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Bicyclists are “freeloaders” on the federal transportation program.

That’s a claim we’ve been hearing for years. We’ve been blamed for everything from collapsing bridges to a bankrupt Highway Trust Fund. The scale of bicycle and pedestrian spending in that federal transportation program has been consistently and deliberately misrepresented by people that want to kick us out of the program all together.

They’ve been trying for years — and we have always been able to rebuff them and preserve a critical source of funding for better biking and walking. Well, they are back and they are armed with new misinformation — and this time we are being treated on a par with squirrels. Seriously, squirrels.

R.T. Rybak is proud of his home city. He has reason to be: Minneapolis helped pioneer bikesharing in the United States, it’s got a booming bike community, it’s a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community and much more. Rybak served as Mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014, helping oversee and push many of the bike efforts in the midwest city. He’s moderating a panel discussion with a handful of mayors from cities across the country at the 2015 National Bike Summit next month. We caught up with him to talk more about his time as mayor, what he sees as the challenges facing future elected officials, and how his competitive streak is not just an engine for trash talk, but a powerful tool for elected officials’ to embrace when doing this work.

Bicycling is a wonderful, fun and healthy activity. But it’s not without some risk and when that driver cuts you off or you hit a pothole and crash, you are going to want an advocate to fight for your rights. That’s why we’re so proud to have a strategic partnership with Bike Law, a national network of attorneys who specialize in personal injury cases involving bicyclists like you. We are now hosting a directory of Bike Law attorneys on our site here.

Capitol Hill can be a confusing place. Where do I go? Who do I need to see? What’s my message? Face-to-face meetings are hugely important, and we know they work. That’s why at the National Bike Summit we have a whole day dedicated to meeting with your congressional lawmakers about the issues you face in your neighborhoods. If this is your first Summit, or you feel you need a refresher, we’re holding a Lobbying 101 training on March 9 at 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St. NW.

The plan is simple: Local, local, local. With a hostile state legislature, governor and Congress, the Wisconsin Bike Fed’s Big Idea is to work intensely at the local level, build relationships and momentum and then get local actors to pressure their representatives to do more at higher levels. The comprehensive local effort is two-pronged. First, assemble a network of Bicycle Friendly Communities throughout the state. The Bike Fed will help communities with bike plans, intervene in local controversies, offer advice on how to engage mayors, business leaders and other local influentials, and share information and best practices among communities. Second, boost membership to 10,000, thereby activating engaged advocates throughout the state.

We are pleased to announce Lisa Nutter, track cyclist and bike advocate, President of Philadelphia Academies, Inc, and First Lady of Philadelphia, to our list of speakers at this year’s National Forum on Women & Bicycling. At the Forum, Nutter will be speaking on a panel focused on gender equity in competitive cycling. She’s joined by Karen Bliss, former professional cyclist and current VP of Marketing for Advanced Sports International, and Nicole Freedman, former Olympic Cyclist and current head of Boston Bikes.