It began more than 30 years ago as Bike to Work Day, an effort to promote cycling as a safe and healthy option for commuters. As remote work gained traction, the concept expanded, and May 14 marks the fifth annual Bike to Wherever Day, when people in Oakland and across the East Bay are invited to try pedaling to school, to work, to the coffee shop, or just for the sheer pleasure of it.

“The goals are to promote active transportation and build community,” Lauren Zampa McCormick, Bike East Bay’s community engagement director, told The Oaklandside. “It’s very much an opportunity to connect and express the joy of biking.”

Bike East Bay, the event’s lead organizer, expects more than 12,000 people to participate across Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

An Oakland pedal pool during Bike to Wherever Day, May 15, 2025. Credit: Pamela Palma

Of course many Oakland residents love cycling but hesitate to go out into the city’s streets because it often involves riding in unprotected bike lanes or on streets without any bike lanes at all. Oakland had 20 cyclist fatalities over the past five years and countless others have been hospitalized with serious injuries and survived.

The May 14 event includes advocacy work to try to change that, as well as a range of free classes and workshops that offer cyclists techniques for navigating the streets safely. 

Bike Commuting Basis is a one-hour webinar that orients participants about safety gear and offers tips for operating on city streets.

Urban Cycling 101 is a two-day intensive, with the first session in a classroom setting and the second one spent out on bicycles learning how to interact with an urban environment. 

There are also practical classes on offer, such as how to fix a flat.

Several Bike to Wherever Days in the Bay Area, including Oakland’s, will feature rides with elected officials to educate them about what it takes to make cycling safe and accessible. One goal, Zampa McCormick said, is to celebrate bike safety wins, including the installation of protected bike lines on 14th Street Downtown and around Lake Merritt; to say to elected officials, “Here’s what you made possible.” It’s also a chance to give elected officials first hand experience with some of the more harrowing stretches where Oaklanders bike every day. 

“They may not have seen the conditions of the bike lanes or how drivers and cyclists are interacting,” Zampa McCormick said, “so it’s an opportunity to highlight those areas.”

So far, District 1 councilmember Zac Unger has confirmed his participation, McCormick said, along with some staff members of the Oakland Department of Transportation. The latter will staff one of several dozen “energizer stations” throughout the city that day. OakDOT’s station, at Frank Ogawa Plaza, will dish up free morning pancakes from 7 to 10 a.m. Others will be handing out coffee, baked goods, drinks, energy bars or swag.

An Oakland “energizer station” to support cyclists during Bike to Wherever Day, May 15, 2025. Credit: Pamela Palma

In the evening, cyclists are invited to a Bike Happy Hour in Old Oakland, 5 to 7:30 p.m., on Washington Street between 8th and 10th streets, with Drake’s beer, discounts and special menu items from local businesses, and children’s activities including storytime with Aparna Krishnamoorthy, author of “On the Way to Neptune.” The event, sponsored by Bike East Bay, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, and the Old Oakland Merchants Association, will also, naturally, have plenty of free bike parking.

May 14 is also Bike to School Day in Alameda County, where families are encouraged to team up and bike, roll or skate to school together. And thanks to advocacy by Bike East Bay, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be open for biking all day.

Cyclists may register for Bike Wherever Day to get a “bikey prize bundle” or just show up. 

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