Monday, June 21, 2021, is the 30th Annual International Motorcycle and Scooter Ride to Work Day.
Ride to Work is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization that advocates and supports the use of motorcycles and scooters for transportation, and that provides information about everyday utility riding to the public. Every year, it sponsors an official “Ride to Work Day” that aims to bring awareness to the benefits of using a motorcycle or scooter for commuting/general transportation.
Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:
- The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
- That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
- That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
- That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
- That motorcycling is a social good.
We fully support Ride to Work’s mission to get more people riding, make our roads safer for riders, and push local governments to add motorcycle parking and other moto-friendly ordinances.
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Ride To Work Day History
Ride to Work Day was inspired by “Work to Ride, Ride to Work” marketing materials created between 1989 and 1991 by the Aero Design and Manufacturing Company, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of motorcycle riders clothing. In 1992 these items inspired motorcycle magazine editor Fred Rau to write an editorial calling for a national ride to work day.
The first annual Ride to Work Day event was proposed in Road Rider magazine in the May 1992 issue. This is an excerpt from that “Ride to Work” editorial: “You may remember several months ago when Bob Carpenter, commenting in his ‘Two Up’ column, mentioned how neat he thought it would be if there was one day a year when everyone who owned a motorcycle used it to ride to work. That comment was prompted by a T-shirt produced by Aerostich RiderWear that simply said, ‘Work To Ride, Ride To Work.’ Everyone seemed to think that a national ‘Ride To Work’ day was one heck of a good idea.”
The first Ride to Work Day event date was July 22, 1992. For several years various motorcycle businesses informally promoted every third Wednesday in July as Ride To Work Day. These early advocates included Road Rider Magazine, Dunlop Tires, and Aerostich/Riderwearhouse. The event continued to grow as an informal grassroots demonstration every year until 2000. That year a non-profit organization, Ride to Work, was formed to help organize and promote Ride to Work Day.
The first Ride to Work Day event led by this group was the third Wednesday in July of 2001. This day was the annual day until 2008, when it was changed to the Third Monday In June. This change was made to climatically better accommodate riders world-wide, and to give more riders an opportunity to participate.
Ride to Work is a 501(c04 nonprofit, all-volunteer effort. Organizers include Andy Goldfine, Lynn Wisneski, and Christine Holt.
The post Ride to Work Day: Monday, June 21, 2021 first appeared on Rider Magazine.
Source: RiderMagazine.com