It’s Bike to Work and School Week once again, with close to 500 people registered as of this morning in Kamloops, including 78 new riders.

The annual event encourages biking as an alternative to using cars when it comes to commuting to work or school.

Co-organizer Derek Finlayson says they are trying to motivate people to ditch their vehicles, noting that cycling is good for your health, your wallet and even the environment.

“We’ve got some great incentives this year like thousands of dollars worth of prizes and lots of events going on,” he said. “The bottom line is, we’re trying to bring a community together.”

“We’re thinking of the community when we are planning this so myself and Caitlin, the other coordinator, we put a lot of time and effort into this. Great volunteers as well, and the business community has been so supportive.”

Finlayson says there are several prizes up grabs including a trip to Italy and a new mountain bike.

He’s urging people to register online, and then visit the many celebration stations across Kamloops.

“Enter the daily prize draws, and get your golden ticket. The golden ticket is our city grand prize,” Finlayson added. “This year we have a Trek mountain bike from Nature’s Fair and Spoke N’ Motion as well as a set of carbon fibre rims from We Are One Composites.”

As part of the program, BC Transit is offering participating cyclists free rides until June 2, if they use the bike racks or show their bike helmet when boarding the bus.