Enjoy Bike To Work Day

The thunderstorms from the night before cast a gray pall over the upper parking lot of Holston River Park, but a dedicated few were up bright and early, ready to hit the road. Literally. The East Knoxville bicyclists met in the park at 7 a.m. on May 15 to participate in Bike to Work day, an event sponsored by Smart Trips, a program of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization. May is Bike Month and the week of May 11-15 was promoted by the League of American Bicyclists as Bike Week.

In observance of Bike to Work day, Smart Trips designated several meeting places around Knoxville for area bicyclists to gather so they could bike together. A free breakfast was provided at Cafe 4 in Market Square for all who participated. Dr. Linden Craig, a Holston Hills resident and Associate Professor of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine, participated in the ride. “I typically carpool to work, but bike on pretty days” said Craig. “It’s about eight miles the way I bike in, and usually takes me around 40 minutes. I don’t bike very fast.”

Dr. Jennifer Stokes, who often carpools with Craig when they aren’t biking to work, is a small-animal internist who also works at UT Veterinary Hospital. “In the nice weather I bike in three days a week,” she said. Although the sun wasn’t shining, the threat of residual thunderstorms from the night before did not deter her from showing up for the ride. “I left my car at work last night, just in case!” she laughed.