25,000 to break the cycle by biking to work

The Cascade Bicycle Club hopes Seattleites break out of their same old daily cycle and hop on the two-wheel variety.

Friday is the Cascade Bicycle Club's Bike to Work Day, sponsored by the information-technology company F5. Last year, nearly 20,000 people left their car keys at home and pedaled to work.

"Bike commuting is accessible to everybody. You don't need fancy equipment," said M.J. Kelly, director of communications and marketing for Cascade, the largest bike club in the country.

The event features more than 40 commuter stations around the Puget Sound area — some of which will give away items such as water bottles and food, a rally at City Hall once Mayor Mike McGinn arrives on his bike, and a block party in Ballard at 4 p.m., before people bike home from work.

Haeda Yasui started biking to work as part of this month's Group Health Commute Challenge. After not having ridden a bike for more than 10 years, Yasui joined the Challenge, which allows users to track the miles they ride online, see how much carbon dioxide they're saving and how many calories they're burning.

By mid-May, Yasui had tallied 42 commuting miles and saved 41 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to her online profile.

The four-mile commute takes her a half-hour and boasts an added benefit of not having to worry about parking.

"Anybody can do it," Yasui said. "It's really fun to be active and get a new activity under your belt."

Kevin Yarnell, who commutes 25 miles from Issaquah to the Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle, says his ride takes about an hour and a half.

"I feel an accomplishment, like I actually did something," said Yarnell, who sometimes splits the distance between his bike and a Metro bus. "It actually wakes me up in the morning. ... I have a better day. I'm more positive."

Kelly hopes to see 25,000 people on Friday riding around Seattle, which was recently ranked as the nation's No. 4 best city for biking by Bicycling Magazine. The fact that nice weather has finally reached the Northwest should help bolster that number, she said.

"In Seattle you get used to riding in some precipitation, but when it's sunnier you attract the fair-weather bicycle commuters," Kelly said. "It makes it a pretty attractive time to give it a try."

David Krueger: 206-464-2212 or dkrueger@seattletimes.com