Tuesday, June 11: Ride To Work Day! – Adventure Rider

Tomorrow, (June 11, 2024) is Ride to Work Day, in case you needed the reminder!

What? You mean some people aren’t riding to work regularly already, and need a reminder? Shocking, yes, but some people don’t take their motorcycle to work and this day is intended to get them to the office (or factory, or wherever they work) on the bike.

Ride to Work Day was first properly organized by Andy Goldfine more than 30 years ago. The purpose of this day is to promote motorcycles as practical transportation. Ride to Work Day is supported by a registered non-profit, with volunteers helping to spread the moto-gospel. The organization spends its time “advocating and supporting the use of motorcycles and scooters for transportation, and providing information about everyday utility riding to the public.”

See the Ride to Work website’s explanation below:

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 (now titled Motorcycle Consumer News) 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 more information, head to Ride to Work Day’s website, where you can find information on practical moto-commuting. And of course, Andy Goldfine is the guy behind Aerostich as well, a company that was set up to sell gear that makes moto-commuting easier, particularly their one-piece suits.