Thousands of Coloradans will hit the pavement on June 26, part of a campaign that supporters say would help improve the region’s air quality. 

Bike to Work Day — organized by Way to Go, a program of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) — returns for its 34th year on Wednesday. The goal, organizers said, is to encourage local commuters to pick up their bicycles instead of their car keys. 

Those using their bikes to get to work during the day can stop by various stations scattered across the metro Denver area to receive free breakfast, water and coffee between 6 and 9:30 a.m.

Participants can also register on the event’s website, entering a raffle for various prizes like a free e-bike. Many businesses and nonprofit organizations enter teams of riders. 

“The people participating in Bike to Work Day are showing their commitment to healthy living, as well as the desire and need for expanded and improved bike infrastructure in the Denver region,” Charmaine Robledo, a spokesperson for DRCOG, told The Denver Gazette.

The event had grown to become the second most popular in the nation prior to the pandemic, with more than 30,000 riders participating, according to the DRCOG.

The pandemic and increase in the number of employees working remotely slowed its growth, but the amount of participants remains strong, Robledo said.

Around 6,500 people are currently registered to ride on the event’s website, but DRCOG “typically sees folks participating on the day of the event without signing up online, and we estimate the final attendance will be around 19,000 to 20,000,” Robledo said.

“In 2021 with the first post-COVID event, Bike to Work Day had an estimated 8,000 riders. Last year, the 2023 event boasted 18,000,” she said.

Those looking to register and find breakfast stations along their route can visit biketoworkday.co.