Bike Month is Here: 10 Things to Get You Rolling!

It’s here! National Bike Month starts today — a full 31 days packed with unique and wonderful events and rides that celebrate the many joys and benefits of bicycling in communities nationwide.

Sure, we say it every year, but 2013 promises to be bigger than ever. So here’s our list of 10 things to get your Bike Month rolling — and take full advantage of the BEST month of the year.

Find out what’s going on in your community: Search our national database for events in your area and get in touch with your local advocacy organization, favorite bike shop or bike collective to get plugged in to the happenings in your community.

Mark your calendar and get involved in special national events:

• National Bike to School Day is one week from today: Wednesday, May 8. Hundreds of events are already scheduled — learn more here.
• Women unite: The second annual Cyclofemme takes place on May 12. Organize a ride in your community or join one of the nearly 200 events already planned — join the movement!
• The Ride of Silence, honoring bicyclists who have been injured or killed on our public roadways, marks its 10^th anniversary on May 15 — find a ride in your area here.
• And, of course, celebrate Bike to Work Week (May 13-17) and Bike to Work Day (May 17)

Connect your event to the national movement: Download our new National Bike Month logo for your materials. Nothing says style like our updated winged wheel!

Use our free posters to promote your events: This year, we have not one, but four Bike Month posters, highlighting the diversity of people who ride. You may recognize some of our models, too. Thanks to New York City bicyclists (and advocates) Helen Ho, Karyn Williams, Ed Hernandez, and Kyle Mosholder for sharing their passion for cycling on the national level. Plus, new this year, we have a poster in Spanish, too!

Get ideas from our updated Bike Month Guide: Need a creative new idea to get folks rolling or guidance on how to make sure your event runs smoothly? Looking for key facts and figures to convince peers and policymakers that bicycling benefits your community or quick links to helpful commuting tips? We’ve got you covered! Click here to download the rebranded and updated Bike Month Guide.

A page from our new Bike Month Guide

Build the buzz on social media: Understanding that social media has become a critical advocacy tool, we created a new resource for 2013: a social media toolkit with plenty of sample Tweets and Facebook posts to help you engage, encourage and get folks talking about bikes in your community this May. We also created an official National Bike Month Facebook timeline cover you can use, as well.

Promote National Bike Month on your Facebook page!

Get in the game with Bike Month Bingo: To inspire you to pedal somewhere new or use your bike in a different way, we created a Bike Month Bingo card. Download the Bingo card and stick it on your fridge or wall — and check the boxes as you ride. Once you’re done, share a picture of you with your completed card on our Twitter feed and you could win a prize!

Join the National Bike Challenge: Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health. Join the friendly online competition to track your miles, make new friends, compete for prizes — and help us show the power and popularity of bicycling in the U.S. by uniting 50,000 Americans to log 20 million miles from May 1 to September 30.

Tune in to our web series: We got great feedback on our Why I Ride web series last year — so we’re bringing the daily Bike Month blog posts back! This year, in line with our “Where will the ride take you” and the developing efforts of our new Equity Advisory Council, we’ll be spotlighting how bicycles aren’t just about recreation and transportation, but tools for personal empowerment, social justice and community development. Subscribe to the blog — the series starts tomorrow!

Have fun — and tell us all about it: Don’t forget to share pictures and stories with us on our Facebook page or Twitter feed. After all, YOU make Bike Month the best time of the year!

Where will the ride take you? Get involved in National Bike Month and find out!