Employees from two Morgan Hill companies will leave their cars
at home and ride their bikes to work Thursday. They
’re joining other riders from throughout the Bay Area in Bike to
Work Week activities.
Employees from two Morgan Hill companies will leave their cars at home and ride their bikes to work Thursday. They’re joining other riders from throughout the Bay Area in Bike to Work Week activities.
Specialized Bicycle Components and Anritsu Co. have for the past several years encouraged their employees to take part in a program promoted by the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition. Anritsu will participate for its fourth annual year; this will be the seventh year for Specialized.
This year, they’re taking it a step further. Employees from the two firms meet this afternoon in a soccer match. On Friday, Anritsu hosts a 3k/5k fun run and walk for its employees.
On Thursday, Specialized will host a no-cars-in-the-parking lot event. Beginning at 9am, employees will ride through Morgan Hill leaving from their parking lot on 15130 Concord Circle to promote bikes sharing the road with cars.
Ariadne Delon Scott, Specialized’s special projects director, said last year 50 employees rode through town and stopped at businesses to talk with people about sharing the road.
Scott said members of the public are welcome to join them.
“We want to bring awareness of cycling in our town,” Scott said. “We encourage everyone to come out whether they ride for fitness, fun or transportation. It will be a fun, friendly ride. We will obey all the rules of the road.”
Both companies will treat those who ride to work with breakfast.
“(This is) to help promote our Good Health Theme for our employees,” said Gina Varela, corporate communications manager for Anritsu. “We have about 100 employees signed up to participate in this event.”
Varela said most of the employees who will be riding to work have participated in the past.
Kyle Stickle, an engineer at Anritsu, said he has taken part in ride-to-work activities for the past three years. He said the ride from his home in San Jose is flat, for the most part, but the wind can pick up in the afternoon to about 20 mph making the ride tough at times.
“I have competed in two triathlons and this is good training for it,” Stickle said. “That and gas prices are so high; I’m killing two birds with one stone.”
Anritsu, the second largest employer in Morgan Hill, designs, manufactures and distributes wired and wireless technologies, including fiber, microwave/ RF, optical and digital mobile radio test solutions for the communications market.
Specialized, the 18th largest Morgan Hill employer, designs road, mountain and racing bicycles and accessories that are manufactured internationally. It’s headquarters have been in here since 1974.
