For Seattle’s 12 Annual Cranksgiving, let’s ride bikes together.

Rather than the usual scavenger hunt, Cranksgiving 2021 will join up with the good folks at Bike Works Saturday, November 20, to collect donations for Rainier Valley Food Bank before going on a nice, long no-drop community bike ride to celebrate Major Taylor’s birthday.

Download the donation list (PDF or JPG), acquire your donation items on your own time, then bike them to the Bike Works shop (3709 S Ferdinand St) at 11 a.m. We will gather there for coffee and mini pies before heading out at noon for an 11.3-mile no-drop community bike ride, rain or shine. The ride will end back at Bike Works at 1 for pizza and beverages outside. You are welcome to donate and swithout joining the ride. To go on the ride, please register online with Bike Works (free to ride, but there’s a suggested donation of $13 to benefit Cascade’s Major Taylor Project).

I started planning a scavenger hunt style event, but I just didn’t feel comfortable sending lots of riders out to make an unnecessary number of trips into busy grocery stores. I was also a bit concerned about trying to host a warm and dry afterparty without having an indoor party. So when Bike Works reached out to talk about their plan to host their annual community ride to celebrate Major Taylor’s birthday, I realized this was an opportunity to rethink the 2021 event. We have never before been able to ride as a big group on Cranksgiving because riders scatter to the wind as soon as it starts. So while the scavenger hunt part won’t happen this year, we finally get ride together.

Also, Casey Lougheed is organizing a White Center Cranksgiving Sunday if you are really itching for more of a scavenger hunt style event (or if you want to ride all weekend). That event benefits White Center Food Bank. See the event listing for more info.