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This guest post comes from Laurie Rescheske, a National Bike Challenge 2013 participant and mom to Brian. Brian is my 19-year-old son, and he has Down Syndrome. Over the years, we have tried many times to teach him how to ride a bicycle, but he could never quite get the hang of it.

It’s pretty simple: Bikes are good for you. Yesterday, we were joined by a trio of women who have research expertise and personal experience related to the health benefits of bicycling, as we continue to delve into our new “Women on a Roll” report. During the live Google Hangout, we talked the research and stats that prove bicycling is an immense tool for any woman to keep in shape, and also the personal stories of those whose lives have changed for the better because they got on a bike.

Earlier this year, the 500th Complete Streets policy was codified in Memphis, Tenn. Yesterday, in Washington, D.C., key stakeholders and Complete Streets advocates gathered to celebrate this achievement, and to discuss the future of the movement. Check out our recap of yesterday’s events…

Updated: This report has been updated to include several key frequently asked questions. If you live in a city or suburb and want to make biking better, you need to know your MPO. Especially under the new federal transportation law, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) make big behind-the-scenes decisions about how transportation dollars are spent in cities and their surrounding regions.

There is a D.C. bicycle story that few know of. But it’s this story that has inspired groups of cyclists around the country to challenge the notions of who bikes and why. On an Easter weekend in 1928, Marylou Jackson, Velma Jackson, Ethyl Miller, Leolya Nelson and Constance White took a trip from New York to Washington D.C. — but unlike the many who make that journey via bus, train or plane these ‘Five Cyclists’ made the trip on their bikes. Over three days, these five black women made the 250-mile journey between the two cities in what was then a stunning pace.

When we released “The New Majority: Pedaling Toward Equity” report in May, we knew it was just the first step to a much bigger, complex and on-going discussion about bicycling equity in the United States. Anthony Taylor, a member of the League’s Equity Advisory Council and founding member of the Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, gives his take on the report this week on the Bike Walk Twin Cities blog. An important and engaging read…

Austin, Texas, is “putting a bite” in its 3-foot passing law. The City of Austin passed a 3-foot law back in 2009, but — like many localities and states — was slow to enforce the law. This year, as part of Austin’s celebration of Bike Month, the City of Austin police department began an enforcement effort using undercover police officers on bikes.

On Friday, dozens clicked over to the #womenbike Twitter hashtag to follow along, offer opinions and connect with others interested in women and bikes. We hosted our first @WomenBike Twitter chat, taking a closer look at our new report, “Women on a Roll.” We talked women-owned bike shops, the pervasive myths about women on bikes, how we encourage others to ride, and more! We’ve rounded up the highlights of the chat for all of those who were unable to join us. And, luckily for us, a few others recapped the chat on their networks, too (Cyclelicious and Lauren Jenkins — thanks!).

Just last week, we released a first-of-its-kind report — “Women on Roll” — that compiles dozens of statistics and highlights five key focus areas to inspire and encourage more female ridership. One of the most important take-aways: More women on bikes means a healthier America.