Cranksgiving is a ride for everyone from racers and messengers to families and cargo bikers. It’s a celebration of goodwill and bicycles. It’s a demonstration that the bike is a great way to accomplish simple errands, like going to the grocery store. But most of all, it’s about having a great time.

The ride will start from Cal Anderson. Riders will be given a map with five grocery stores marked and a list of five items to buy. The goal is to buy at least one item at each location and get to the finish line at Genesee Park in Columbia City.

The food will be donated to Rainier Valley Food Bank, which is having a big pre-Thanksgiving distribution that day.

The first person to cross the line with all the items and receipts from each grocery will win a prize. There will also be prizes for the person who hauls in the most food, the best costume (time to shake the mothballs off that 17th Century Puritan costume) and a prize for family riders. And maybe more, who knows?

We will keep the store locations and items secret until the ride. For beginning riders, there will be at least one big hill to climb along the route. You will be provided with a bike route map, and you do not have to race if you don’t want to.

Help Out

Wanna help? So glad you asked! We need help printing and putting up fliers. Download the flier (PDF), print some off and hang them in your neighborhood. I also have some copies if you just want to help put them up. Email me and we’ll work something out.

Have another idea for promotions or the event itself, let me know.

Details of the ride

• Where: Meet at Cal Anderson, east side near 11th and Howell, end at Genesee Park near 43rd Ave S and S Genesee St
• When: Saturday, November 20. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., ride starts at 11:30
• Cost: Free to enter. Expect to spend around $20 on groceries (you are more than welcome to spend more)

If you do the Facebook thing, here’s the event listing.

Sponsors

Thanks to everyone who has stepped up on late notice to support this ride, particularly:

• Belltown Inn – Donating a night’s stay at the inn as a prize
• Capitol Hill Seattle
• Central Co-op’s Madison Market – First ten riders to get to the store get a free reusable shopping bag
• Cascade Bicycle Club – Bike lights provided to the first 100 riders. If you already have lights, then give them to the first ninja you see riding without them
• Bike Works – Lending a bicycle trailer to help us run the ride entirely by bike
• Yoga for Bikers – Donating two private yoga classes that specialize on balancing a cyclist’s body

Want to donate a prize or sponsor Cranksgiving in some other way? Email me.