Every spring, a growing number of Seacoast residents have ditched their cars in favor of bikes. With gas prices climbing, celebrating Bike to Work Day makes more sense than ever. This year, New Hampshire’s sixth annual Bike/Walk to Work Day falls on Friday, May 16.

In addition to saving money, getting some exercise and doing right by the environment, participants can also take advantage of free commuter breakfasts. This year, three new locations have been added to the regionally coordinated event. Rochester, Milton and Lee will offer free breakfasts, bringing the total number of participating communities to nine.

Bike to Work Day is meant to highlight the benefits of car-free commuting. Throughout the second week of May, a number of local businesses are taking part in the Corporate Commuter Challenge, which is a competition to see which businesses can get the most employees to bike to work. 
 

“We’re not advocating for people to sell their cars and ride 100 percent of the time,” said Josh Pierce, an employee of Papa Wheelie’s and a member of Seacoast Area Bike Routes, a nonprofit bicycle advocacy group. Pierce urges people to pedal to work whenever they can. “Fifty percent of Americans live within five miles of where they work,” he said.

Bike to Work Day is organized by a coalition of bike enthusiasts, bike shop owners and SABR. The Strafford Regional Planning Commission orchestrated the participation of the three new communities. “It’s the kind of thing where if somebody in any town wants to put on a commuter breakfast, we can assist them with that,” Pierce said.

A steady stream of people have been coming into bicycle shops with their old bikes in tow, hoping to get them fixed up for the summer, according to Pierce. “Gasoline is at record highs. There are a lot of people that are looking for a way to not pay as much money. Riding a bike is a good alternative. It’s a great way to commute for a lot of people,” he said.  

Next Friday, there will be free commuter breakfasts in the nine participating communities from 7 to 10 a.m. The breakfasts usually consist of coffee, juice, bagels and other snacks. In Portsmouth, the commuter breakfast will be held at Popovers on the Square on Congress Street. At 6 p.m., a group ride will leave from Market Square and, at 7 p.m., organizers will open the doors of the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge at the Portsmouth Brewery for a gathering with free food. —Patrick Law

More on Bike to Work Day, including information on each of  the commuter breakfasts, can be found at www.seacoastbikes.org.