WHAT IS IT?

Bike to Work Day is part of the Go DTO Commuter Challenge that we’ve been talking about for four months now. We telecommuted in July, rode SunRail in August, carpooled in September, and walked in October. And on Friday, we’ll be popping wheelies with the Mayor.

Bike to Work Day is also a part of Central Florida’s Mobility Week initiative that launched in 2016. It’s essentially a week of outreach events intended to promote different transportation choices and roll out new initiatives or policies.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The party starts at 7 a.m. at Orlando Festival Park in the Milk District. Folks who show up on two wheels will get free coffee and free bike tune-ups, along with getting entered into some sweet raffle giveaways. At 8 a.m., we’ll set off down Robinson Street and hang a left on Orange Avenue toward City Hall. Mayor Dyer will give out medals to the largest teams, and the work day will resume as normal.

WHY BIKE?

• See the city. If you live and work in the downtown area, biking is a great way to really see the city. AND you’ll be riding along with other members in the community — it’s essentially one big happy group outing.
• Exercise. Biking is also a great way to close out those exercise rings and get an impromptu work out in. November is one of maybe four months where you can bike to work and not show up completely soaked in sweat, so take advantage of it.
• Making a difference. Avoiding driving will not only clear up some of the congestion around town but will also save you some money. Every 10-mile commute you take via bike instead of car prevents approximately 8 pounds of carbon from entering the atmosphere, according to an online calculator from Stanford University.

HOW TO JOIN

To register online, sign up HERE. You can join a team, create a new team, or sign up as a single rider. On-site registration and check-in start at 7 a.m at Orlando Festival Park. The ride officially starts at 8 a.m. and ends at Orlando City Hall. Parking is available at the park, just use the entrance off Livingston Street.

WHERE TO GRAB BREAKFAST ON YOUR WAY

We recommend stopping at Se7en Bites for their classic spin on biscuits and gravy or the 7th trimester if consuming biscuits with mac and cheese doesn’t make you immediately want to go horizontal. If you’re feeling fresh Italian bread, swing by the new(ish) Stasio’s Italian Deli and Market to grab a delicious breakfast sammy.

Call me, maybe. The Florida Public Service Commission has announced it will start introducing a new 689 area code next summer in areas currently served by 321 and 407. Each of the two existing area codes is assigned 792 prefixes that are used to make 10,000 phone numbers each. If our math is correct, that means our region has nearly 16 million phone numbers. (Orlando Sentinel)

The tiniest costumes. A Central Florida teen is bringing Halloween cheer to infants and families in the neonatal intensive care unit at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando. For the second year in a row, Rachel Maretsky and her friends have made about 100 tiny superhero capes to serve as the babies’ first Halloween costumes. (Orlando Sentinel)

A permanent memorial. Orange County commissioners have approved a plan that will funnel $10 million in hotel taxes to a permanent Pulse memorial and museum on the site of the gay nightclub. The money will go to the ONEPulse Foundation, which says it will work with survivors, first-responders and victims’ families to come up with the design for the memorial. (Orlando Business Journal)

Self-driving snafu. A Winter Garden man is suing Tesla after he crashed into a disabled vehicle on the Florida Turnpike while using the automaker’s autonomous driving system. Tesla says the driver ignored user manual instructions that advise against engaging the car’s autopilot function at speeds higher than 50 mph; the man’s attorney is arguing Tesla markets its cars as being autonomous at freeway speeds. (Orlando Sentinel)

Too scary. It seems every Halloween now brings news of at least a few costumes that cross the line. This year’s first example: A UCF student who — for some inexplicable reason — thought it was OK to wear a belt of live ammo to class as part of an undisclosed costume. The student was arrested, and police issued what should be an obvious reminder: “Do NOT incorporate simulated or ACTUAL ammunition/weapons into your costumes. It scares others & puts safety at risk.” (Orlando Weekly)

“THIS AD OVERHEARD MY CONVERSATIONS”

Orlandoan Ryan Bakerman officially made it … on Twitter. His tweet about creepy ads got over 325,000 retweets as of Tuesday morning. We’ve all been there.

See you tomorrow, Orlando,

— Pulptown