 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

Ride to Sparkroot any morning during Bike To Work Week and get an Espresso + Homemade Granola Bar for $3.  Fuel up on a quick, tasty, and healthy treat to energize the rest of your morning commute!

Spoke6                                                 

FOOD STATION

439 N 6th Ave, #101

Tuesday

April 10, 7 a.m.-9 a.m.

Spoke6 will be hosting a free commuter breakfast for all who ride their bikes to work on Tuesday Morning!  Enjoy a spread of bagels, coffee, and tea, and have breakfast with other Tucson commuters.  Stop by and check out Tucson’s professional co-working office space located on the SW corner of 6th Ave and 6th Street in heart of our local arts district.

Town of Marana Bike to Work Day Group Ride                                    

Marana Heritage River Park (west side of Tangerine Farms, 1/2 mile north of Lon Adams)

Friday

April 6, 6:30 a.m.

The Town of Marana in collaboration with the Marana Healthcare Center will kick off Bike to Work Week with a Group Ride on April 6.  Ride or Drive, just get your bike to the Heritage Park and everyone will bike 3 miles to the Marana Health Center to celebrate with friends and food.  When the day is over, meet at the Marana Parks & Recreation building for the return ride.  For more information visit www.marana.com .

Tucson Community Acupuncture 

2900 East Broadway Blvd Suite 170

Monday-Friday

April 9-13 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. – Don’t forget to make your appointment!

Bike and Relax!

Take a break from your commute and bike in for an affordable acupuncture treatment at Tucson Community Acupuncture.  New patients can get a relaxing treatment in our community space for $15, return patients for $10, when you show your helmet and mention Bike Fest.  Appointments are required and offer is available Monday-Friday 9am-7pm. Call 881-1887 or schedule online at http://www.tucsoncommunityacupuncture.org.  

Bike parking available outside, be sure to bring your lock!

Tucson Yoga                                               

150 South 4th Avenue

Monday-Friday

April 9-13 classes start at 7 a.m.

Rejuvenate your mind and body at Tucson Yoga.  All 7am classes are free to bike commuters who show their helmet and say, “Bike Fest”.

Editor’s note: Karilyn Roach wrote this post. She holds a MS in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona and works as a Program Coordinator with Watershed Management Group, a Tucson non-profit. She currently sits on the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee and rides a Jamis Aurora Elite.

About 150 kids and their parents came out for Tucson’s first Kidical Mass on Saturday. The website of the original Kidical Mass describes the event as “a legal, safe and FUN bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families.” Tucson’s event surely lived up to that!

Living Streets Alliance hosted the event as part of Bike Fest 2012, Tucson’s annual, month-long celebration of bicycles as a means of transportation, recreation and fun.

Staff and volunteers from Living Streets Alliance were at Himmel Park early to set up an information table with free temporary Kidical Mass Tucson and Bike Fest tattoos, stickers and other fun stuff. They also gave away about a dozen free helmets to kids who needed them, and BICAS was there to offer free bike maintenance and advice.

The Kidical Mass ride set out from Himmel Park at 10 a.m., after a brief safety talk from Emily Yetman of Living Streets Alliance. She reminded riders that cyclists are just one user of the road, and we should be considerate of cars and pedestrians and respect traffic signals and laws.

The route circled the east side of Himmel Park and continued down 3rd Street (a planned Bike Boulevard route) into the University of Arizona campus. Riders took a quick snack break outside the Student Union before circling Old Main and returning on 3rd Street to Himmel Park at noon. Riders were rewarded with $1 scoops of ice cream provided by Isabella’s Ice Cream, a locally owned, 100% electric powered, Model T-style truck.

At the end of the ride, one young rider said, “This was the funnest day ever in Tucson!” just before digging into his Solar Strawberry ice cream.

Yetman said one of her favorite parts of the day was “looking back at the group (when we came to a stop light) and seeing a sea of people on bikes as far back as the eye could reach.” She also liked “seeing and meeting so many new faces” and riding her bike with “so many people on a beautiful day.”

She credits the success of Saturday’s event to the momentum that is building for cycling in Tucson, in general, and for Living Streets Alliance, specifically, “thanks to great partnerships with BICAS, Tucsonmama.com, El Grupo,” and others.

Cyclovia, Bikes and Tykes and Kidical Mass may have passed, but Bike Fest still offers some fun, family events. Walk and Roll to School Day is April 13, and Bike to the Zoo is coming up on April 21. The full Bike Fest event calendar is here, and will be updated regularly.

Were you at Kidical Mass? What was your favorite part of the event?

Check out a few photos from the event. Check back often for additional photo from the ride.

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A mother and son participate in the San Luis Obispo Kidical Mass. Photo by SLO County Bicycle Coalition

Kids and their families will hit the streets for the first ever Kidical Mass in Tucson on Saturday.

Kidical Mass was created by Eugene, Ore. cyclist Shane Rhodes in 2008 and is designed to be a safe and fun ride through a neighborhood that puts an emphasis on getting families riding bikes.

Tucson’s first Kidical Mass will start at Himmel Park Library  on Saturday at 10 a.m. and will ride to and around the University of Arizona and return to the library for ice cream and treats.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

Families will practice pedaling with the kiddos during this short, leisurely, inaugural ride and help put Tucson on the Kidical Mass Map! Participants are encouraged to bring their helmets, however a limited supply of children’s helmets will be provided for FREE.

Families can also decorate their bikes in advance for increased visibility and for the fun of it. All kids will receive stickers and temporary “Kidical Mass Tucson” tattoos. This is a family-friendly, law-abiding ride designed to bring families together and ride safely as a group. Volunteer ride leaders and sweepers will be present to assist in making sure no one is left behind, but all parents are asked to take responsibility for their children on the road for the safety of all.

Here’s how Kidical Mass got its start:

Kidical Mass was born in April of 2008 in Eugene Oregon.  The early morning brainstorm was a combination of wanting to get more kids and families excited about riding and wanting to put together a little event to celebrate Ted White coming to town (White is creator of, Return of the Scorcher (1992), a documentary about bike culture that first coined the term “critical mass,” and, We Are Traffic (1999), a film that chronicles the often misunderstood and controversial ride).  We wanted to do something different than the traditional Critical Mass ride and Shane coined the term “Kidical Mass” (though he’s sure it has been used before).

Shane MacRhodes — who manages the Safe Routes to Schools program for a Eugene-area school district and has been active in the bike advocacy world for 15 years says “The bike movement has grown up, and now it has kids!”

This event is part of Bike Fest 2012 and being organized by Living Streets Alliance.

I’m extremely disappointed that Luci and I won’t be able to join the ride. If anyone goes, I’d be very appreciative if you’d send me some photos.

About a dozen families turned out to participate in the Bikes and Tykes events at the Mercado San Agustin on Sunday.

Several speakers discussed the pros and cons of their bike setups, family-friendly routes and safety tips. At one point there were so many bikes there, it made walking around the Mercado a little tricky.

The event was part of the 2012 Bike Fest. Check out the photos from the event.