For those who might be on our system for the first time during the Olympics, here’s a short series of tips to help you get on your way. (If you do know this stuff already, please pass it along to those who might find this useful!)

So far in the Olympic tips series: info on tickets, bike info, Park and Rides, a guide to transit staff, where to find real-time transit info online, and transit etiquette. Let me know if I should add anymore!

If you plan to ride your bike around the region during the Games, here’s some info to help you plan your journey.

Biking to Olympic events

Bike parking will be available at all the Olympic venues in Vancouver and Richmond, and at UBC.

Check the individual venue pages at vancouver2010.com to see the exact bike parking location at each venue.

In Vancouver, the City has expanded and changed some biking routes to help cyclists get around town during the Games. Visit the City’s bike routes page for details. They also have a bigger list of all bike parking locations in the city.

Richmond’s bike routes will remain unchanged for the Games. Here’s their Olympic info about route info and bike parking at their venues. And here’s their main non-Olympic cycling page for even more info.

Bikes and transit

Bikes will be permitted on SeaBus, West Coast Express, and all buses.

Unfortunately, bikes won’t be allowed on SkyTrain from Monday, February 8 to Wednesday, March 3, since rush-hour crowds are expected all day during the Olympics. (Folding bicycles that can be stored in a bag will still be permitted.)

You can still bike to a station then hop on the train, though. Bike racks are located at all SkyTrain stations, bus exchanges, and Park & Ride lots. There are also bike lockers available for monthly rental at many locations too – check the TransLink bike locker page for more info.

Plan your cycling trip

Also! You can plan your bike trip with UBC’s cycling trip planner which has now been updated with info on Olympic bike parking and reroutes. (We contributed our bike info to this site—it’s a great tool!)

We’ve also updated the regional cycling map, with information about the new bike routes built in the last several years, plus bike shop locations and more. You can find the map online—check out the “Full Maps” on our cycling page—or pick up a print copy from the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition’s new offices at 3 West 3rd Ave in Vancouver, Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Check our vendors too: the maps are making their way out to them.)

General winter riding tips

Check out the main cycling page on the TransLink website – it links to some great community resources, like the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC), who you can turn to for cycling help.

The VACC has also pointed out some informative 2010 cycling posts from Biking Bis and Pedal Pundit.

Plus, last November, we were also a major sponsor of Bike to Work Week to get people ready for winter riding. I wrote some winter riding tips up for the blog: here’s one on prepping for your ride, plus five things learned from riding (plus five more lessons!), and how to care for your bike in winter.

Hope this helps — please do leave comments if you have more to add!