Bike to Work Day is Thursday — Are You Participating?

Thursday is Bike to Work Day, and this year is Sonoma County's 11th year in celebrating the two-wheeled effort aimed at getting people out of their cars and on bikes.

Bike advocates say cycling to and from work is good for your health, good for the environment and for the economy.

"But the biggest thing is it's fun," said Gary Helfrich, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. "I mean you have way more fun biking to work than you do sitting in a car, couped up not getting to interact with anybody, not having a lot of fun."

For Bike to Work Day, the group is setting up energizer stations all over the county, including five in Petaluma. These are places where anyone on a bike can get coffee, snacks and schmooze with other cyclists.  Send in your photos to Patch!

The five Petaluma locations are:

Walnut Park at Petaluma Boulevard South and D Street

Casa Grande High School

East Washington Street and Petaluma Boulevard North

South McDowell and Fisher Drive

Applebee's at the Redwood Business Park

All locations will be staffed 6am to 9am.

Also, Dempsey's Restaurant and Brewery, 50 E. Washington Street, will offering cyclists happy hour prices on hand crafted ales and tasty dishes from the bar menu from 4 to 7p.m.