Bike to Work Week Vancouver

Go by Bike Week is a bi-annual event held in Vancouver and other communities within B.C. to encourage folk to ride their bicycles instead of driving.

Vancouver’s Go by Bike Week

Formerly known as Bike to Work Week, Go by Bike Week takes place in Vancouver in late October. It also happens in the late spring or early summer, usually around the end of May and/or beginning of June.

The first campaign of 2022 ran from May 30th to June 5th. Registration opened in April. The fall Go by Bike Week ran from October 3rd to 9th. In 2023 the first Go by Bike Week of the year runs from May 29th until June 4th.

During the week people are encouraged to ride their bikes instead of driving and to log their rides online. In Vancouver, HUB Cycling hosts Go by Bike Week.

Folk can register for Go by Bike Week as individuals or as a team. However, past registrants do not need to re-register. They can just log in and record a new trip.

Prizes are available whether you register as an individual or as a team. The grand prize in the fall of 2020 was a trip for two to Portugal! In the spring of 2021, the grand prize was a cycling adventure for two in Croatia. The grand prize in the fall of 2022 was a cycling experience in Tuscany. There were also other gifts to be won including passes to Scandinave Spa in Whistler. Prizes for the spring of 2023 are to be confirmed.

Participants are able to access “Celebration Stations” set up across Metro Vancouver. In 2022 there were 25 stations offering bike maintenance, snacks and giveaways. 2023 details are to be confirmed. Check out the Celebration Station Map for more information.

History

The first Bike to Work Week event started in 1995 in Victoria with a group of cyclists. Their goal was to raise awareness about commuter cycling. The first event attracted around 500 participants. Since 1995 the scale of the event has grown significantly. There were over 50,000 participants in a recent year!

The event is also now called Go by Bike Week. Many communities across B.C. organize Go by Bike Week events, and some even host a Bike to School event as well.

HUB Cycling hosts the Vancouver Go by Bike Week event. The organization was founded in 1988 to improve biking conditions in Vancouver and it now has almost 3000 members. HUB Cycling also organizes the Bike the Night event that takes place in Vancouver in September.