Ideas for Bike Month events and activities
May is not just another month on the calendar; it’s a celebration of all things cycling!
As we gear up for Bike Month, let’s ignite our passion for pedal power and rally together to make this May a month to remember.
Bike Month is about fostering a community of cyclists, advocating for safer streets, and spreading the joy of two-wheeled adventures. From leisurely bike rides through scenic routes to empowering advocacy activities that promote cycling infrastructure, the possibilities are as vast as the open road.
Imagine the streets buzzing with the hum of bicycle wheels, children laughing as they bike to school, and communities coming together to support a greener, healthier way of life. By organizing events for Bike Month, you have the power to inspire change, promote sustainability, and create lasting memories for yourself and others.
Whether it’s hosting bike repair clinics, leading group rides, or encouraging bike-to-school initiatives, every event you organize contributes to a more bike-friendly region.
PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE’S BICYCLE COMMUTER CHALLENGE
- Starting May 13, the Challenge is a month-long biking competition where Chicagoland organizations compete to see who can earn the most points by riding their bike. It’s free to participate! Just sign up, ride your bike, and watch the points roll.
HOST A COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE
- Here are some examples of family-friendly bike rides from groups like We Keep You Rollin’ Bike & Wellness Group, Cycle Brookfield, and Elgin Community Bikes including full moon rides, slow roll social rides, wellness rides, and more:
- Themed bike rides including costume rides, neighborhood clean-up rides, visits to local businesses, and more.
- Ride with the mayor or alderperson: Work with your local leaders to lead a bike ride. Examples of towns with mayors leading bike rides include Broadview, Warrenville, and North Aurora.
- Ride of Silence (May 15): To remember those who have been killed by traffic violence.
- National Ride a Bike Day (May 5)
HOST A BIKE-RELATED EVENT
- Bike repair clinic: Partner with a local bike shop to offer free bike-checks and tune-ups to kick-off the biking season.
- Bicycle-themed movie screening: Host a movie screening at your local library or community center. The Street Project, for example, is a film about the global, citizen-led fight to make our streets safer. You can partner with other community groups to purchase a license to publicly screen this film for your community.
- Bike rodeo: Organize a bike obstacle course to help kids or adults learn bike safety skills.
PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL BIKE & ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY
- Encourage your local schools to participate in Bike & Roll to School Day on May 8 (or beyond), or take the lead in helping your school organize an event. Events come in all shapes and sizes from bicycle trains to bike rodeos to educational activities. More than a couple dozen Illinois schools have signed up to participate in 2024. Register here.
INVOLVE YOUR CITY, VILLAGE, OR WARD IN BIKE MONTH
- Adopt an official bike month proclamation: See examples from the Village of Palatine and League of American Bicyclists.
- Participate in Move with the Mayor and sign up for the Spring Challenge: This national initiative works with mayors across the country to challenge their communities to be more physically active. The Spring Challenge, where mayors can organize a community bike ride, runs in April and May. Chicagoland communities participating in Move with the Mayor include West Chicago, Elgin, Hanover Park, Evergreen Park, Countryside, Elburn, Park Forest, Romeoville, Sugar Grove, Oswego, and Broadview. If your mayor would like to sign up, contact Michelle Snyder at michelle.snyder.ic@nationalforum.org
- Start the process of becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community: Help make your town a better place to bike for residents and visitors by encouraging municipal staff to apply for Bicycle Friendly Community status.
- Organize a bicycle audit with elected officials, municipal staff, and community members by riding to popular community destinations as a group and discussing issues and opportunities for improvement.
CREATE A BIKE MONTH BINGO CARD
- Create a Bingo Card with various bike related activities, such as running an errand by bike, visiting a local trail, taking a selfie with your bike, etc. If you have the resources or can get donations, you can offer prizes to a few participants. Have a look at the Bike Palatine Club Bike Bingo Card or the City of Carbondale Bike Bingo Card.
HOST A BIKE MONTH CELEBRATION STATION
- Set up a table at a community event, farmers market, along a popular bike route, or at a transit station and bring snacks, refreshments, educational materials, bike pumps or other resources to share with riders.
EDUCATION & ADVOCACY
- Think about incorporating advocacy into any activities you organize. This is how change happens.
- Create an action alert or collect signatures for a petition about a local project and submit to a local leader. We’re happy to help you set up a petition using our online petition software or you can use a free platform such as change.org.
- Share bike safety information via social media, newsletters, or distribute in-person:
- Invite local leaders to participate in a bike ride or event.
- Collect input from event participants on where they would like to see more bike-friendly infrastructure or ways your city/village/neighborhood can become more bike-friendly. Submit ideas to local leaders afterwards.
- Document conditions of existing bike routes or places where you think there should be improved bicycle infrastructure.
- Work with your local library to set up a display of bicycle-themed books, bike maps, or other educational materials to celebrate Bike Month. Advocates from the Village of Palatine have worked with the Palatine Library every year to host a Bike Month display.