National Bike Month

National Bike Month is so much more than 31 days in May. It’s a celebration of bikes; an impetus to get rolling again; a gateway to riding more often; a time to evangelize the beauty of bikes; and much, much more. Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month, and the League has sponsored this celebration of bicycling for decades as we advance the movement to build a bicycle-friendly America for everyone.

It’s one of our favorite days of the year: National Bike To Work Day! Earlier this week, we looked a bit more deeply at the data surrounding bike commuting with the U.S. Census Bureau, which just last week released a new report on the subject. Bottom line: Bike commuting has grown 61% over the past decade. And, today, we’re so excited to see all the faces behind that number.

For Kennetta Gunns, bicycling was a dual pathway to better health. Returning from military deployment in 2007, the veteran faced both physical and mental challenges — and pedaled her way beyond those barriers thanks to a little help from cycling friends and Ride to Recovery. This year, Bike to Work Week coincides with National Women’s Health Week. As we’ve showcased in the past, bicycling is a powerful tool to advance health and this week we’re sharing diverse stories from women who have tapped into biking as an avenue to wellness.

For Emily Gresh, her health was her livelihood. As a professional ballet dancer, her body was her medium. When she got cancer, at age 39, that seemless relationship came undone. As she underwent surgey and started the long road to recovery, bicycling rebuilt her strength and reconnected her to the joy of pushing her physical limits — and sharing her inspiration with others.

For many bicyclists becoming a parent can change everything. Kidical Mass DC recognized these challenges and created the ABCs of Family Biking to help parents overcome those hurdles. This weekend, at the annual event, organizer Megan Odett and other area advocates, spoke with Stone Soup Films for a 5-minute video that captures the energy and possibility of empowering more families to ride.

In honor of National Bike to School Day, we’re showcasing stories of family biking this week. A Seattle mother of two and founder of the blog Family Ride, Madi Carlson is a longtime leader of Kidical Mass and Critical Lass rides — but this year’s BTSD was her first time as a conductor. In this guest post, she shares the joys — and challenges — of this “tornado of fun.”

Today, nearly 2,000 schools participated in National Bike To School Day, with parents and kids hopping on two wheels for their daily commute to school. We asked our followers to Tweet and Instagram your favorite photos from this morning, using the hashtag #BTSD. The feed was flooded with photos of bright, cheerful faces ready to head out on their rides to school. We pulled out a few of our favorites here, and feel free to keep sending them in — we’ll update this post!

Here in the nation’s capital, we’re lucky to have a passionate and skilled leader behind the local chapter of Kidical Mass. Megan Odett, who serves as the member services coordinator for the Alliance for Biking & Walking, not only arrives to the office on her Yuba after making a school run herself, but is also a master organizer of events like the ABCs of Family Biking on the weekend. In honor of Bike to School Day, she caught up with a local biking dad, Charles Greene III, to get his take on riding with his daughter.

Over the past three years, Dorie Apollonio has artfully chronicled her family’s biking experiences on her blog, Hum of the City. Last year, she wrote this beautiful piece about the increased number of parents biking their kids to her son’s school — and we couldn’t think of a better inspiration for National Bike to School Day tomorrow!

Kids and parents alike will be tightening their helmets and hopping on their bicycles tomorrow for National Bike To School Day! The third annual event already has 1,828 schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia registered.