May is National Bike Month and Bike to Work Day will be celebrated in San Diego County on Thursday, May 18. Each year, the County of San Diego teams up with SANDAG iCommute to host two of the more than 100 pit stops hosted by various businesses and organizations throughout the region during Bike to Work Day. Pit stops give riders who sign up on iCommute a free t-shirt, snacks and refreshments.

This year’s County-hosted locations will be at the County Operations Center in Kearny Mesa and the County Administration Center on Pacific Highway in downtown. By hosting a pit stop, the County of San Diego helps support the goals of Bike to Work Day by encouraging commuters to give biking a try while highlighting the benefits of cycling.

Commuting to work on a bike is a great way to sneak in aerobic fitness, build muscle and improve cardio-vascular fitness all at once. Riding even 10 minutes helps keep your metabolism humming so that when you’re back at a desk or on the couch, you burn more calories than if you hadn’t ridden. Physical inactivity has been linked to heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, depression, anxiety and osteoporosis, yet according to the Alliance for Biking & Walking 2016 Benchmarking Report, only 1.2% of adults bike to work in the U.S. These numbers are slightly lower for San Diego County.

A bicycle is a gym on wheels that can help you avoid traffic jams, save gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cities and government organizations across the county are working to improve bicycle infrastructure so that more and more people can feel comfortable riding a bike to work and in their neighborhood.

If you’re interested in learning more about biking to work, there are plenty of resources at iCommute, including regional bike maps, bike safety guidelines, and information about how to take bikes on public transit.

Bike to Work Day is May 18, register today!