Are you ready for Car-Free Fridays?

Bike Pittsburgh is.

And it has gathered a group of like-minded organizations to encourage commuters and others to leave their cars at the curb Fridays throughout the summer.

Car-Free Fridays begin Friday, a day that will include free breakfasts, discounts at local businesses and guided bike pools to common commuter destinations.

"Every year, we sponsor Bike-To-Work Day, and it's always a lot of fun," said Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsburgh, the city's bicycle advocacy and awareness organization. "But why stop at just one day? The benefits of commuting by bike are something we ought to highlight all year long."

Bricker said Friday was chosen "because it's already a casual day in many work places. If someone wants to try bike commuting, that's a good day to give it a shot. Of course, we would be delighted if people started commuting by bike on other days as well."

To encourage new bike commuters to saddle up and pedal off, he said experienced riders have volunteered to lead bike pools from meeting points in different neighborhoods. The cyclists will ride as a group to common work destinations such as Downtown, Oakland or the South Side.

Bricker said the first-day festivities will include breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. for bike commuters, walkers and mass-transit riders at Schenley Plaza in Oakland and bicyclists only at Fifth Avenue Place, Downtown.

Speaking in support of Car-Free Fridays at Schenley Plaza will be Steve Bland, chief executive officer of the Port Authority; Mike Edwards, chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership; Mario Browne, project director and community health coordinator of the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh and Brian Bronaugh, president and executive creative director of Mullen, an advertising agency in the Strip District.

The Bikes Belong Coalition, Whole Foods Market, The Sprout Fund, NuGo and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy also are supporting the Car-Free Fridays program.

After work, cyclists will be invited to join Venture Outdoors, the Young Preservationists of Pittsburgh and Bike Pittsburgh for a "leisurely urban bike ride" on the roads and riverfront trails of the South Side and North Side.

The ride will end at the Penn Brewery on the North Side for happy hour.

The ride is free for members of Bike Pittsburgh, YPA and Venture Outdoors and $10 for non-members. It will begin at 6 a.m. at Kayak Pittsburgh, Downtown, and finish at 7:45 p.m. at the brewery.

Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information, including a list of Car-Free Friday discounts, meeting times and locations, go to www.carfreefridays.org or call 412-325-4334.

Shaums March will conduct two-hour mountain bike clinics before the Gravity East Series races next Saturday at Seven Springs. March, founder of Mad March Racing, and his staff provide some of the best hands-on instruction anywhere.

The clinics will feature "detailed instruction by certified personable professional riders," including "secrets passed down from some of the top pro riders and mechanics in the industry." Participants must pre-register online. Go to www.ride7springs.com.

The Gravity East Series, a USA Cycling-sanctioned downhill event, will be held next Friday through Sunday. Riders in 17 age and gender classes -- from boys and girls 14 and younger to men and women 40 and older -- will compete in 11 races. Spectators are welcome.

Registration fees range from $35 to $50. Proceeds will be used to reimburse the resort for a variety of prizes.

For more information, go to www.7springs.com (1-800-452-2223) and www.madmarchracing.com.