The City of Santa Clarita is calling on local businesses to rally their employees and compete in the 9th annual Bike to Work Day Challenge on Thursday, May 17.

The Challenge takes place during Bike to Work Week, the biggest bicycle commute in California. Thousands of public and private employees across the state will pledge to ride their bikes to work and join the no pollute commute from Monday, May 14 to Friday, May 18, 2012.

“Biking to work takes cars off the road, relieves traffic congestion, and saves money on gas,” says Mayor Frank Ferry. “Bicycles are our greenest form of transportation and by participating in this friendly competition, residents can help decrease carbon emissions, improve air quality, and contribute to making Santa Clarita a greener and healthier community,” he continued.

The competition will be broken down into three categories: small businesses (2-10 active employees); medium businesses (11-100 active employees); and large businesses (100 or more active employees). Businesses with the highest participation rate in each category will win a gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice, and free frozen yogurt from Golden Spoon for each employee.

Santa Clarita Bike to Work Day participants will get reenergized and enjoy free refreshments, giveaways, and cycling information at four different pit stops stationed across the City while biking to work.

Pit stops will be located at:

* City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Boulevard

* Bouquet Junction, located at the corner of Valencia Boulevard and Bouquet Canyon Road

*  South Fork Trail access, located at the corner of Newhall Avenue and 16th Street

* Santa Clara River Trail access, located at the corner of Camp Plenty and Soledad Canyon Road

Participants will also be entered into a raffle for prizes including KHS bicycles, high-quality cycling gear, gift certificates, movie tickets, and more. Bicyclists can be eligible to win additional prizes from Los Angeles Metro by pledging to participate in the Bike to Work Day Challenge online at Metro.net/BikeToWork.

Interested businesses should designate a “lead rider” to be responsible for registering their business for the Santa Clarita Bike to Work Day Challenge. Lead riders will act as the point of contact and are required to submit a list of bicyclists to City Event Coordinator Laura Jardine at (661) 255-4376 or ljardine@santa-clarita.com.

For more information about the Bike to Work Day Challenge, visit GreenSantaClarita.com.