Get Ready for National Bike Month!

It’s almost time for the best 31 days of the year: National Bike Month.

May has long been the month of bicycle love. It started with the Cycle Trade Association, which designated American Bike Month in an effort to boost the sale of bicycles. In 1956, the League inaugurated National Bike Month with an expanded emphasis on advocacy and promotion. And it’s been growing every year since.

The high point of the month is Bike to Work Week — May 14-18 — which reaches a pinnacle with Bike to Work Day on May 18. Across the country, in cities and towns large and small, cyclists from all backgrounds ride together in commuter convoys; meet fellow pedalers and local advocates at pit stops; celebrate active transportation with pre- and post-work parties; and participate in all sorts of creative and fun bike-centric events. In 2011, hundreds of events were planned from coast to coast and this year promises to be bigger than ever.

I’ve already signed up for Bike to Work Day here in Washington, D.C. How are you celebrating Bike Month in your community?

• Are you planning a Bike Month event? Get the word out by posting your events on the League’s Bike Month website.

• Are you an bicycle advocate or club leader? Learn how to put together an event, or promote the event you’ve already planned on the League’s “Making the Most of Bike Month” webinar tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. Register here.

• Looking for new ways to engage your friends, family, co-workers and membership? New this year, the League is partnering on the National Bike Challenge, a fun and friendly competition that will allow riders to compete for prizes and be part of the largest social network of cyclists in the nation. The Challenge kicks off May 1, but already more than 1,000 people are getting warmed up on the interactive website. Sign up today!

And, of course, stay tuned to the League blog for more news, resources and updates in coming days and weeks.